I am writing this text at a table in a coffee shop not far from my home. “Decaf mocha with oat milk and sugar-free syrup” The barista did not even raise an eyebrow at my tricky order. As a rule, several types of milk are easy to find on the menu of the most ordinary Houston coffee shop, and the amount of caffeine in grams is indicated next to the drinks (not only in coffee, but also in tea). According to the National Coffee Association, 64 percent of Americans drink coffee every day. Decaf coffee used to be the lot of the elderly, since many pills for chronic diseases did not combine with a dose of caffeine. Now more and more millennials and zoomers are giving up unnecessary stimulants. Calming products with cannabidiol, herbal infusions, gravity blankets the wellness industry invites us to slow down and relax. Why? According to statistics, every fifth person suffers from burnout at work, plus emotional swings and depression as a result of the #getitallrace.

“Caffeine is an alkaloid found in coffee, tea, cocoa, mate, guarana, and cola. It helps these plants protect themselves from harmful insects and attract pollinators,” says Isabella Andreasyan, co-owner of the Bez Prezepta cafe. Caffeine is also found in cocoa, chocolate, energy drinks, and soda you can check the amount in your favorite drink here. Caffeine consumption increases with age and peaks in the  50–64 age group. Caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug. It stimulates the central nervous system, increases cardiac activity, and affects vascular tone. In people sensitive to caffeine, its regular use can cause unpleasant symptoms: irritability, dysphoria, sleep disorders, insomnia, headaches, frequent urination, digestive problems, diarrhea, heartburn, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Why did I suddenly start monitoring my caffeine levels? Any amount of it, whether in black tea or matcha latte, acted as a strong diuretic, made my heart beat faster, and disrupted my sleep patterns. This was confirmed by  a genetic test . In short, according to geneticists at the Moscow Atlas Clinic, the liver, which contains special cytochrome proteins, is responsible for caffeine metabolism in the human body. The lower their activity, the longer caffeine has a stimulating effect and leads to undesirable effects. Two years ago, at the insistence of a doctor, I even switched to decaffeinated tea.

Caffeine tolerance can also depend on your body type or current health condition: Whether you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking oral contraceptives can all affect your sensitivity to the substance in food or drink. Some antibiotics and antidepressants also don’t mix well with caffeine, so whether you drink regular coffee or decaf, talk to your doctor. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is about four to five cups of coffee.

Before switching to decaf, it is worth understanding what decaffeination methods exist and how to choose the right one, and most importantly, whether manipulations with coffee beans and tea leaves make our favorite drinks more harmful.

How are coffee beans decaffeinated? How do the decaffeination methods differ?

The process of removing caffeine from coffee beans or tea leaves is called decaffeination. Despite the label "decaf," some drinks still contain one to two percent of the original amount of caffeine. So if you drink ten cups of decaf coffee, you may still get a hefty dose of caffeine.

There are several different methods used to produce decaffeinated coffee or tea. “All decaffeination methods involve soaking green, unroasted beans in hot, but not boiling, water to open them up while preserving their aromatic and flavor properties,” Andreasyan explains. Most importantly, no manufacturer is required by law to indicate on the label what method was used to decaffeinate.

So after the first step, the beans are placed in various solutions for about ten hours (most often dichloromethane or synthetic ethyl acetate, originally benzene), which extract the caffeine. Additional chemicals help speed up the decaffeination process with minimal loss of flavor and aroma. “The beans are then removed from the solvent and left for another ten hours to remove any residue,” says Andreasyan. “Solvent decaffeination removes 99.9 percent of the caffeine from the coffee while leaving all the flavor of the bean.”

Decaf has long had a bad reputation for being too chemical. After all, dichloromethane is also used as a paint thinner and degreaser, and ethyl acetate (a component of vinegar) is often found in nail polish remover. Even though the beans are carefully cleaned of chemicals, coffee drinkers were reluctant to trust the safety of these methods. It wasn’t until 1985 that the FDA approved the use of methylene chloride in the caffeine extraction process, as long as the final product contained no more than ten parts per million, or 0.001 percent, residual dichloromethane. Exposure to it in airborne form can affect the central nervous system, reducing alertness and coordination. Inhaling even small amounts of dichloromethane about 200 parts per million in air can temporarily slow the central nervous system and affect a person’s alertness and hand-eye coordination. Mild exposure may also result in symptoms such as headache, drowsiness, irritability, cough.

The safest and non-chemical method is hot water purification. Sometimes the resulting solution is called green coffee extract. This method was first practiced in Switzerland in the 1930s, but was widely commercialized in 1979. “In this case, the beans are soaked in clean water for 24 hours, giving the water their flavor and aroma. Then the water is purified using a carbon filter, and then the beans are soaked again. This cycle is repeated until the caffeine content in the coffee bean reaches one percent. The only drawback of this process is that it is labor-intensive and expensive,” says Andreasyan.

The most expensive method, which preserves the maximum taste and aroma of coffee or tea, is CO2 extraction. In this process, caffeine is removed from coffee beans by carbon dioxide, which is at a critical temperature under high pressure. Pre-treated with steam, the beans are immersed in a container with carbon dioxide under a pressure of 73-300 atmospheres. After holding for ten hours, the pressure is removed, the CO2 evaporates, and the caffeine is removed by filtration.

When was decaf invented?

As is often the case in the history of great inventions, decaffeinated coffee was created by pure chance. The invention of decaf is attributed to Ludwig Roselius, head of the Kaffee HAG company. In 1903, a ship carrying coffee sank: the coffee, soaked in salt water, was left without taste and aroma, but also without caffeine. Roselius experimented and achieved the same result by soaking coffee beans in a salt solution and benzene, which was later recognized as a carcinogen. The only thing left was to invent a new method in which the taste and aroma of the coffee would not fade after manipulation.

Are there any markings on the packaging that would indicate how the decaf was made?

The manufacturer is not required to indicate the method of decaffeination on the packaging. The only way to protect yourself from chemicals is to look for the organic label or contact the roasters directly. They are the ones who do the decaffeination.

How can you tell in a cafe whether you are really served decaf?

"A decaffeinated cup of espresso will have a less dense body and less intense flavor," Andreasyan says. Plus, you'll feel the difference based on how your body reacts to caffeine.

“Coffee beans that have undergone decaffeination become more porous and sensitive to heat, so a properly selected roast profile will help decaffeinated coffee to reveal its full flavor potential: a medium roast will have a sweet caramel flavor, while a light roast will help to reveal berry and fruit notes,” explains Egor Neveikin, founder of Rockets Coffee Roasters and co-owner of the Cappuccino Kids coffee shop.

What you need to know about decaffeinated tea?

Tea can be divided into two categories: caffeine-free and decaffeinated tea. Decaffeinated teas include herbal teas such as chamomile or jasmine. Decaffeinated teas are also not regulated by the FDA, so traces of caffeine may be found in a cup of decaf tea (1–8 milligrams of caffeine).

“The methods for decaffeinating tea are the same as for coffee. Most often, black tea (30-60 milligrams), oolong and green tea (25-50 milligrams) are processed due to their high caffeine content,” explains Jessica Boyd, founder of Tea  Sip . “The level of caffeine depends on when and where the tea leaves were picked. Whether the leaves were young or older.” Organic teas use only CO2 extraction. This method preserves the flavor, aroma and health benefits of the tea.