Description:
Illy Caffe - Fine Grind
-Decaf Espresso
6 cans 8.8 ounces each
Regular Price: $81.00
Quantity:
More About illy Decaffeinated
For many, coffee without caffeine is a
pointless exercise. Caffeine, which acts on the prefrontal
cortex, increases alertness and improves short-term memory.
Each person has their own threshold for caffeine—the point
where it ceases to be pleasant and gives us the jitters.
People who enjoy coffee in the morning may eschew it in the
evening. And there are others who enjoy a cup of coffee,
hold the caffeine please.
"In creating our decaffeinated illy
coffee, we wanted to keep the complex aromas that illy is
known for," says Dr. Ernesto Illy. "After careful
research, we selected our decaffeinating process based on
its superior conservation of aromas and full, pleasant taste
in the decaf. In blind tastings, many professional tasters
picked illy decaf as their first choice for aroma and
taste—even beating our regular (caffeinated) coffee. That
is because inherently caffeine has a slight bitterness to
it, so when you decaffeinate coffee properly, it tastes
slightly sweeter. If you can also capture the same complex
aromas—you have a truly wonderful cup of coffee—if you
don't miss the caffeine."
A Short History of Decaffeination
Dr. Ludwig Roselius and Dr. Karl Wimmer
invented the process of removing caffeine from coffee in
Bremen, Germany as described in a patent letter dated from
1905. By 1912 the first decaffeinating plant was opened in
the United States.
In order for a coffee to be designated as
"decaffeinated" the caffeine content must be lower
than 0.10% according to the European Standard
There are several methods of decaffeinating
coffee: Metheleyne Chloride, Ethyl Acetate, Water Process
and Carbon Dioxide
Metheleyne Chloride—illycaffè's
method of choice
Metheleyne Chloride is highly effective for
removing caffeine; it does not strip the coffee of its
aromas, flavor or body as some other methods do. Illycaffè
does not decaffeinate coffee in the Trieste factory. The
blended green coffee (the same blend as in the regular
coffee) is sent to an outside company that is specialized in
the decaffeination process. For each lot of illy coffee that
is processed the decaffeinating company supplies a
certificate verifying the caffeine content is at or below
0.05 caffeine content, well below the European Standard of
0.10%.
The green beans are soaked in water that
expands the bean and opens the pores. The beans are then
soaked in the Metheleyne Chloride, which bonds with the
caffeine molecules. The coffee is then run through steam and
water process that evaporates and rinses out the caffeine.
The process takes 12 to 18 hours. The coffee is then dried,
usually with hot air to prevent mold and fermentation,
resulting in 96% to 97% of caffeine being removed from the
coffee.
The extracted caffeine is purified and sold
to pharmaceutical firms, soft drink companies and other
businesses that add caffeine to their products.
The USFDA (United States Food and Drug
Administration) allows a residual metheleyne chloride
content of 10 parts per million. However, after roasting not
even these trace levels are detectable in the bean. The
metheleyne chloride dissipates at a much lower temperature
(approx 120° Fahrenheit) than the coffee is roasted at
(approx.428° Fahrenheit).
Other decaffeinating methods include ethyl
acetate, carbon dioxide and water process. Illycaffè does
not use the water process because water processed coffees
generally produce a less flavorful and flatter bodied cup of
coffee. This process uses warm water under pressure to
extract caffeine. The water is heated, 70-100° Celsius (120
to 160° Fahrenheit) and circulated until 94% to 96% of the
caffeine is removed. In some cases the water is put through
carbon filtration to remove the caffeine. Since caffeine is
not the only substance in coffee that is soluble, important
flavor components are also affected.
Coffee and caffeine have been the subject of
extensive scientific research in the last 25 years. Some
1500 to 2000 papers per year have been published and we can
assume that there are few products that we consume that have
been so thoroughly and deeply studied. New research has
shown that caffeine has many positive effects on the
body—from improving concentration to fighting depression
and reducing the risk of gallstones. But for the country's
107 million coffee drinkers, coffee is a pleasure, not a
medicine, and for those who want a break from caffeine, illy
provides the best tasting decaf available.
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