Decaf vs Caffeine Free: What's the Difference?
While many will interchange the terms “decaffeinated” and “caffeine-free”, there actually is a difference. For some, this difference may be enough to cause a health concern. For people like me with caffeine-sensitivity, even the smallest amount will cause a reaction.
What is Caffeine Free?
Caffeine free is the term used when all ingredients in a product occur naturally without caffeine. There is no decaffeination process needed. Certain herb, chicory, carob are just some of the few ingredients used commonly in caffeine alternative products.
What is Decaffeinated?
Coffee beans, black and green tea, and cocoa beans all have naturally occurring caffeine. In fact, caffeine occurs naturally in more than 60 plants, including: the arabica plant (coffee), the cacao tree (chocolate), kola nuts (original cola drinks), and the Thea Sinensis plant (tea).
When decaffeination occurs, the natural occurring caffeine in these items under goes a process to remove most of the caffeine, but a small amount will still remain.
What Types of Decaffeination Processes Are There?
There are several types of decaffeination processes including:
Methylene chloride processing - coffee beans or tea leaves are soaked in methylene chloride with causes caffeine molecules to bond to the methane chloride molecules.
Ethyl acetate processing - this uses the same method as methylene chloride processing but is called “naturally decaffeinated” because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in certain fruits.
Carbon dioxide processing - beans or leaves are water softened are “pressure cooked” ad the CO2 acts as both a gas and a liquid attracting the small caffeine molecules.
Water processing - primarily used for coffee decaffeination, beans are soaked in hot water to leach out the caffeine, then the solution is passed through a carbon filter.
U.S. federal regulations state that caffeine levels must be under 2.5 percent of the product in order for it to be considered “decaffeinated” so invariably, a good amount of caffeine remains in the product.
The Bottom Line
Unfortunately. the decaffeination process often removes a good part of the flavor as well so decaffeinated products just do not have as much taste as their caffeinated counterparts. So if you are looking for great taste along with no caffeine, it is best to stick with products made from naturally caffeine-free ingredients like rooibos tea, carob chips, or chicory coffee.
Looking for more recommendations for delicious caffeine free coffees, teas, sweets, snacks, and gifts? Please visit us at Caffeine Free World or subscribe below to hear about new product releases and reviews.
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