How do you remove caffeine?

Decaffeination is an additional step before roasting and grinding. In general there are various decaffeination processes. Some of them use chemical solvents and others use natural ingredients: water or carbon dioxide, a natural constituent of air. We at Nespresso use only those with natural ingredients:

• In the water decaffeination process, the raw coffee beans are moistened to make the bean texture porous. After that by circulating the moisture through the porous beans, the water removes the caffeine and some other water-soluble solids. The extract is then removed and filtered via active carbon where caffeine is separated from the other valuable coffee solids, which are then returned to the beans. The purified water will be re-used for subsequent decaffeination processes. The decaffeinated coffee is then dried after which the beans are ready for roasting.

• In the carbon dioxide method, the raw coffee beans are moistened and put into a vessel where it is pressurized with liquid carbon dioxide. Circulating through the coffee, the carbon dioxide selectively draws the caffeine out of the bean. The decaffeinated coffee is then dried after which the beans are ready for roasting

Both decaffeination methods use only natural ingredients for decaffeination and are completely safe for coffee drinkers. The processes respect the environment and the coffee bean’s true nature, allowing us to maintain the strength, variety and richness of its aromas for our consumers.