Many people enjoy drinking coffee, but they want to limit their caffeine intake for personal preferences or health reasons. For these people, decaf coffee is an excellent alternative.
As you probably already know, it’s coffee from coffee beans that have had at least 97% of their caffeine removed. Maud's Coffee & Tea uses the Swiss Water Process to decaffeinate all of our decaf blends. This process removes the caffeine by gently soaking the coffee beans in a water solution for just over 8 hours. The solution absorbs caffeine from the beans, and is then repeatedly carbon filtered until about 98% of the caffeine is removed.
The nutritional value of decaf coffee should be almost identical to regular coffee, apart from the caffeine content.
Decaf coffee is not completely caffeine free. It actually contains varying amounts of caffeine, usually about 3 mg per cup. One study found that each 6 ounces (180 mL) cup of decaf contained 0–7 mg of caffeine. On the other hand, an average cup of regular coffee contains about 70–140 mg of caffeine, depending on coffee type, preparation method, and cup size. So, even if decaf is not completely caffeine free, the amount of caffeine is usually very small.
The bottom line: Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. It’s loaded with antioxidants and linked to reduced risk of all sorts of serious diseases. However, not everyone can drink coffee. For some people, the caffeine can cause problems. For these individuals, decaf is an excellent way to enjoy coffee without the side effects of too much caffeine. Decaf has most of the same health benefits as regular coffee, but none of the side effects.
