64 April 2015 NJMONTHLY.COM
of dark espressos are over,” Lewis says.
Lighter roasts “show off the full range
of flavors that may have been lost in a
darker roast.”
Another misconception is that decaf
is caffeine-free. According to Lewis, it
generally retains about 2 mg of caffeine
per 6-ounce cup. Robusta beans may
retain slightly more caffeine because
they have more to begin with.
Most methods for removing caffeine
use carbon dioxide or chemical solvents
such as methylene chloride—sometimes
used as a paint stripper. The federal Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Adminstra-
tion classifies methylene chloride as a
“potential occupational carcinogen.”
Should decaf drinkers be concerned?
“There is no concrete evidence that
chemicals used for decaffeination
pose a health risk,” says Lewis. “Mainly
because the process of roasting these
beans after decaffeination burns off all
the harmful solvents. For the end consumer, it’s okay.”
(Continued from page 48)
One company in Canada uses a wa-
ter process for removing caffeine that it
claims is “ 100 percent chemical-free.”
The Swiss Water Decaffeinated Cof-
fee Company in Burnaby, British Co-
lumbia, sells beans decaffeinated using
the trademarked Swiss Water method.
They soak dry green beans in water
until they swell to twice their size. The
water is drained off and replaced with
a solution called Green Coffee Extract,
or GCE, which contains natural, water-soluble components of green coffee,
such as amino acids, chlorogenic acids
and sucrose. Through repeated soaks,
the GCE basically sucks the caffeine
out of the beans. After the GCE is
drained off, the beans are dried.
David Kastle, the company’s vice
president, says the dried beans are
99.9-percent caffeine free. Although
it is not required, some roasters and
retailers selling Swiss Water decaf affix
the company’s logo to their products.
The public perception of caffeine,
and of coffee itself, has changed
dramatically over the years. “When
I started in retail in 1986, people
thought caffeine was bad,” says Oren
Bloostein, owner of Oren’s Daily Roast
in Jersey City. “The medical establish-
ment advised zero caffeine for pregnant
women. We carried a lot more decaf
coffees than we do today.
“Over the past couple decades, cof-
fee has been shown to provide protec-
tion against several forms of cancer,
including endometrial cancer, as well as
liver disease, and it helps avoid depres-
sion in the elderly. If you’re sensitive to
caffeine and can’t sleep, that’s a prob-
lem. But caffeine is not going to cause
any disease.”
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advi-
sory Committee to the FDA recently is-
sued a report stating that a healthy diet
can safely include three to five 6-ounce
servings of caffeinated or decaf coffee
per day.
“Caffeine,” says Bloostein, summing
up, “helps you get up in the morning,
it helps with concentration and doing
various tasks. Any previous association
with diseases like pancreatic cancer
were all shown to be false. There’s no
question that coffee is beneficial.” ■
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The Raritan River and Revolution in New Jersey
“Judy Shaw focuses on the incredible array of dedicated individuals and
organizations who work to restore the Queen of Rivers to its former
grandeur. As someone who canoed the Raritan in my youth, and who
has lived along its banks, I salute the unsung heroes featured here, as
well as the vibrant partnerships that serve as a model for citizens
everywhere who would save and enjoy their own rivers.”
—Michael Catania, Executive Director, Duke Farms
—Jonathan Mercantini, Kean University
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A volume in the Rivergate Regionals Collection
paper, cloth and ebook
A volume in the Rivergate Regionals Collection
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