How was decaf coffee invented?

Let’s dive right into the fascinating history of decaf coffee and how it has developed in the last century (yes, it really has been around for that long!)

Decaf coffee was born in the mind of coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius, who created the first commercially available decaf coffee in Germany in 1906. Roselius made it his mission to create a decaf coffee as he believed that too much caffeine had caused his father’s death. His first successful method was by accident when a shipment of coffee beans became flooded with seawater. Rather than waste these beans, he decided to brew them as an experiment. Here, he discovered that the salty water had removed most of the caffeine from the beans- even if it did result in a salty-tasting brew, this was a massive revelation. It ultimately led to Roselius testing a steam method to extract the caffeine. Essentially, steaming the beans in salt water opens their pores. When paired with repeatedly rinsing the beans with a chemical, you remove the residues of the caffeine. Even though this was successful, it didn’t come close to the standards of caffeinated coffee, with a weaker taste and bitterness due to the chemical wash.

In recent years, the decaffeination process has grown in leaps and bounds. As more people choose to drink decaf beverages such as tea and coffee, more methods are being developed to ensure you still get a fantastic taste without caffeine. One of the most notable developments is the creation of natural processes such as the Swiss Water, Sugarcane and Sparkling Water methods. Say goodbye to nasty chemical-based practices that harm the environment and produce a bland brew. Choose a natural processed decaf coffee to ensure a fantastic cup of joe!

In this new incredible roast, The Daydream Continues, we give you a decaf that tastes as good as regular coffee. Within hours of being picked, a team of nearly 160 local women and men carry the perfectly ripe cherries to a washing station. After pulping, the beans undergo a unique fermentation method involving a pre-wash and a long soak in cold mountain spring water, followed by a gentle forty-hour fermentation and final wash.