Brendan Keane
We carry two decafs: a Swiss Water Process blend decaffeinated in Delta, British Columbia, and a European Process (methylene chloride) decaf from Qusac in Valleyfield, Quebec. Both finish at the same caffeine spec. They differ in how the caffeine comes out, how they taste, and what they cost. Here is how each one works and how to pick the right decaf for your roastery.
Roasters ask us about decaf all the time, especially since methylene chloride made the news. So we put our answers in one place, with sources at the end if you'd like to check our work.
Why we take decaf seriously
Decaf still gets a bad rap, and we think that's out of date. The people drinking it gave up the caffeine, not the coffee, which makes them some of the most dedicated coffee lovers out there. Brendan Keane makes the case in In Defense of Decaf: A Pure Love Story in Coffee.
How does Swiss Water decaf work?
Swiss Water uses water and carbon filtration. No solvent is added.
- Soak: green coffee goes into Green Coffee Extract, which is water already loaded with coffee's soluble solids but stripped of caffeine.
- Migrate: caffeine leaves the bean because the extract has none. The flavor solids stay put because the extract is already full of them.
- Filter: the extract runs through carbon filters that trap the caffeine, then goes back around for the next batch.
- Dry: each batch runs roughly 8 to 10 hours, until caffeine is at or below 0.1% by weight.
How does European Process (methylene chloride) decaf work?
Our European Process lots are decaffeinated by Qusac, which runs methylene chloride in a closed loop with water.
- Steam: the beans are steamed to open the cell structure so the caffeine can be reached.
- Extract: methylene chloride bonds to the caffeine and pulls it out.
- Recover: the used solvent is distilled off at 40°C, condensed, and reused for the next batch instead of being discarded. The beans are steamed again to drive off anything left behind.
- Dry: the coffee is finished to the same 0.1% caffeine spec as Swiss Water.
Why the solvent doesn't survive: methylene chloride boils at 40°C. Your roaster runs above 200°C, about five times hotter. That's why residue is measured in parts per million, and testing typically finds well under one.
Swiss Water vs. European Process: side by side
| Swiss Water | European Process (Qusac) | |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine left | 0.1% or less by weight | 0.1% or less by weight |
| Caffeine per cup | About 2 to 15 mg | About 2 to 15 mg |
| What removes it | Water, plus carbon filtration | Methylene chloride, closed loop |
| Residue limit | Not applicable | FDA allows 10 ppm; testing typically finds 0.05 to 0.09 ppm |
| In the cup | Clean and balanced; body can read slightly lighter | Rounder and sweeter, with a little less clarity |
| Cost | The premium option | The workhorse: roughly half the processing cost |
Why does decaf cost more than regular green coffee?
Decaf isn't regular coffee with a markup stuck on it. Every bag leaves the warehouse, gets decaffeinated somewhere else, and comes back lighter than it left. On our Qusac lots, about two thirds of the added cost is the decaffeination itself:
Then there's shrink. Coffee loses 10 to 12% of its weight going through decaffeination. For example, we pay the origin price on 152 pounds of a Central American coffee and get back about 135 pounds from the plant. That happens with every method, Swiss Water included, and it's one of the reasons decaf often comes at a premium.
Swiss Water costs more again. The plant is in British Columbia, so the coffee travels farther, the batches have to fit in a tight schedule, and it's the only facility in the world running the process. For current pricing on both, log in to the Balzac Partner Portal.
Is decaf coffee caffeine free?
No, and actually no decaf on the market is. Both of ours finish at or under 0.1% caffeine, which works out to roughly 2 to 15 mg in an 8 oz cup. For comparison:
Is methylene chloride in decaf dangerous?
Not at these levels. The FDA allows up to 10 ppm in decaffeinated roasted coffee, and testing usually finds well under 1 ppm. It boils at 40°C and coffee roasts above 200°C. Regulators in the US and Europe have cleared it for decades.
Then why is it in the news?
A 2023 petition from the Environmental Defense Fund and other groups asks the FDA to remove it under the Delaney Clause, a 1958 rule that bars any food additive shown to cause cancer in animals at any dose. Exposure level isn't part of that test. The FDA reopened comments in 2026 and, as of this writing, hasn't ruled. A ban would sit on that legal point, not on a finding that decaf has hurt anyone.
Is Swiss Water really chemical free?
It uses no added solvent, which is what "chemical free" means here. Water is the primary tool used, and the carbon filter catches the caffeine. (Strictly speaking, Swiss Water's own literature calls the Green Coffee Extract a solvent, since water is one.)
Does decaf taste worse?
It tastes different. Every method costs some aromatics. Swiss Water gives you the cleaner, brighter cup. The European Process trades some of that clarity for sweetness and body. Both of ours are blends, built for consistency from year to year rather than to show off a single farm. We cup every lot in our Charleston lab before we offer it.
Which decaf should I buy?
It comes down to whether the decaf is something you talk about.
- Choose Swiss Water if "chemical free" is a selling point on your bag, or your customers ask how it was processed. Our Volcan blend is where most roasters land.
- Choose European Process if the decaf is a house offering and it's a price-sensitive situation. The Qusac lots do the job and cup clean.
Not sure? Request samples of both and cup them side by side, or see what's in stock on our offerings page. For more explainers like this one, browse Education.