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How Much Caffeine In Decaf Espresso?

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Coffee is one of the most consumed beverage in the world mainly because people want to gain mental alertness and energy from the caffeine it contain. But if you are a person who is caffeine-sensitive and wants to reduce caffeine intake, decaffeinated or decaf coffee can be your great option.

If you thought that decaf coffee is caffeine-free, well, not completely. USDA regulations indicates that decaf should have at least below 0.10 percent caffeine on its dry state. When decaf is compared between brewed regular, it shows that decaf have at least 97% of caffeine removed. An average cup of coffee contains 95mg of caffeine other contain over 500mg.

But how much caffeine in decaf coffee?

An average 12-ounce (354ml) cup of coffee containing 180mg of caffeine would contain to about 5.4mg of caffeine in a decaffeinated state. The caffeine in decaf coffee depends on the type of bean and the decaffeination process. Beans that are used in decaf coffee are made through these methods, using water, organic solvent or carbon dioxide to extract caffeine out of the beans. All these methods either soak or steam green, unroasted coffee beans until the caffeine us dissolve or the pores of the beans are opened. When you observed this, the caffeine is already extracted.

How caffeine is extracted based on the three methods?

Swiss water process. This method is an organic way of decaffeinating coffee. It utilizes osmosis to extract caffeine and have a 99.9% decaffeinated result.
Solvent-based process. This method uses the combination of methylene chloride, ethyl acetate and water to make solvent used to extract the caffeine.
Carbon dioxide process. From the name itself, this method uses carbon dioxide, a compound found in coffee as a gas, removing the caffeine and leaving other flavor compounds intact.

The type of roasted coffee you have will also greatly affect the flavor than any decaffeinated method. But decaffeinated method doesn’t change the smell and taste of the coffee, thus, giving you a milder flavor and different color. Again, decaf coffee is at least 97% decaffeinated.

You might also like to read: A Tips For A Perfect Espresso

So How much caffeine in decaf espresso?

Espresso, single shot: 29-100mg
Espresso, double shot (doppio): 58-185mg
Decaf espresso, single shot: about 8mg
Decaf espresso, double shot: about 16mg
Nespresso Espresso capsules: 55-65mg
Nespresso Lungo capsules:77-89mg

The caffeine content of your decaf espresso mainly depends on where your coffee is coming from. On an average, 1n 8 ounce (236ml) cup of coffee contains up to 7mg caffeine while a regular coffee has 70-140mg. A decaf espresso contained 3-15.8mg per shot while decaf coffee has 12-13.4mg of caffeine per 16-ounce (473ml) serving.

A 7mg of caffeine content is low but this figure is not advisable for those who are suffering kidney disease, anxiety disorder or caffeine sensitivity. Even a small amount of caffeine could increase agitation or anxiety. Experts suggest of drinking 5-10 cups of decaf could get the amount of caffeine in 1-2 cup of regular, decaffeinated coffee. Thus, be very cautious in avoiding caffeine.

In America, there are one or two blend types which are the hardy Robusta bean and the sweeter, delicate Arabica bean. Robusta contains twice the caffeine of Arabica beans, but it has an inferior taste. Coffee shops mostly use Robusta blends while big name coffee shops like Starbucks choose to use pure Arabica beans.

Robusta bean has more caffeine left than Arabica bean after the decaffeination process, leading to a lot of variants among coffee brands. Decaffeination process usually removes 94 to 98 percent of caffeine from a coffee bean, according to Mental Floss. But USDA did not set any standard on what can be considered as decaf and the base is the coffee that had 97% caffeine removed. In Starbucks, the average 12-ounce cup of decaf coffee contains 3 and 18 milligrams of caffeine.

A study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, it was found that caffeine levels in different decaf varies. They tested several espresso coffee from Starbucks and found wide range of caffeine levels same as much caffeine content in coke. For those who are experiencing insomnia, anxiety and headaches after consuming caffeine must consider decaf if they still want to enjoy coffee. But if you have certain medical conditions it might require you a caffeine-restricted diet that may not interact with your medications. Surprisingly, even your makeup can influence how you respond to caffeine, study says.

But for those who consume large doses of caffeine and without experiencing any ill side effects but are caffeine sensitive should select decaf. On the other hand, caffeine is also identified as possible trigger for heartburn. So, if you are experiencing heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) you are advised to reduce your caffeine intake.

In summary, decaf is widely chosen for those cutting caffeine in their diet. Its decaffeination process removes at least 97% of caffeine, so your decaf coffee still contain about 7mg peer 8-ounce (236ml) cup. Decaf is also loaded with antioxidant that has a lot of benefits.

Espresso Expert Member since November 3, 2018

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