Bit of topic, my ex works in a company that makes multivitamin and other supplements. For obvious reasons i can't name here, the company or here function. But let's say her function has some responsibilities associated with it. And as far as the company and she are concerned, multivitamin are useless. Your body does not take in any of it. And they only make it because ppl keep buying it. Apparently she said this is the case with nearly (i say nearly because i can't remember the ones she listed) all supplement vitamins.
Just to add, she said you get way more vitamin C from eating or drinking a citron. Then you get from a vitamin C pill that has 100% of the daily needed dose. Because the procces they use to get the vitamins makes it unable to get absorbed in the body. So you need to get it from fruit and vedg.
As a Californian, Prop 65 warnings are on nearly everything: shoes, ponchos, Subarus, baby carrots. They're so ubiquitous nobody pays attention to them. Fish dont know they're wet; Californians dont see Prop 65 warnings.
If you want to know how dumb America and our regulations are. California basically has a rule. If you want to sell a product in California. Either you pay a bunch of money for certification your product does not cause cancer. Or you put on a cheaper label that says it causes cancer. Most companies opt for the label. Most people don't read the warning either way. But among those that do, roughly 0% realize the warning is totally meaningless. Lots of reviews of products now say things like "I can't believe these pencils and paperclips cause cancer! I will never buy this brand again!". They don't cause cancer. California is just being a butt.
I think this video had the best sponsored segment I’ve ever seen ! But seriously, I’ve been wanting to try specialty decaf, and found this video very helpful. Also, thanks for posting about the DCM correction, it shows your dedication to educate some of us!
In this video Lance repeatedly says “dimethyl chloride”. This is a mistake. The compound goes by a couple of names, dichloromethane and methylene chloride, but not dimethyl chloride. Lance says he realized his mistake shortly after recording the video, but the press of other commitments left him no time for rerecording. Perhaps this comment can help clear up any confusion. If you go by the common rules taught in high school chemistry, dimethyl chloride is not a possible molecule. Chlorine can’t form two covalent bonds with carbon atoms. Real world chemistry is wilder than the high school version, so I would not be shocked to find dimethyl chloride in some unusual situations such as in outer space somewhere, but it’s not being used as a solvent in coffee decaffeination.
Yes I know. It was a verbal faux pas. Check description. I obviously know the compound lol Especially after reading over a dozen papers. Simple filming issue.
@@LanceHedrick OK, I see it in the description now. Mistakes are OK. Everybody makes mistakes. In this case, correcting the mistake in the comments might be more visible than in the description and may keep some viewers from being confused.
I left town after filming and had no time for a reshoot when I realized my verbal faux pas. I would pin a comment but I have to have the trainwell pinned per their guidelines.
Dichloromethane (DCM) is being phased out by the EPA and other countries are looking for alternatives. Halogenated solvents are incredibly useful but they're carcinogenic and environmentally hazardous. If you wonder why paint stripper is no longer as good as it used to be, it's because DCM has been banned from paint stripper in many parts of the world.
I drink a LOT of decaf, to the extent that I buy it green and roast it myself. My goto is Royal Select Decaf from Sumatra when I can find it (often from The Captains Coffee). I lean toward light and light medium roasts for decaf so I can make espresso. When I do roast decaf beans (using a fluid bed roaster, like the Fresh Roast SR800), I use a technique called "temperature creep" where I start the roast at a very low temp, then I gradually increase the heat (either by reducing the fan speed or upping the thermostat). I wait until the temp stalls before notching up the heat. I do this until I just hit first crack, then kill the heat. Depending on the phase of the moon or the alignment of the planets, the change in post-roast bean density will fall into the category of light to light medium (10-15%). I can make a decaf espresso indistinguishable from it's caffeinated cousin.
@@HauntedSheppard Freezing is good as long as the container storing the beans or grounds has absolutely no air in it (vacuum seal). Air leads to water crystals growing on the coffee, and once the coffee is wet, it risks getting moldy once stored at room temp, and that will most certainly affect flavor.
LANCE! I finally was in a financial position where i could buy my first espresso setup, and i just wanted to thank you fron the bottom of my heart for introducing me and guiding me through this process. Just finished pulling a shot this morning and holy cow is it tasty. DF64 gen 2 grinder, Turin Legato machine. Using the stock portafilter and basket for now, but will be upgrading. All in all, i couldnt be happier, and just wanted to let you know that you played a big role in peaking my interest, keeping me engaged, and giving me the confidence that i could pull a good shot. All the love, and keep doing you Lance, you're a great guy!
