What Is Decaf Coffee?
Decaf coffee refers to any coffee in bean, ground or in prepared form that has most of the caffeine removed from it via a variety of decaffeination processes. These processes do not make decaf coffee caffeine free, but they significantly reduce caffeine amounts in the average cup of joe. Some people choose decaffeinated coffee to avoid most caffeine as per dietary recommendations, to lower jittery response, or simply out of personal preference. The first decaf coffee styles were made in the early 20th century. The earliest methods of decaffeination soaked green coffee beans in a benzene solution, which helped remove the caffeine. This process was one of the most popular for many years, and in the US, people may recall that the Sanka® brand was made in this manner. The chemicals used were not particularly healthy though, and ultimately other processes replaced the benzene soak method.
