Coffee Sans the Caffeine: The Decaf Process

At Stitch Coffee, we believe that great coffee should be enjoyed by everyone—including those who prefer to avoid caffeine.

That’s why we offer high-quality decaf options that maintain all the delicious flavours of specialty coffee without the buzz.

Decaffeinated coffee, often misunderstood as being completely caffeine-free, must have at least 97% of its caffeine removed to earn the decaf title.

The significantly lower amount of caffeine makes decaf a great alternative for those looking to cut down on their stimulant intake while still enjoying the rich, complex flavours of coffee.

Our preferred approach to decaffeination is the Ethyl Acetate (E.A.) method, a gentle technique that effectively removes caffeine while preserving a green coffee’s inherent aroma and flavour.

Ethyl Acetate is an ester that naturally occurs in many ripe fruits, including coffee! The E.A. our decaf coffee uses is derived from sugarcane sourced from the local industry in Palmira, Colombia.

The E.A. is then combined with spring water to create a solvent solution that extracts caffeine from the beans.

We love this method because it delicately strips the stimulant while keeping the coffee’s character intact. You’ll notice that we source all of our decaf coffee from Colombia, as this is where our trusted partners Descafecol work their extraction skills on 100% Arabica beans.

With their expertise and commitment to quality, we can confidently say that Colombian decaf is among the best in the world.

The journey of decaffeination begins at Descafecol’s dedicated decaf plant located in the city of Manizales in the western state of Caldas. Here, the E.A. method is employed with precision to ensure minimal impact on the beans' natural qualities.

The process starts with milling the green coffee beans to remove their silver skin, after which the beans are steamed inside large tanks to open up their cell membranes, making it easier to extract caffeine.

The softened beans are then submerged in hot water, which helps further loosen the caffeine compounds, preparing them for the next stage of the process where the E.A. solution is introduced.

This solution cycles through the tanks multiple times, gradually bonding with and extracting caffeine. With each cycle, more caffeine is removed until the beans reach Descafecol’s standard of eliminating up to 99.5% of the stimulant.

Once this target is met, the beans undergo a gentle dehydration process in vacuum dryers, carefully reducing their moisture content to the ideal level of 11-12%.

What makes this method so effective is its slow and controlled nature, which prevents excessive damage to the coffee’s cell structure. The process retains the bean’s natural sugars, ensuring that the final product remains dense and roasts similarly to its caffeinated counterpart.

This means that when you brew a cup, you’re still experiencing the coffee’s intended flavours and characteristics, minus the buzz.

Sometimes, people make the incorrect assumption that a coffee processed using a chemical solvent must be unhealthy or unfit for consumption. However, the E.A.  method is far from harmful and is widely accepted in the specialty coffee industry as one of the best ways to preserve the coffee’s integrity.

To put things into perspective, the global standard for permitted E.A. residue in decaffeinated coffee is 20 parts per million (ppm), yet Descafecol only uses 5 ppm in its solution. To give you a relatable comparison, a single banana contains approximately 20 times more E.A. than what’s used on our decaf coffee!

Additionally, E.A. is a volatile compound, meaning that any residual traces left on the beans after decaffeination naturally evaporate during the roasting process. E.A. has an evaporation point of 70°C, and coffee is roasted at temperatures exceeding 200°C.

All to say that coffee heads can rest assured about consuming decaffeinated coffee—the E.A. method is about as safe as it gets.

Decaf coffee isn’t just for those avoiding caffeine entirely—it’s a fantastic option for anyone looking to enjoy coffee at different times of the day without disrupting their energy levels or sleep patterns.

From the caffeine-sensitive to those who aren’t sensitive at all (but recognise five cups a day of the caffeinated stuff might not be the best thing for your health), we got you.

When it comes to enjoying all the addictive aromas and flavours associated with coffee without the jitters, decaf coffee is truly one of the best options currently in the specialty coffee market.

Ready to experience a beautifully crafted decaf coffee that tastes just as good as the real deal? Try our Colombia, Popayan decaf, which you can find online or at any of our Stitch Coffee cafes.