Decaf methods explained (without the science lecture)

You’ll see three main decaffeination methods on UK coffee bags. Here’s what each one is, in plain English.

Swiss Water

Water-only process. No solvents. Very popular with speciality roasters because it tends to preserve delicate flavours. Coffees usually taste clean and gentle.

Sugar Cane / Ethyl Acetate

Sometimes called the “sugar cane” method because the solvent is derived from fermented sugar cane. Tends to give a very sweet, mellow cup. Common in Colombian decafs.

CO2 (carbon dioxide)

Pressurised CO2 pulls the caffeine out. Usually keeps a lot of the body of the coffee, so these often work brilliantly for espresso and milk drinks.

Which is best?

None of them, really. They’re just different tools. If you like clean and gentle, look for Swiss Water. If you like mellow and sweet, try sugar cane. If you like big and chocolatey, CO2 decafs are hard to beat.