Coffee drinkers buzzed by decaf options

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2002 | 8:34 a.m.

Many of us long for that hot, steaming morning cup of coffee or that cup of restorative tea, but at the same time we wish to avoid the obligatory caffeine buzz that goes along with it. Caffeine is an alkaloid substance that acts as a stimulant. It is present naturally in more than 60 plants, including the Arabica plant family (which produces coffee beans) the thea sinensis plant family (which produces teas), theobroma (or cacao) and kola nuts.

In recent years, an ever-widening selection of decaffeinated coffees and teas have spilled onto the market, beverages that retain much of their original bean or leaf flavor. This is due to better technology and to greater demand.

In fact, the way these beverages are decaffeinated is interesting, and there are several options in terms of actual process.

Local tea expert Bonnie Ladou is the manager at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, a Southern California-based chain with several stores in the Las Vegas area.

She described how her products are decaffeinated.

"In order to be classified as decaf, a beverage has to contain no more than 2.5 percent caffeine. We use the direct contact method," she explained, which makes coffees and teas acid-neutral. The caffeine removed is sold privately to make soda and aspirin.

This service is performed for the chain in Germany on estate-grown coffees and teas the company buys from a broker. The products are sent to a company facility in Camarillo, Calif., where flavors are added and products are packaged. The process requires the use of the chemical methylene chloride.

However, says Mark Matsuo, the owner of The Whole Bean on Sahara Avenue (a local coffee roaster), "A process with this chemical leaves no trace at all of itself in the product."

This is far from the only method used. Some companies refer to a chemical process using ethyl acetate, a substance that occurs naturally in fruit, as a "natural process," when technically it is not. The natural process uses water or CO2 to leach caffeine out of beans or leaves, because caffeine is water-soluble. But many complain this process also takes out much of the flavor.

One of the best ways to remove caffeine in coffee is the Swiss Water Method.

The process is costly, and often done in Canada. Agents are water and activated charcoal. Here's how it works:

Green coffee beans are immersed in flavor-charged water which has been saturated with coffee essences, or oils, that lack caffeine. As the beans circulate in water, caffeine is naturally extracted, then the beans are dried, polished and roasted.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf sells seven flavored decaf coffees, as well as 10 unflavored varieties, from light to dark roasted. For instance, there are dark roasts such as Viennese, Espresso Roast and French Roast, medium roasts such as Costa Rica Select and Java, and light roasts, too.

Any of these beans can be used in any drink the restaurant serves, from an ice-blended drink to an espresso. Coffee drinks start at $1.45.

There's a different approach with regard to teas. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf sells six decaffeinated teas: Apricot Ceylon, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Mandarin Spice and Tropical Passion. The teas sell in bulk for $6.99 per 3 1/2-ounce tin, and in the 16-ounce cup for $1.75.

Some teas on the market are naturally caffeine-free. A tea from the Republic of South Africa, called Rooibos, is a naturally caffeine-free tea that is growing in popularity.

"Generally speaking," Ladou says, "the greener the tea is to begin with, the less caffeine there is present."

One local place to get coffee decaffeinated by the Swiss Water Method is Caffessimo (7530 W. Sahara Ave.). This coffee comes from Nestle, a Swiss company, and comes in 5-gram capsules designed to be brewed in a special machine. Each capsule sells for around 50 cents, and brews one mess-free cup.

But there's a catch -- a special machine is required to house the capsules, which Caffessimo sells. There are several models and they range in price from $199 to $399.

The Whole Bean uses products decaffeinated with CO2, which Matsuo claims best preserves flavor. His decaf coffees sell from between $10 and $11 per pound, and there are six varieties, which usually include Colombian, Costa Rican, Brazilian and Sumatran.

All Matsuo's beans are roasted on the premises.

"Decaffeinated beans roast faster," he says. "They have less moisture content."

Therefore, it's tricky not to over roast.

Speaking of that so-called over-roasted flavor, it's also an option to visit your local Starbucks, where two types of decaf coffee beans are sold, and a few Tazo brand decaffeinated teas, in individual bags.

The coffee varietals are Decaf Espresso Roast and Decaf Sumatra, both of which sell for $10.65 per pound.