Decaf Special - Fresh coffee beans

Decaf Special: 100% Arabica, decaffeinated with CO2

Decaf Special is a plain, well-made decaf built on 100% Arabica beans from South America and East Africa. It is medium roasted and the cup is balanced rather than pointed, with chocolate, nuts and dried fruit in it. On the Café du Jour scale it sits at 5 out of 13, so it is a gentler coffee than a dark espresso blend, and the beans are roasted fresh rather than left sitting in a warehouse.

How the caffeine comes out

These beans are decaffeinated with carbon dioxide, before roasting and without chemical solvents. The green beans are soaked in water first, which makes them swell and opens them up. Carbon dioxide is then brought to high pressure at a low temperature, and in that state it draws the caffeine out of the bean. The beans are dried afterwards and the carbon dioxide simply evaporates, leaving nothing behind. Because no solvent is used and the temperature stays low, far more of the aroma survives the treatment than with older decaffeination methods — which is why this one still tastes like coffee rather than like a compromise.

At a glance

• Type: whole coffee beans, decaffeinated
• Blend: 100% Arabica
• Origin: South America and East Africa
• Roast: medium
• Intensity: 5 out of 13
• Decaffeination: natural CO2 method, no chemicals
• Flavour: balanced, with chocolate, nuts and dried fruit