Honestly there is a huge gap in the market for decaf coffee. If only there were these top tier flavoured coffees in a decaf form. We'd be drinking coffee till the morning 😂😅
Hey Lance, I know you had a little bit of difficulty with the decision to start accepting sponsorships for videos. I'm glad you're getting the bag. You deserve to be compensated for the work you do here on youtube and you give us free information that has drastically helped me, so just wanted to let you know I am not annoyed in the slightest by it
Must say, love the informative videos about coffee science. Also didn't have Goku Lance on my radar. Glad you're taking the steps to help yourself sleep, gives me hope for myself.
Glad a spotlight is getting put on Decaf. I love coffee but I'm sensitive to caffeine so I can't drink it daily - enter Decaf! For the last 6 months or so I've been enjoying decaf espresso and lattes even in the evening when I normally would not be able to. I've discovered that my favorite local roaster has the best decaf blend/roast I've ever had so far (it happens to be swiss-water processed). Thanks for all the tips, definitely a lot to think about. Good to know that decaf seems to oxidate faster than regular, something to keep in mind.
Only on decaf now and seriously looking at a small home roaster to get it as fresh as possible - 100% my anecdotal lines up with Lance's around clogging and much less off-gassing, and the really quick time to stale. Excited there's so much happening about decaf right now, feels like we're on the verge of a new wave.
Gotta say Lance, this video has sliced the gordian knot for me. Fantastic job explaining things. I pretty much exclusively drink decaf (unfortunately just sensitive to caffeine) and my experience brewing decaf matches yours exactly. Your pro tips for brewing both pour over and espresso will be put into practice immediately. Especially freezing the beans. Can't wait to taste the results. Also can't wait for science to tell us why it runs fast in espresso and clogs in pour over. Lets get some grad students on this!! Love your stuff. All the best.
I've been drinking a lot of decaf lately with a V60 pour over. I need to grind more coarse than regular coffee to get the proper brew time and extraction. If I use the same setting for my regular coffee it clogs. So your video matches my experience.
Finding good decaf has been challenging for me. Some shops give me a strange look when I ask or their decaf beans are much older. So when I can't dial in some beans finding alternatives is tough. I'm using a lever machine, making espresso, and I'm at high altitude so things are stacked against me. But this video gives me some new things to try.
I wonder if going coarser and using a pressurized portafilter would actually improve the taste. It might be one of those rare cases where a humble Dedica could be a better brewer for decaf than a Linea Mini, as it hits all the brewing tips in this video. Lower dosage, lower brewing temperature, artificial pressure in the portafilter enabling you to grind coarser, etc. I have both so I'm tempted to try it out.
@@Lara4584 I forgot to post an update on this. I did try it, the flavor is ok but it lacks in body. You're way better off getting a large basket, brewing a way bigger dosage. Like, more than 20g-22g but a bit coarser than usual in a 1:2.5 ratio. It worked wonders for my beans.
I drink arabica coffee because that is noticeably lower in cafeïne than robusta. Even with decaf made from robusta I feel more of the effect from the cafeïne than that Indonesian arabica bean. The decafs I use are made with swiss water or sugar cane method
Thank you, Lance! I learned of my first good decaf from the comments on daddy Hoff's video about it, and found out quickly how much more difficult they are to prep for espresso and how short a time you have to use them. I love your scientific look at things, it's really enlightening.
Great vid! I have been exploring more decaf myself. I have played with pressurized baskets with courser grounds and extended pre infusion time, (almost a minute long). It’s very difficult to find the sweet spot (pun intended) but worth experimenting. For pour over, I have played with my basic Vietnamese “Phin” and also got courser grounds. Few completely stalled sessions didn’t turn me away though. Keep the experimentation going.
Lance. We use a Breville Touch. I make espresso for my wife every morning and a decaf espresso for myself. Doctors orders. Problem? Nope! Why? After a long search we found a coffee we love. Christopher Bean. For my wife…Espresso Roma and for me…Decaf Colombian. Both from the 4,200-4,600’ altitude and both roasted at 442*-443*. The decaf is Swiss water. Both delicious and I did not have to fiddle with the grind. Did we just get lucky? Don’t know. Is the coffee from a premium roaster? Don’t know. Btw, we buy fresh beans and we keep them in airscape containers. Sadly it’s the shipping that’s expensive but what’s a few bucks more for good taste? Should we freeze the airscapes.
