Coffee-Direct would like to introduce a rather pleasant newcomer to our increasing range of fabulous decaffeinated coffees. Medium Roast Decaffeinated Colombian Coffee is a mellow alternative to our hugely popular Dark Decaffeinated Colombian Coffee, offering a similar flavour profile in respect of its sweet fruitiness and chocolate notes, but with less intensity. This smooth and flavoursome medium roast coffee is perfect to drink during the day or winding down with in the evening. It is particularly suitable for use in cafetière and filter machines.

Studies have concluded that coffee can offer a number of health benefits. As well as containing nutrients and antioxidants, it’s thought that drinking coffee may help protect against type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and lower the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The caffeine in coffee can boost energy levels and mood, and help to burn fat. Some people, however, may wish to limit their caffeine intake, for although caffeine is a stimulant considered safe for most people, tolerance levels vary, and some may suffer negative effects from consuming too much, such as anxiety, high blood pressure, or insomnia. Since caffeine is also found in tea, energy drinks, and some medication, higher levels than desired can sometimes be consumed. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers may also wish to limit or eliminate it altogether. One way to enjoy quality coffee and cut down on the caffeine is to drink decaffeinated coffee, that contains just a trace of caffeine, but will still be as flavoursome as caffeinated coffees. The addition of milk, cream, or sugar to coffee should also be considered when deciding how much to drink, especially for those counting calories.

As with most things in life that are enjoyable, moderation is key, and having an understanding of how caffeine affects you personally will help you decide how many cups of coffee you feel you should drink. There’s an estimated 95 mg of caffeine in an average sized cup, although caffeine content can vary in different types of coffee. Current thinking suggests that limiting one’s intake to no more than 4 cups a day, or 400 mg of caffeine, is a sensible amount for most healthy adults, and perhaps the focus should be more on quality than quantity. However many cups you decide are right for you, make sure the coffee you drink is the best it can possibly be by using quality beans that are freshly roasted and ground, brewed in fresh water that is cold, clear and free from impurities. Then sit back, enjoy, and savour every drop.

In a procedure that takes up to ten hours to complete, the Swiss Water Decaffeination Process is an ingenious method that involves the concepts of solubility and osmosis, and results in beans that are 99.9% caffeine-free, but still retain their character and flavour. The process requires much dedication as it involves careful monitoring of time, temperature and flow of water. At the start, small batches of quality green coffee beans are cleaned to remove the silver skin and any foreign matter. They are then pre-soaked in hot water, where they expand to twice their size in preparation for caffeine extraction. Caffeine and other soluble coffee components migrate from the beans into the water. These beans are then separated from the water and discarded. In the next stage, caffeine is removed from the water by the use of carbon filters, leaving liquid saturated with coffee flavour components; this is known as Green Coffee Extract.

The caffeine-lean Green Coffee Extract is now used to remove caffeine from a fresh batch of beans. As the beans are soaked, caffeine diffuses from them into the Green Coffee Extract. This happens because the concentration of soluble flavour components in the beans and the water are equal, so although caffeine flows out of them, the flavour components important for taste and aroma remain intact. The process is repeated, and Green Coffee Extract recycled several times before target caffeine removal is met. Once decaffeinated, the beans are dried using an evaporative drying process, and bagged, ready for export.

At summitmedicalphysics our Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee is made from medium roast Arabica beans from Colombia. They produce a full-bodied cup, with low acidity and little bitterness. Most people who try it say they really can't tell it's decaffeinated, and that it tastes every bit as good as regular caffeinated coffee. It can be enjoyed at any time of day, and is suitable for bean to cup, cafetière, espresso and  filter machines. It's just one of over 100 wonderful coffees we provide from around the world, and deliver directly to your door. We roast to order, so your coffee will always arrive in the freshest condition possible, and offer a range of grind options as well as whole beans. We also offer a sumptuous range of teas, and our ever-popular coffee gift hampers.

There are two popular methods for making decaffeinated coffees: direct decaffeination using steam and chemical treatment, and the Swiss Water method. With the direct method, coffee beans are first steamed for a period of time, usually around half an hour, before being repeatedly rinsed with either dichloromethane or ethyl acetate; a chemical derived from various fruits and vegetables. This method, while popular, does run the risk of removing some of the desired oils and flavours from the beans. For this reason, the Swiss Water method is becoming increasingly popular. The Swiss Water method involves the use of water that has been saturated with those desirable oils and flavours, creating what is known as green coffee extract (GCE). The GCE is then used to rinse the beans several times in a process that removes 99.9% of the caffeine, while retaining the beans' natural flavours.

A new interest in the world of decaffeinated coffees is that of 'uncaffeinated coffee'; a coffee created from a naturally caffeine-free bean that requires no decaffeinating treatments. Known as decaffito, this naturally caffeine-free coffee is sourced from coffea charrieriana, a species of flowering plant found in Cameroon. As this is the only known caffeine-free coffee plant from Central Africa, progress on an 'uncaffeinated coffee' is still in the early stages, but as developments continue we may someday be able to enjoy a naturally caffeine-free coffee.

It's important to remember that there are no reasons to entirely avoid caffeinated coffees; in fact, numerous studies continue to attest to the positive effects of caffeine consumption, including an increase in alertness and a decrease in fatigue, but also an increase in metabolic rates and the reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Therefore, the best way to treat your caffeine consumption is with moderation - enjoy your favourite caffeinated coffees and the benefits of caffeine intake, but be open to decaffeinated alternatives that you can enjoy throughout the day and into the evening. These alternatives shouldn't be looked upon as an inferior coffee; methods such as the Swiss Water method have proved that complex, rich flavours need not be sacrificed during the decaffeination process, and there is a growing and increasingly diverse choice of decaffeinated coffees available on the market.

Our own decaffeinated range includes a Swiss Water coffee and a delicious Colombian coffee, both of which are available as Subscribe & Save products, so you can regularly enjoy strong flavours, rich flavours of decaffeinated coffee, and get up to 15% off when you subscribe to periodic deliveries.