STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 51 K L O T H & K Ö H N K E N T E E H A N D E L G M B H K O N S U L - S M I D T - S T R A S S E 8 j SPEICHER 1 - D -282 17 BREMEN FON + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 8 5 2 6 4 FAX + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 7 7 7 2 0 W W W . K K T E E . D E M A I L @ K K T E E . D E IT SUITS ALL MERCHANTS TO TRADE FAIR AND QUALI-TEA ! Once its Bremen water decaf plant begins production, Coffein Compag- nie will be able to supply decaf using three of the four accepted techniques for caffeine extraction. Its current plant in Bremen processes beans with both accepted solvents, ethyl acetate and methylene chloride (also called dichlo- romethane in some markets). Preference varies by market. Roasters choose different methods based on cup profile, according to Eckhoff. The new German plant will be operational in 18 to 24 months. "We see the future in water, not in CO 2 . We bought the Hiang Kie plant because we see a future in the global decaf market," said Eckhoff. Decaf is growing in Europe, particularly in Spain, which he describes as "a very good market." In Spain, 20% of coffee drinkers prefer decaf, compared to 10% in the US Both traditional decaffeination processes are accepted throughout Europe, though it is thought by some that methylene chloride is best at maintaining coffee flavor. Neither is permitted in the processing of organic coffee under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules. Except in the case of certified organic coffee, "CO 2 and water process are not important" in Europe, says Eckhoff. "Certain clients use all of them, some clients use only one method," says Eckhoff. Coffee drinkers in Asia generally do not request decaf, leading to slow growth, according to Eckhoff, who anticipates an increase: "Decaf is getting more popular, growing for sure, and regular coffee is as well." While decaf currently accounts for a smaller market share in Asia than in Europe or the United States, "in the future we think it will grow really fast and be a good opportunity for us," he said. Eckhoff anticipates only modest changes at their new Hiang Kie facility. "The process will stay the same at Hiang Kie, we'll stay with the same peo- ple," says Eckhoff, "we are just investing to make it better, more efficient." The methylene chloride process used at Hiang Kie is widely accepted in Asia. However, Japan and Korea require that decaffeinated beans be processed either with CO 2 or water. Certified organic coffee is showing steady growth, according to Eckhoff, "Every year it is going up maybe 10%. Not much, but it's growing for sure." Organic certification bodies universally require either CO 2 or water process decaffeination. Canada is the only country that requires that the solvent or process be stated on the label. That regulation, along with the presence of the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company plant near Vancouver, BC, tilt Cana- dian preferences toward water process. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code permits methylene chloride extraction as well as CO 2 and wa- Limits The amount of caffeine permitted in decaffeinated coffee varies. Several countries set a maximum. Australia for example, permits no more than 2mg/kg. The European Union states that roasted decaf coffee may contain no more than 0.1% caffeine, resulting in a 99.9% caffeine- free product. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines note that decaffeination processes re- move 94-98% of the caffeine present in the green bean. An FDA spokesperson suggests a baseline of 97% removal. The precise amount of caffeine measured in milligrams per kilo varies by varietal and is significantly greater in robusta. Origin is also a factor. In addition, cof- fee grown slowly at higher altitudes generally has lesser concentrations of caffeine. There are an estimated 188 milligrams of caffeine in a 16-ounce cup of arabica, according to a study con- ducted by the University of Florida. Researchers there found the average 16-ounce cup of decaf contained 9.4 mg of caffeine. Caffeine in samples of decaf taken from 10 retail establishments varied from 0 to 13.9 mg. Samples of decaf espresso at these same locations (us- ing the same base coffee) were found to contain 3-15.8 mg of caffeine indicating the brewing method also influ- ences the actual amount of caffeine in the cup. ter process so long as the coffee contains caffeine concentrations no greater than 2mg/kg. The difference between the techniques is small, says Eckhoff. "It depends on the roaster and the cup profile. Sometimes a roaster likes one more than the other, and it also very frequently depends on what type of coffee you're using." "Over the last couple of years, the decaf market was really steady," says Eckhoff, but with market growth "we are making a lot of effort. We're get- ting more involved in details, in talking to roasters, finding out what we can do better, what we can do to make it more popular," he said.

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