Thanks for this video, this was really informative and explains some things that I've noticed, myself. It's good to know it's not just me who experiences it.
This is exactly the video I've been waiting for! I only drink one cup of regular coffee a day and sometimes like to have an iced latte or affogato in the afternoon but my decaf espresso never tastes good, and I'm not picky. Going to do some testing to my decaf for sure.
I've always had trouble with decaf and espresso. I feel I have to be quite motivated to buy some and be ready to experiment. Sometimes I'll consider it but ultimately decide not to because it has always felt like a bit of a moving target. As you were about to share your speculations, my thoughts were on structure within the puck holding due to the extra pressure for espresso, which might allow a more uniform flow over time, then you said it - fines migration differences... That fits with where my thoughts were going. Even if this isn't actually what is happening, it might be a useful thought tool for dialling in, perhaps I won't oscillate around that sweep spot as much. This in combination with slower grinding feed rate might be the direction I need for further experimentation motivation! Great video! I've had trouble finding a decent summary of decaf processes and the grinding woes since I've read so many conflicting experiences out there. Cheers ☕
Hi all just to say to Lance keep up the great and inspiring videos. in the uk we have a good choice of speciality roasters that have Swiss water decaf and the other processes you mentioned single origins and espresso blends. My whole coffee journey started in a quest to find a decent decaf for health reasons . I have a very low budget set up. A Gaggia classic 2012 model modded to 9 bar. I use a use a sage dose control grinder. So I do 18 g in 45 grams out 20-30 seconds. With most decaf espresso blends my grind setting is at 5 this produces a really satisfying (to me ) espresso which I then add to 100 g of boiling water for a long black. So far none of my coffee loving friends can tell it’s decaf. The best I have discovered is union roasters decaf Maraba From Rwanda. This variety isdecafinated using the CO 2 process. Also Lavazza do a decaf espresso Lavazza Dec . Hope this helps.
Experiment suggestion for espresso: use a sifter to separate the fines. Create a stratified puck with the fines at the bottom vs a normal puck that is mixed. Compare taste and extraction times.
Bro great video. I have been loving some sugarcane decafs lately, but my absolute favorite bean right now is a Swiss Water Process gesha that tastes like strawberries.
The biggest nugget here people is freeze your Decaf fam! We’ve been preaching this since day one, portion it out, freeze and enjoy. Freshness is king in the world of decaf.
Dude, this was a super informative and helpful video! Especially regarding technique. Thanks so much! Would you consider making a dedicated decaf V60/pour over recipe/tips video?
This is great video, great guide for people new to decaf, I remembered choking my shot the first time I try brewing decaf espresso. lol It just flow nicely at first, then it stopped. oh well.
Super helpful as always! I’m very curious to try a CO2 decaf and I’ve only had one ethel acetate which was tasty. I live in Seattle which is close to Vancouver Canada that has a huge Swiss Water process plant, so it’s the most prevalent option.
Remember when they outlawed led in paint and destroyed the paint industry? Yeah, it didn't happen. The industry pivoted, and we have safer paints now, because once the change was forced, the safer methods scaled up. Dichloromethane is an endocrine disruptor. The issue isn't any one cup, it's about build up over time and contamination over time. Ask yourself how much you trust huge roasters to carefully monitor levels and use? Spot on with the decaf brewing though and matches my experience. Still appreciate all you do!
From my experience with DCM as a polymer materials student, since it evaporates so easily, any trace amount (if any) will be evaporated during brewing. Still, I prefer swiss water decaf all day. Roast dynamics of decaf is also super interesting and very different from regular, and is very easy to roast deliciously in nordic style.
I actually keep my Decaf in the fridge for the first month. I find it hardly loses any of its flavor profile. After a month, then it's in the freezer for any leftover.
Love the video Lance. Not sure if using vitamins as a comparison to efficacy is a thing though. There are no double blind studies showing that multivitamins have any real health benefits and can actually be harmful when taken in too large a dose. Only in cases where a human has a measurable deficiency in a vitamin like say to treat scurvy.
Sure. My wife is a registered dietitian. Ie more training than a doctor on these matter due to 6 years of schooling and a masters and residency. I don't think anyone is going to read that comparison as literally as you're taking it and without assumed context.
