Yes or no: decaf coffee has no caffeine.
If you said “yes” (no caffeine) you are wrong: a 12-ounce cup of decaf coffee has about 3 to 18 milligrams of caffeine. This is far less than regular, caffeinated coffee, which has 140 to 300 milligrams, but it’s definitely not zero.
The United States’ Federal Drug Administration (FDA) requires that if coffee is to be labeled decaffeinated, 97 percent of the original caffeine has to be removed from the beans.
But wait, there’s more: different types of coffee beans contain different amounts of caffeine. Coffee beans sold in the U.S. tend to be of two types: Robusta and Arabica and the Robusta bean can have as much as two times the amount of caffeine in it as the Arabica. So removing 97 percent of the caffeine from the Robusta bean means it still has twice as much caffeine as a decaffeinated Arabica bean. So you’d be drinking twice as much caffeine in a decaf cup of coffee made from Robusta beans as you would if you were drinking decaf coffee made from Arabica beans.
Name brands such as Maxwell House and Folgers tend to use Robusta beans; Starbucks uses more Arabica beans. (Our organic roast coffee uses Arabica beans. However, because the decaffeination process requires the use of chemicals such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, decaf coffee can’t be called organic and therefore don’t offer decaf coffee beans.)
Decaf Tastes Pretty Much the Same as Caffeinated Coffee
Most people say decaf tastes exactly the same but there’s a strong minority that say decaf smells and tastes a bit milder than regular. Decaf’s color also may be slightly different. The milder taste may be more attractive to those who feel that regular coffee tastes too bitter.
Decaf’s health benefits also are pretty much the same as regular coffee’s – coffee is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants – although those benefits in decaf coffee may be as much as 15 percent lower.
Regular Coffee Does Come Out Ahead in Several Ways
Due to the caffeine found in caffeinated coffee, its drinkers may enjoy certain benefits that decaf drinkers don’t. These could include:
- Greater fat burning benefits.
- Enhanced athletic performance.
- Women who drink caffeine coffee may see a reduced risk of mild depression as well as fewer thoughts of suicide.
- A lessened risk of end-stage liver damage as well as cirrhosis of the liver.
Bottom Line?
Coffee – whether regular or decaf – is one of the best beverages most of us can drink because it’s filled with antioxidants and has been proven to reduce the risk of coming down with a variety of health issues and diseases.
But caffeinated coffee is not for everyone: it can cause insomnia, the “jitters,” nausea, upset stomach, increased or irregular heart rate, and more. Decaf coffee, on the other hand, allows those with sensitivity to caffeine to receive most of coffee’s benefits without having to endure its worse side effects.
If you tolerate caffeine well, why not explore what premium, organic Ubean Coffee offer? Find one of our distributors near you today and enjoy its great flavor.