The extract is passed through specialised carbon filters. These filters are designed to trap caffeine molecules while allowing the other coffee compounds to remain in the solution.
Fresh green coffee beans are then immersed in this caffeine free Green Coffee Extract. Because the solution already contains the flavour compounds found in coffee, those compounds largely remain within the beans. Caffeine, however, is present at a higher concentration inside the fresh beans, so it naturally migrates out into the surrounding extract.
The extract is continuously circulated through the carbon filters, where the caffeine is removed, before returning to the coffee.
This process continues until around 99.9 per cent of the caffeine has been removed. The beans are then carefully dried and prepared for roasting.
No chemical solvents are added during the decaffeination process. For us, it is a practical way to remove caffeine while leaving the coffee itself with as much room as possible to taste like coffee.
Why Most Decaf Tastes Flat
Historically, decaffeination has often been treated as something done to lower grade coffee. If the green coffee is already lacking sweetness, structure or character before the caffeine is removed, there is only so much the roasting process can bring back.
Decaffeination itself also changes green coffee. Different processes affect the structure of the bean in different ways, and some solvent based methods can alter how the coffee presents once roasted. The process is only one part of the equation, but starting with good coffee matters.
Then there is freshness.
Decaf is usually sold in lower volumes than caffeinated coffee. That can mean beans are roasted in larger batches and left sitting for longer simply because they move more slowly.
We take a different approach.
Axil starts with specialty grade green coffee and uses the Swiss Water Process before roasting the coffee to order. We treat it as part of the coffee range rather than a separate category that gets less attention.
Because removing caffeine should not mean removing the standards along with it.
Who Drinks Decaf?
Maybe you fancy an afternoon coffee but don’t want the caffeine keeping you up later. Or you’ve already had two and would happily have a third, just without another caffeine hit.
Some people cut back because they’re sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or following advice from a health professional. Others simply enjoy coffee more often than they want the caffeine.
Whatever your reason, decaf lets you enjoy the flavour and ritual of a good coffee with significantly less caffeine. Pull an espresso, make a flat white or brew a cup after dinner. It’s still coffee, just with less caffeine.
Why Axil Coffee?
We have been roasting coffee in Hawthorn, Melbourne since 2010. Across the Axil team are two World Barista Championship titles and seven Australian Barista Championship titles. Those titles have sharpened the way we taste coffee, understand consistency and work with producers, but the same thinking is applied to the coffee we serve every day.
Our sourcing starts with specialty grade green coffee bought close to harvest. We work directly with producers, with some relationships spanning more than a decade, giving us a closer understanding of the farms, people and coffees behind each lot. Once the green coffee reaches Hawthorn, we roast to order.
We also brew what we roast. The same coffees coming through our roastery are poured across Axil venues every day, giving our roasting and café teams a direct connection to how they perform in the cup.
Our decaf receives the same attention. It is selected carefully, Swiss Water processed and roasted by the same team responsible for the rest of the Axil range.
Try a Decaf Worth Drinking
Our Swiss Water Decaf is made to be brewed and enjoyed like the rest of your coffee. Pull it as espresso, add milk or save it for the cup you want later in the day.
And if decaf is already part of your routine, set up a Swiss Water Decaf subscription and keep freshly roasted beans arriving before you reach the bottom of the bag.
