Yes, decaf coffee still has a little caffeine. A 237ml (8oz) cup of decaf usually has somewhere between about 1mg and 15mg, depending on whose figures you use. The same cup of regular brewed coffee has around 96mg. So decaf is not caffeine free, but most of the caffeine has gone.
Our own decaf is Colombian Decaf, decaffeinated by the water method. It sits alongside our decaf espresso shots in the decaf coffee range. This guide explains what decaf is, how much caffeine is left in it, how the caffeine is taken out and what to look for when you buy it.
What is decaf coffee?
Decaf is short for decaffeinated. Decaf coffee is ordinary coffee that has had most of its caffeine removed. It comes from the same coffee plants as any other coffee, and once the caffeine is out it is roasted and brewed in the same way.
The caffeine is taken out before roasting, while the beans are still green. The beans are soaked or steamed, something draws the caffeine out, and the beans are dried again. Then they are roasted like any other coffee.
So decaf is not a different kind of bean. A decaf can be a single origin or a blend, a light roast or a dark one. Ours is a single origin from Huila in Colombia.
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?
Is there caffeine in decaf coffee? Always a little. No decaffeination method removes all of it. Here is what the main sources say:
- The US Food and Drug Administration says decaf coffee typically has 2 to 15mg of caffeine in an 8oz (237ml) cup.
- Mayo Clinic lists about 1mg for a 237ml cup of brewed decaf, 1mg for a single 30ml decaf espresso and 2mg for a 237ml cup of decaf instant.
For comparison, Mayo Clinic puts a 237ml cup of regular brewed coffee at 96mg and a single espresso at 63mg. The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee says a typical cup of coffee contains 75 to 100mg.
The figures vary because coffee varies. The beans, the decaf method, the amount of coffee used and the way it is brewed all change the result. Most mugs also hold more than 237ml. The fair summary is that a cup of decaf has a small amount of caffeine, far less than a cup of regular coffee, but not none.
The legal limit for decaf
There are rules on what can be sold as decaffeinated. In the UK, instant coffee (the law calls it coffee extract) can only be labelled decaffeinated if its caffeine content is no more than 0.3% of the dry coffee. For England that is set out in the Coffee Extracts and Chicory Extracts (England) Regulations 2000, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have matching rules. The EU uses the same 0.3% figure.
Some countries also set a limit for decaf beans and ground coffee. Germany, for example, allows no more than 1g of caffeine per kilo of dry coffee, which works out at 0.1%.
How is decaf coffee made?
There are a few ways to take caffeine out of coffee. They all start with green, unroasted beans. They all aim to remove the caffeine and leave as much of the flavour behind as possible. The difference is what does the work.
Water processes
The green beans are soaked in hot water. The water pulls out caffeine, along with the compounds that give coffee its flavour. That water is then run through activated carbon filters, which trap the caffeine and let the flavour compounds through.
The flavour-rich water is then used on the next batch of beans. Because it already carries those flavour compounds, it mostly takes caffeine out of the new beans and leaves the rest. No chemical solvents are involved, only water and filters. This is how our Colombian Decaf is decaffeinated.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Here the beans go into a sealed, high-pressure chamber with carbon dioxide. Under that pressure the CO2 behaves partly like a gas and partly like a liquid. It dissolves the caffeine and leaves most of the rest of the bean alone. It works well, but it is an expensive process to run.
Solvent methods: ethyl acetate and methylene chloride
Solvent methods use a liquid that dissolves caffeine. In the direct version, the beans are steamed and then rinsed with the solvent, which carries the caffeine away. In the indirect version, the beans are soaked in hot water, the solvent takes the caffeine out of that water, and the water goes back to the beans. In that version the solvent does not touch the beans.
Two solvents are in common use:
- Ethyl acetate, the more widely used of the two. It can be made from sugarcane, which is why some Colombian decaf is sold as sugarcane decaf.