I asked black and white roasters what the rest time should be for their sugarcane decaf. They said 2 weeks rest minimum. BTW, this is a wonderful decaf 👍
@@LanceHedrick Hey there! Yep, we suggest letting any of our bags rest and de-gas for 2 weeks. If it's a really funky coffee, we'd say two weeks is the minimum, if you can be patient any amount of time past that would be even better.:)
I run a machine now that is not to many a superb expresso machine! I bought based on what I thought at the time and within my budget a decent mediocre expresso including the grind! The grind and the machine run neck in neck to each other! Except for decaf, I have a nice caffeine in the morning I run 14 grams on 51mm porta filter, with a puck screen at .9mm. Why I use this puck screen is because the older puck screen I had was pushing up against the head so I had to reduce the grams! This new screen is perfect! So caffene 14 grams, grind set at 5 . For decaf I go 14 grams at 2 clicks less so it is courser but by not much, if I go with a 5 I over extract! Beans are darker then caffene! Also the roasting is fresh! Oh I’m sorry Lance but my grinder is a bottom adjustment! I charge it up every week, I clean after every use! But for less then a 100 I’m very satisfied! It’s consistent! Oh temp is the same for both! 😅
Our WinCo (my source for cheap coffee because we drink a ton and can't afford stupid crazy high prices for locally roasted coffee) sell Swiss Water decaf for the same price of all the rest of their bulk coffee. The roaster is Red Brick.
9:33 Ethylacetaat aka nail polish remover! I guess ‘Sugarcane method’ sounds a lot better than ‘Nail polish remover method’. Dichloromethane is used as paint stripper and degreaser as well as solvent for caffeine.
Carbon monoxide is very poisonous in contrast to oxygen. I don’t think carbon monoxide is mentioned in this video, maybe you could explain your reaction.
Interesting vid, Lance. Thoughts on half caf blends for those of us who want just a bit of caffeine? From the video it sounds like it's not the best idea.
This was extremely helpful as I am almost exclusively a decaf drinker is there any chance you could make a video for us of your decaf espresso workflow? Thanks again for great work
@@JoelRavier I have 3 coffee shops local to me that all roast their own coffee (they ship and sell as well) My current favorite is from hyperion coffee decaf. It has a nice medium body and flavor balance with a very nice slightly bright orange peel flavor. I give it an 8/10. My biggest issue with decaf is like Lance said, grinding. It's so freaking difficult to get it right quickly but once you do it isn't too bad to maintain that. Good to know slightly less crema is known for decaf and wasn't me. I'm using a df64v and a Lelit bianca if anyone cares. What's your go to decaf right now?
brewing V60 or dripper of decaf is a pain. For me the best way to brew decaf it AeroPress with 90Celsius water. overpowers any clogging, tastes great and with Aero XL no problem with bigger batch
Thanks for another great video, Lance! I drink decaf exclusively. Would I be unwise to upgrade to a VST high extraction basket for my Flair 58+? Would that be more likely to produce an overextracted decaf shot?
Well of course they are going to roast to a darker level in the same amount of time, that's because decaf beans have much less density. It's like roasting a bone with osteoporosis. The water has already rund through it extracting a lot of the density of the bean, making it lighter (in weight) and much more brittle and porous.
I can't tolerate caffeine and therefore have to rely on decaf. Personally, I don't drink decaf that has been decaffeinated with dichloromethane! I drink coffee made from 1kg of coffee beans per week, so I don't want to use beans that have been bathed in a chemical for paint stripper for plastics! Everyone has to decide for themselves! I prefer the CO2 method for decaffeinated.👍 The CO2 method is also the most sustainable method! Everything is reused! The extracted and dried caffeine can be sold, the CO2 and the water are reused. 👍
Great information video. I have the basic 1000.00 expresso machine. Im caffeine sensitive, but LOVE coffee ! Little by little and after trial and errors with different brands, origins and brewings styles, finaly I dialed down to a single dozing filter, at 12 onz in the filter, average 15 pound tapping of #8 grind setting for 32+ seconds of brewing at 9 bars of pressure. Great video !
