How Decaf Coffee Works

Though decaf coffee may sound like an oxymoron, it is a great alternative for those who can’t have caffeine and those who want a cup of coffee but still want to sleep at night. But how exactly do you make coffee decaf? Your mind may first go to chemicals, which is one way to do it, but that is not the way we do it.
At Vienna we use a method called Swiss Water Process. The Swiss water process consists of two ingredients: Water and coffee. That’s it!
Here’s how it works:
Green (unroasted) coffee beans are soaked in hot water. The water draws out both the coffee flavor, and caffeine (coffee compounds). These bean are discarded and the water is ran through a filter that removes only the caffeine and leaves the coffee flavor compounds..
New green coffee beans are put into the coffee-saturated and caffeine free water. Since the water is saturated with coffee flavor, only the caffeine is drawn out of the beans. The beans are then roasted, ground, brewed, and enjoyed by you.
Though it sounds too simple to be true, this process actually removed 99.9% of the caffeine without using any chemicals! And, it doesn’t alter the flavor of the beans at all. Win-Win!

Here is a video that explains the process a little more in-depth.

Decaf

All Vienna Coffee Company decafs are also “Specialty” grade, pure, 100% Arabica coffees that have been processed using no harmful chemicals to extract the caffeine! Relax with your favorite from our decaf line. All coffees are sold in 12oz bags.

Getting the most out of your coffee pot

Have you ever wondered why coffeehouse coffee never tastes the same as what you can do at home on your home brewer? Let us help bring the cafe quality coffee to you!

Grind Fresh
One of the most simple ways to have the best coffee possible at home is to grind it fresh. Invest in a burr grinder if you can, and buy whole beans! Pre-ground coffee is acceptable if you can’t afford a grinder, but use it quick! You never know how long it has been ground before it got to your kitchen.

How much coffee do I use?
There are two suggested methods to determining the correct amount of coffee depending on your equipment.

The low-fi way:
Use 2 tablespoons (about 10 grams) per 6oz of water.

The slightly more advanced way:
Use a 1:15 ratio, one part coffee for every 15 parts of water. ( I know, this feels like chemistry class but stay with me)
Example: if you are using 64oz of water, divide 64 by 15 to get the amount of ground coffee you need to use. 64/15 = 4.26. You might get some weird decimals, but can round up or down if you need to. You don’t need some fancy coffee scale either! Any kitchen scale that measures grams or ounces will do. And remember: weigh both the water and the grounds.

Grind setting
If you have a burr grinder, you should have a variety of grind settings you can use. For a home drip brewer, it is best to use the finest grind setting you have. Why? Because home brewers, unlike our cafe brewers, do not have a pulse brewing function that gives coffee the correct brewing time. Setting it to the finest grind setting will allow adequate brew times. However, if you find the flavor to be too strong for your taste, feel free to raise the grind size a little and play around with it until you’re happy with it.

Drink it fresh
Just like any other food, if left on heat for too long, coffee burns. So don’t leave your poor coffee sitting on that warmer all day and go back to drink it. Drink it as fresh as you can! Leaving it on the warmer for too long can cause the flavor to change. If you really need a longer time to enjoy your brew, invest in a thermos that will keep it at a stable temperature instead of keeping it on the warmer.

Clean that machine
Something that many people don’t think to do, clean your coffee machine. Not just the glass carafe after each brew, but the inside too! You can use vinegar (equal parts vinegar and water) or some store bought coffee machine cleaner to get rid of built up minerals that could cause your flavor to be off. Just like your pots and pans, your coffee machine is a culinary instrument that needs cleaned in order to provide the best experience possible. It is recommended to clean your coffee machine about once a month.

Where should I store my coffee?

It is best to store the coffee in an airtight container such as a ceramic vase with a lid. Second best would be to keep it in it’s original bag and folding down the open side as tight as possible and taping it shut. Keep the beans at a room temperature and in a dry place.

Coffee