- Methylene chloride, also called dichloromethane. It is permitted for decaffeinating coffee in the UK, and the law limits how much can remain to 2mg per kilo of coffee.
Both are legal, and the process is regulated so that only trace amounts can be left in the coffee. Some people would still rather avoid solvents altogether, and that is a reasonable choice. If that is you, look for a water or CO2 decaf. A good roaster will tell you which method their decaf uses. If the bag or product page does not say, ask.
How we do decaf at Hawkins
Our decaf is Colombian Decaf, a single origin coffee from Huila, decaffeinated by the water method. No chemical solvents, just water. It is 100% Grade 1 Arabica, like the rest of our range, and it is smooth and medium strength.
We roast it to order, the same as every coffee we sell, and the roast date is printed on every bag. You can have it as whole beans, ground, or in an espresso grind, in 250g or 1kg bags. Order by 12:00 and it is dispatched the same day. UK delivery is free on orders over £50. If decaf is a regular in your house, subscribe and save to take 10% off, with deliveries every 2 or 4 weeks. Subscription deliveries are £6.95 each.
For workplaces we also sell Decaffeinated Ground Espresso Shots. That is 100 individual 7g sachets of pre-ground decaf espresso, made from Colombian beans. They suit offices and care homes, where lots of different people use the machine and there is usually someone who wants a decaf. Cafes use them too, so they can offer decaf without a second grinder on the counter.
Both are in our decaf coffee collection. If you buy for a business, a trade account gives you trade pricing. Our pages on coffee for offices and coffee for cafes explain how we work with businesses.
Choosing decaf beans: what actually matters
Search for the best decaf coffee beans and you will find plenty of lists. In practice, a few simple things make most of the difference.
Check the roast date
Decaf goes stale like any other coffee. Look for a roast date on the bag, not just a best before date, because only the roast date tells you how fresh the coffee is. Buy a bag size you will get through while it is still fresh. If decaf is an occasional cup in your house, a 250g bag makes more sense than a 1kg bag.
Know the method
Water and CO2 decaf use no chemical solvents. Ethyl acetate and methylene chloride decaf are legal and regulated. You do not have to pick one, but you should be able to find out which one you are buying.
Match the grind to your brewer
Whole beans stay fresh longest once the bag is open, but you need a grinder. If you do not have one, buy ground coffee to suit how you brew. A medium grind works for filter, cafetiere and AeroPress. An espresso machine needs an espresso grind. There is more on this in our guide to whole bean vs pre-ground coffee.
Pick a coffee you would drink anyway
Choose decaf the way you would choose any coffee. Think about how strong you like your coffee, and if you take milk. If you are not sure where to start, a smooth, medium-strength single origin is an easy first bag.
Decaf coffee questions
Does decaf coffee have caffeine?
Yes, a small amount. Decaf is coffee with most of its caffeine removed, not all of it. Figures from the FDA and Mayo Clinic put a 237ml cup of decaf at between about 1mg and 15mg.
Is decaf coffee caffeine free?
No. Decaf and caffeine free are not the same thing. Every decaffeination method leaves a little caffeine behind, so if you want no caffeine at all, decaf coffee will not quite get you there.
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee compared with regular coffee?
Far less. Mayo Clinic puts a 237ml cup of regular brewed coffee at 96mg, against about 1mg for brewed decaf. The FDA gives a range of 2 to 15mg for decaf. Either way, it is a small fraction of a regular cup.
How do they make decaf coffee?
The caffeine is taken out of green, unroasted beans using water, carbon dioxide or a solvent such as ethyl acetate. The beans are then dried and roasted as normal. Our Colombian Decaf uses the water method.
What does decaf coffee mean?
Decaf is short for decaffeinated. It means coffee that has been through a process to remove most of its caffeine before it is roasted. In the UK, decaffeinated instant coffee can have no more than 0.3% caffeine in the dry coffee.
If you have a question about our decaf, or want to set it up for your business, get in touch and David or the team will come back to you.