Decaf coffee has been around for over a century, and while it is still outsold by standard varieties of caffeinated coffee, it is gaining traction as an alternative for those who want a healthier hot drink in the mornings.
If you are aware of decaf as a concept but don’t have any deeper understanding of what it means in a coffee context and why this might be desirable, read on for a deep dive into the main talking points.
How is the caffeine removed from coffee?
There are a handful of mainstream methods for decaffeination, all of which have the same end goal of separating the caffeine from coffee beans prior to roasting.
Most commonly, an organic solvent is combined with the beans, causing the caffeine to be removed, and leaving the rest of the bean largely intact. Filtering through a combination of water, CO2 or charcoal can also be used to achieve a similar result.
Bear in mind that some of the bitter flavor of coffee, as well as the color, can be extracted along with the caffeine. Other than that, it will brew the same and be usable in identical scenarios, so if you are looking for goodies for coffee snobs, decaf can still work well.
Why is decaf better for your body?
First and foremost, switching to decaf makes sense if you have been advised to do so by your doctor, whether as a result of an illness, an intolerance or a particular medical condition, such as pregnancy.
Because caffeine is the primary thing removed during decaffeination, it has all the benefits of regular coffee bundled up in it as well. This includes a big hit of antioxidants, which help to deal with so-called ‘free radicals’ in our bodies.
These are molecules which might otherwise do damage to your cells and even your DNA because of their unstable nature.
The concept of antioxidants and the fight they bring to free radicals is definitely tricky for the layperson to grasp, but plenty of research has praised coffee of all varieties, including decaf, for increasing our intake of them, which has to be a good thing.
In addition, decaf is less likely to cause heartburn, so if you find that you suffer from acid reflux when drinking caffeinated coffee, changing to decaf could be the answer.
Why is decaf better for your mind?
Simply put, caffeine is a stimulant, which means it enters our system and gives us increased feelings of alertness, as well as the impression that we have more energy available to us.
For some people this improves their mental state, especially in the mornings. However, caffeine is also addictive, which means if you stop having it regularly, you could suffer from withdrawal symptoms.
Likewise your body will gradually get used to the doses you have through your morning coffee, which could mean that you need to drink more and more to achieve the same improvements you saw initially.
This is where moving to decaf is especially sensible. If you love the tastes and smells of freshly brewed coffee, but you are not interested in the stimulant effects, it gives you the former while freeing you from the latter.
And of course if having a coffee later in the day or in the evening means that you are unable to get a restful night’s sleep, then decaf is also ideal. Disrupted sleep can lead to all sorts of mental health woes, so for your body and your mind to be in a better state of equilibrium, decaf coffee will get you where you want to go.
