When compared to regular coffee, decaf coffee is considerably more expensive. Many people often ask why decaf coffee costs more. There are a few reasons for this, which you will learn in detail in this blog.
Decaf coffee is a decaffeinated beverage with around 97% of the caffeine removed. This might make you wonder whether decaf coffee will contain health benefits.
Although caffeine is removed, this beverage has the most health benefits, similar to regular coffee. Hence, decaf coffee will be an excellent choice for those who are caffeine-intolerant.
The main reason why decaf coffee is expensive is that producing it is more expensive than producing regular coffee. In different places, you might observe different prices for decaf coffee. This price difference varies according to the decaffeination method of coffee beans.
Continue reading the blog to understand more about the cost of decaf coffee and whether this beverage is worth its price.
Why Store-Bought Decaf Coffee is Expensive
Generally, when you buy decaf coffee at a cafe, it will cost more. Have you ever wondered the reason for this?
Although the manufacturer profits by selling decaf coffee, that is not the only reason it is more expensive than regular coffee. The following are a few reasons for this:
Manufacturing Process
Regular coffee is made by grinding roasted coffee beans. According to the type of coffee, the method of preparation will change.
In contrast, a few additional procedures make the process long when making decaf coffee.
Initially, you must decaffeinate the coffee beans. After removing around 97% of the caffeine content, you may use it to produce decaf coffee.
The production requires time and effort, whereas making regular coffee is simple, so decaf coffee costs more.
High-Quality Coffee Beans
When producing best-quality decaf coffee, usually use 100% Arabica coffee beans.
Since these high-quality coffee beans are expensive compared to regular coffee beans, the final cost of the beverage will also be high.
Shipping Cost
The manufacturer must pay extra costs when importing the right coffee beans to produce decaf coffee.
Therefore, a charge will be added to the decaf coffee depending on the shipping cost.
Costs Related to Decaffeination
Further, during the decaffeinating process, there are different methods that you can use. Hence, according to the method of decaffeination, the cost will change.
How Much Does Decaf Coffee Cost?
The cost of decaf will change according to the type of coffee. The best-quality decaf coffee will cost more compared to the more affordable options. Following are the prices of different types of coffee.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Trapper Creek Decaf (12-ounce bag): $16.00
- No Fun Jo Decaf (12 ounces): $13.99
- Joshua Tree Coffee (12 ounces): $16.50
- Stone Street: Cold Brew Swiss Water Decaf (16 ounces): $18.00
- Eight O’Clock Whole Bean Coffee, The Original Decaf (24 ounces): $20.95
- Don Pablo Colombian Swiss Water Decaf (12 ounces): $12.99
- Peet’s Coffee, Dark Roast Decaffeinated Ground Coffee (10.5 ounces): $9.98
The above-mentioned prices are for a one-time purchase. By choosing the subscription option, you can spend less.
Methods of Decaffeinating Coffee Beans
The four different methods by which you can decaffeinate the coffee beans. Some methods use chemicals, while others use the natural decaffeination process. As the cost of your decaffeinated coffee will change according to the decaffeination process, let’s discuss the expensive vs affordable decaffeination options.
The Swiss Water Process Method
This is a natural way of removing caffeine from coffee beans. You must soak the coffee bean in water for several hours.
Once the coffee beans are well-soaked, filter them using the carbon filter. This filter will help to remove most of the caffeine from the extract.
Although this method consumes time, it is safe. Hence, this is the most expensive decaffeinating method.
Carbon Dioxide Decaffeinating Process
Here, the caffeine from the soaked coffee beans is removed using carbon dioxide. CO2 is subject to high temperatures and pressure, turning into a solvent and attracting caffeine.
This is also a natural decaffeination option that consumes time but costs in the middle range compared to the Swiss water process.
Ethyl Acetate Decaffeination
Here, ethyl acetate is used as a solvent to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Through this method, you can remove around 96% to 97% caffeine.
Compared to other solvent-based decaffeination methods, this method is more expensive.
Methylene Chloride Decaffeination Process
This is the least expensive decaffeination method that uses methylene chloride to remove caffeine.
Although this method is affordable, it is unsafe as it involves chemicals. This process removes the caffeine and changes the taste and quality of the coffee bean.
Do Sellers Charge Extra for Decaf Coffee?
Most cafes charge an additional fee for decaf coffee. As mentioned above, this charge is because of the complexity of decaffeinating, the cost of purchasing high-quality coffee beans, shipping, and other expenses.
Especially companies producing decaf coffee using water-processed decaf coffee beans will charge more due to their effort in producing high-quality and safe products.
People who use methylene chloride will charge less, but the quality of the decaf coffee cannot be guaranteed.
Is it Worth Replacing Decaf Coffee with Your Regular Coffee?
The worth of replacing your regular coffee with decaf coffee depends on individual preferences. This will be a worthy purchase for caffeine-intolerant people, as decaf coffee only contains around 2.5 to 3 mg of caffeine per cup.
Hence, in such a situation, you don’t have to give up your morning beverage; instead, switch to decaf coffee.
On the other hand, chemically decaffeinated coffee may remove other nutrients from the coffee beans along with caffeine.
Hence, such a beverage may contain only some of the health benefits of regular coffee. Therefore, when purchasing decaf coffee, you must often check on the decaffeination method.
DIY Decaf Coffee: A Solution to Save Money!
Finding the best-quality decaf coffee is often difficult because decaffeination changes taste and quality. You can make your own decaf coffee at home using the French press.
Using 100% Arabica coffee grounds, you can produce high-quality decaf coffee. First, soak the coffee grounds in hot water for several hours.
Then press the coffee grounds to extract the water from them. This will help remove most of the caffeine. Now, using the extract and the regular method, prepare your coffee with the soaked press coffee grounds.
Conclusion
Decaf coffee is slightly more expensive compared to regular coffee. Cafes more concerned with producing high-quality decaf coffee using the Swiss water process often charge more.
This is because decaffeination takes too long to safely remove caffeine from coffee beans. On the other hand, methylene chloride decaffeination is inexpensive but lacks many of the benefits of regular coffee.
Hence, if you are switching to decaf coffee, you should drink decaffeinated beverages using Swiss water.
FAQs
Will Decaf Coffee Keep You Awake?
Through decaffeination, most of the caffeine is removed from the beverage. Caffeine helps to keep you awake and enhance your focus.
In contrast, since decaf coffee only contains around 3 mg of caffeine per cup, more is needed to keep you awake.
Does Decaf Coffee Have Any Health Benefits?
Water-processed decaf coffee will have the same health benefits as regular coffee.
Why Decaf Coffee Tastes Poor?
Often, cheap decaf coffee will not taste good as the manufacturer uses low-quality coffee beans and decaffeinates them using the methylene chloride method. Even though this helps lower the budget, the taste could be better.
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