The world we live in these days has us focusing intently on every little aspect of our lives. Trying to find that delicate balance between choosing what we consume based on our own personal enjoyment vs the negative impacts on our bodies and the Environment.
The Coffee Trade has long been under scrutiny due to how ethically the product is sourced... Has the harvesting of your favourite blend caused detrimental affects to a population? Are the Farmers being paid fairly for their labour?
We dont normally consider the detrimental affects of Coffee to our body though. Sure, we know that caffeine isn't great. But, as CocaCola chose to stop using Cocaine in their drinks and instead use Caffeine, then we can be pretty sure that caffeine is less harmful than Cocaine.
It's a pretty straightforward process really... Harvest the Beans, wash them, roast them, grind them, mix them with hot water and enjoy a nice cup of Coffee.
Have you ever considered how Decaf Coffee is made?
Did a Scientist manage to grow a different strain of bean that had all of the elements of Coffee just without the Caffeine?
Did Willy Wonka send his Oompa Loompas out into the Jungle to track down the lesser spotted Sans Caffeine Bean?
Or is it just plain and simple Magic?
You may be surprised to hear that none of the above are correct.. In actual fact we are able to get our hands on Decaffeinated Coffee through the use of our good old friends... Chemicals.
You would be forgiven for thinking that Solvents are just used for removing nail polish and thinning paint, when actually, Chemical Solvents (primarily ethyl acetate and methylene chloride) are the standard practice for Decaffeinated Coffee, whereby the beans are repeatedly washed in these substances until the Caffeine is removed.
They are then washed to remove the solvents (to a level deemed safe for human consumption), packaged up and shipped out.
So there you have it, that's how we get Decaffeinated Coffee for those of you who were interested 👍
Now that we are all clear on how we get it, let's consider why we get it.
What is the point of Decaffeinated Coffee?
I am sure there are a million different reasons why people want products with ingredients removed.
Alcohol Free Beer is probably helpful to Pregnant Women and recovering Alcoholics.
(Source; Beerhawk.co.uk)
Meat Free Sausages for Vegetarians.
(Source; Ocado.com)
Gluten Free Bread for people with intolerances.
(Source; Sainsburys.co.uk)
Dairy Free IceCream for IBS Sufferers.
(Source; Waitrose.com)
Almost everything has provided good reasoning for eliminating elements. Everything that is, apart from Decaffeinated Coffee.
I will now attempt to pull myself out of this hole that I have dug and be more specific about my current gripe.
Instant Decaffeinated Coffee!!
I have tried a few different decafs in Coffee Shops and have been pleasantly surprised on occasion with the drink that I was served. For a while I also sold Decaf from my van using Beans that I would pre-grind and store in a jar, before refilling the hopper with Real-Beans.
These are a good option for people that want a Coffee but can't have Caffeine, or the hardcore coffee drinkers who are aware they have already had far too much caffeine for the day but want to continue drinking Coffee.
But, why Instant?
It's hard enough as it is to find an instant coffee that is really enjoyable. However, finding a tasty Instant Decaf Coffee is damned near impossible.
So why are we doing it to ourselves?
It tastes like crap, its been made using solvents and it still has traces of those solvents when we drink it.
Ok, I have finished my rant for the day. Feel free to show me the error of my ways in the comments below 😊
