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Decaf Curious?

Coffee. It’s almost like a bad word these days. No doubt when the topic gets brought up so many people have differing views – it’s a superfood, it’s a toxin, it wreaks havoc on your body, it’s a powerhouse for training. It can all get a little overwhelming.


I personally have had a deep and long lasting love affair with coffee. Sometimes it loves me back, and sometimes it doesn't. It used to feel so easy to drink a ‘cup o’ Joe’ right into the late hours of the night, and none of it would hinder my sleep quality. Mind you, this was when I was having around 3 cups per day – something I would not recommend to anyone, no matter your stance on coffee.


So, what’s the big deal? Why does caffeine get such a bad rep? Well, those feelings of having a hard time getting to sleep after a late night coffee is actually physiological. Research has shown that caffeine in vivo (i.e., in real life scenarios, not just in a petri dish), delays the circadian rhythm (our biological clock that tells us what time of the day it is and whether or not it’s time for sleep) by delaying the release of melatonin by 40 minutes (1). That is an extremely significant amount of time, especially for people already facing difficulties with falling asleep.


*enters decaf coffee*


Decaf coffee is simply coffee that has been stripped (often chemically) of it’s caffeine content. Coffee manufacturers take green, unroasted coffee beans and warm and soak them in one of four ways (2):

  • Using just water (i.e., Swiss Water Process)

  • Using a mix of water and solvent such as methylene chloride  or ethyl acetate (yeah, that doesn’t sound  good) directly or indirectly

  • Using water and ‘supercritical carbon dioxide’ (a form of polymerization without using strong synthetics (3))


Once the decaffeination process is complete, the beans are washed, steamed and then roasted to evaporate all the liquid, and according to The National Coffee Association, the beans (decaffeinated in any of the four ways) are now safe to consume.


Now the question is this, what are my beloved coffee shops using for their decaf coffees? And the answer is unclear. Starbucks for example unfortunately lacks transparency (4) as they do not disclose the method that they take – but if you have ever tasted their decaf coffee, you and I both know it’s not using just water alone. And upon further investigation, it does appear that Starbucks uses a direct solvent process.


Companies like ONECOFFEE offers a wide variety of clean coffee options, and better yet, they also guarantee that their coffee is:

  • Compostable (see: no more plastic particles in your coffee)

  • Certified organic by TCO Cert and is pesticide free in an effort to protect soil biodiversity and protecting their farmers from exposure to harsh chemicals

  • Certified fair trade – meaning that all farmers have fair working conditions and are ethically treated (see: no bad vibes in your coffee beans)


Not only does the company value the humans and land involved in the whole coffee-making process, they also make one of the best tasting coffees I have ever tried – and that’s saying a lot coming from a girl who used to refuse to make coffee at home because it “just doesn’t taste the same” (if you know, you know).


ONECOFFEE uses a Swiss Water Process for their decaf coffee, guaranteeing that your coffee hasn’t come into contact with harsh synthetic chemicals (any chemicals for that matter). Even better than this, their decaf coffee is some of the best I have ever tried. It truly tastes like real coffee, and they even often get asked if their decaf is truly decaffeinated since it tastes just the same! That’s a huge win in my book.


So, if you’ve been looking for a way to start curbing that coffee addiction, or are decaf curious,  I strongly encourage you to give ONECOFFEE a try. You will not regret it – I promise.

 

Sources

  1. Burke TM, Markwald RR, McHill AW, et al. Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock in vivo and in vitro. Sci Transl Med. 2015;7(305):305ra146. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aac5125

  2. Is decaf coffee safe? Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.ncausa.org/Decaffeinated-Coffee

  3. Subramaniam B, Rajewski RA, Snavely K. Pharmaceutical processing with supercritical carbon dioxide. J Pharm Sci. 1997;86(8):885-890. doi:10.1021/js9700661

  4. What is Decaffeinated Coffee? | Starbucks® Coffee at Home. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://athome.starbucks.com/learn/what-is-decaffeinated-coffee

  5.  https://www.onecoffee.com/our-products/decaf-2/

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