Naturally Decaffeinated Coffee: How Is Caffeine Removed?

Decaffeinated coffee is becoming an increasingly common choice among people who enjoy espresso but prefer to reduce their caffeine intake. But how is caffeine removed from coffee?

Decaffeination takes place while the coffee is still green, before roasting, and can be carried out using different processes. Broadly speaking, there are two main approaches: using solvents or using water and steam.

Two Methods of Decaffeinating Coffee
There are two main methods used to remove caffeine:

1. Solvent-Based Decaffeination
   This is one of the methods used in the coffee industry. The green coffee beans are treated with substances that can selectively extract caffeine.
   The principle is relatively simple: the solvent comes into contact with the coffee and separates the caffeine from the other components.
   Modern processes are regulated and subject to specific controls, but choosing whether or not to use solvents is still a deliberate production philosophy.
2. Water-and-Steam Decaffeination
   Other processes use water and steam to extract caffeine from green coffee beans.
   In this case, no chemical solvents are used. The process is gentler and requires particular care to preserve the coffee’s aromatic characteristics while the caffeine is being removed.
   For a roaster, choosing this method means paying close attention not only to how much caffeine is removed, but also to what is retained in the bean: its aroma, flavour and natural characteristics.

Latorre’s Choice: Naturally Decaffeinated Coffee
Latorre has chosen a water-and-steam decaffeination method that does not use solvents.
The process is carried out on green coffee before roasting. The beans are then roasted according to the characteristics of their origin.
This choice reflects our desire to process coffee with respect for the raw material and to create a decaffeinated coffee that retains its aroma, balance and enjoyable character in the cup.

Why Decaffeinated Does Not Mean “Less Enjoyable”
One of the most common misconceptions is that decaffeinated coffee must inevitably have less flavour.
In fact, the quality of the coffee in the cup depends on many factors: the coffee’s origin, bean quality, decaffeination process, roasting, grinding and extraction.
A good decaffeinated coffee can therefore be aromatic, balanced and have a lasting finish, just like regular coffee.

A Little Something Extra: Feel Happy
Alongside our decaffeinated coffee, we also offer Feel Happy: a distinctive blend of Latorre coffee and roasted food-grade hemp seeds, which are also processed and roasted directly by our roastery.caffè Feel Happy
It is not a decaffeinated coffee, but its distinctive composition produces a drink with a lower caffeine content than traditional coffee.

Decaffeination means reducing caffeine, not giving up flavour. There are several ways to do this. Latorre has chosen water and steam, without solvents, because the quality of decaffeinated coffee also depends on the care taken in processing the raw material.