The "To Keep Up" Wiki

Methods of Decaffeination

There are several common methods used to decaffeinate coffee, each with different impacts on flavor and use of chemicals.

Method	Chemicals Used?	Flavor Retention	Notes
Swiss Water Process	No	Excellent	Uses only water and osmosis. Popular among specialty roasters. Certified organic-friendly.
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Process	No	Excellent	Uses pressurized CO₂ to extract caffeine. Expensive but great flavor retention.
Ethyl Acetate (EA) / Sugarcane Process	Yes (natural EA)	Very Good	Uses naturally derived EA from sugarcane or fruit. Often called “natural decaf.”
Methylene Chloride Process	Yes (synthetic)	Good to Moderate	Common in commercial decaf. Trace residues regulated.
Trichloroethylene (obsolete)	Yes (dangerous)	Poor	No longer used due to health risks.

Coffee Shop	Decaf Method(s) Used	Chemicals Used?	Flavor Retention	Notes
Starbucks	Methylene Chloride Process (most blends), Swiss Water (some Reserve)	Yes (MC) / No (SWP)	Good (MC) / Excellent (SWP)	Pike Place and most standard decaf use MC. Limited Reserve decaf may use SWP.
Peet’s Coffee	Water Process (Swiss Water for retail bags), MC for some café brews	Yes (MC) / No (SWP)	Very Good	Bagged beans typically use water process; check in-store for café methods.
Revival Café (Boston area)	Swiss Water or EA Natural (depends on roaster)	No / Yes (EA)	Excellent	Likely sources from roasters like George Howell or Tandem that use SWP or natural EA.
Tatte Bakery & Café	Typically Swiss Water Process	No	Excellent	Uses George Howell Coffee and similar roasters that favor chemical-free methods.

MC = Methylene Chloride
SWP = Swiss Water Process
EA= Ethyl Acetate

Best Flavor & Chemical-Free: Swiss Water Process and CO₂ Process
Used by Mass Market Chains: Starbucks and Peet’s often use Methylene Chloride
Used by Specialty Shops: Revival and Tatte favor Swiss Water or Sugarcane EA