Lance and anyone else that needs my plan for weight loss and health. Fasting, red meat, butter, eggs. Minimal sugar and no seed oils ever again. Skip eating out. Skip meals. Supplement individual doses of zinc, iodine 10mg liquid, NAC, b complex and vitamin c. But find what works for you. Less stress, more sleep. More decaf, just started roasting a decaf columbia. Very decent. And regular Columbia too. Sweet maria's stuff. If you have questions please ask. i was stuck for years and couldn't tie my shoes standing up. saturated fat is absolutely protective and should never be avoided ever again. Oh and pour on the pink or celtic salt. Lots i'm talking 10 - 20 grams per day.
I watched this video because of your recent post about Dichloromethane. You mention the need for decaf as a substitute and I can understand the idea, however my belief is we don't need decaf. I am one of those sensitive types that have a LOW tolerance to caffeine. I do get jitters easily, stomach issues and yes, insomnia if I consume too much for a consistent period of days or if I drink it too late in the day. Also on an empty stomach. But with that being said, you can also control the symptoms the same was as you would control sugar spikes in your body. I also think that if you can't have ANY regular cup of coffee, why do you want to drink it in decaf form? Just cut it out of your diet, or take necessary precautions. Can't wake up? You don't need a full cup. 1 sip works (especially if you're sensitive). Caffeine entering the bloodstream too quickly? Have your fruit and or protein before drinking coffee. *🍻 cheers*
Oh sure! My intention was not to say people need decaf. It was to say people who enjoy coffee and the health benefits might not be able to afford it with the ban. At least until prices of others come down. No need at all for coffee if you don't enjoy it!
Thanks interesting video, we have a Breville Oracle that we really like. The grinder does what we want and what we really like is it almost total lack of mess and we get really consistent coffees we all enjoy. I am wanting to get a second grinder for decafe what make and model would you suggest that isn’t messy. We used to have a Rocket Giotto and Mazzer Mini grinder but the Mazzer was soooo messy and to big.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with Swiss water process. It would seem that the amount of pesticides and mycotoxins in commodity grade coffee along with the decaf processing chemical would possibly null the benefits. I also think of the run off from the decaffeination in areas that are already lacking clean water. People might just realize that they need to change how they think about the value of coffee and make peace with paying a bit more. Also the the mega corporations who supply the lion share of the worlds decaf commodity coffee could afford to make a bit less.
i guess you misspoke. The epa reference dose for methylene chloride is 0.06 mg per kg body weight per day (not 0.6 mg). So the average american (82kg) should not consume the coffee from 500g of beans which contain the legal maximum of 10 mg / kg (assuming 100% of the DCM makes it into the cup). The limit in the EU is 2 mg / kg btw
Since decaf is structurally different then regular coffee, do you have any recommendations for grinders that do decaf better than others? Or does it not matter and you can treat grinders the same way as regular coffees? I'm guessing the extra fines generated by decaf means clarity focused burrs are not ideal?
19:29 Shouldn’t decaffeinated coffee be roasted at bit lighter to get it more like the regular coffee? Having seen this, it looks like we’re unintentionally comparing regular and darker roasts here.
Not at all. Read any information available online about decaf. You must necessarily roast it darker. If it was as easy as roast lighter, there wouldn't be an issue lol
Thanks Lance for good info, especially for temperature regarding espresso brewing with decaf. Grinding: Would it be beneficial to slow feed these decaf beans? This way having less fines and more even distribution of particle sizes. Maybe the brewing effects are lessening? I have only slow feed decaf beans with my df64 gen2 and seeing same, but only minor effects.
Caffeine raises my blood pressure 20-30 mm systolic and diastolic. Probably not a good idea to have elevated blood pressure all day so I drink decaf. I roast my own and it works really well for me. I don't miss caffeine, the energy spikes and especially the high bp.
Some great thoughts as always but I’m sure you realise they’re generalisations. I just had a decaf that didn’t fit any of your comments. It essentially brewed like a non-decaf as both pour over and espresso and was still good when I finished it which was nearly 4 weeks after opening the bag and about 7 weeks post-roast!!!
@@LanceHedrick www.hatchcrafted.com/shop/condor-washed-decaf if you want to try. I was pretty shocked as well. I’ll tag you in a couple of my Instagram posts about it.
Yeah decaf is a 12 minute pour down if I grind it near the normal for pour over. 😭 at least I get to be happy I have that big range on my grinder rather than never using it lol
DCM can be replaced by super critical carbon dioxide. Yes it's a more expensive process but it removes industrial solvents from a natural product. Even if the residual DCM is negligible to you and I, keeping it out of the environment is also important.
