Roasting coffee is a skill that brings out all of your favorite bean's characteristics. But decaf coffee takes a bit more finesse to bring out the complete flavor profile.
Caffeine is removed before the beans are roasted, so learning to roast decaf coffee takes a bit more skill.
What Is Decaf Coffee
Decaffeinated coffee has been processed to extract the caffeine from the bean. The decaffeination process can use:
- Chemical solvents
- Natural cane sugar solvents
- Water
- Carbon dioxide.
These get rid of 97 to 99 percent of the stimulant in coffee beans. If you're looking for a clean, chemical-free decaf coffee, you'll want to stick with swiss water process coffees.
The Swiss Water Process
The Swiss water process is a method used to remove the caffeine from coffee beans using water. This method is a more organic choice and allows the coffee to retain its flavors.
The process itself uses water and carbon to filter out the caffeine and create what's called green coffee extract. The Swiss water process is a patented system. Unroasted coffee beans are shipped to the Swiss Water Company where they are processed.
The Swiss Water Company's step-by-step involved:
- Cleaning and soaking the beans
- Creating and removing
- Filtering and reusing the green coffee extract
- Dehydrating the unroasted beans and shipping them out.
This method draws out around 99% of the caffeine, while preserving the flavor profile.
A Popular CBC Decaf Unroasted Coffee
One of our favorite decaf green coffees at CBC is the Papua New Guinea Organic Decaf Purosa. These beans are grown in the Eastern Highlands and undergo the washed process before being decaffeinated. Many people enjoy this roast as a medium or medium dark because it gives full chocolatey flavors and compares well against regular caffeinated options. The cupping notes are caramel and chocolate with a creamy, full body, medium acidity, and cane sugar sweetness.
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What to Keep in Mind When You Roast Decaf Coffee
Creating the perfect decaf roast takes a bit more concentration and expertise, so we want to give you a leg up on your best roast. If you have roasted a natural processed coffee before, then you have the most similar experience to what you need for decaf.
The biggest point to keep in mind is your decaf coffee needs to be roasted slower and more gradually with less heat. Starting with a lower charge and allowing your beans a longer time to reach the target temperature will help your beans roast correctly.
You should also give your roast more air at the start of the roast to have a more consistent roast. The decaf beans are a bit softer, so being gentler with the heat and cooling earlier in the roast should help you achieve your preferred roast profile.
The Difference Between Roasting Decaf and Non-Decaf
You would think roasting coffee is just roasting coffee, no matter the caffeine content. In reality, decaf coffee beans roast much differently than regularly caffeinated beans. Even at the beginning of your roasting process, decaf beans tend to be a darker or more brown color. Many decaf coffees even have varying colors from one another before they are roasted. The difference visually before the roast may throw you off because it's not what you're used to.
There are many common, visual differences between decaffeinated coffee beans and caffeinated coffee beans. The sheen of oil is more distinct in caffeinated coffee, as is the flaking chaff. Decaf coffee tends to have less or no chaff and a darker seam, which can cause confusion when roasting.
Distinguishing the pop of the first crack is also different when dealing with less caffeine. Many times decaf coffee has a very faint or completely inaudible first crack. Standard caffeinated coffee has a distinct popping noise for the first crack. Use smell as your best indicator for the first crack in decaf. There will be a sweet scent to tell you that it hit the first crack.
You'll need to begin your cooldown cycle a little sooner for decaf coffee beans. Decaf takes a bit less heat over a longer period of time because it does not expand as well as caffeinated coffee beans. Roasting decaf should be done more gradually and beginning at a lower charge temperature.
There are only minor changes needed to accommodate the lack of caffeine, but make sure to work with the beans you have.
Conclusion
Decaffeinated coffee may require a slower approach and a bit more patience, but if you have the right beans to start you off, you can make a perfect roast.
Most of the roasting cues for decaf coffee will be different from normal beans - from the starting color, the target temperature, and the cooldown cycle. Even though roasting decaf may be a bit more challenging, you can always learn to adjust it to make your new favorite coffee.