Even though all of these methods are considered safe, the water-only method—also known as the Swiss water process1—is solvent-free and is the preferred method used to make organic decaf coffee.
The main difference between decaffeinated coffee and regular coffee is that decaf coffee has had most of its caffeine removed. Yes, we said most.
Although you may think decaf coffee is completely free from caffeine, it’s not. “Decaffeinated coffee is a misnomer,” Ali Rezaie, M.D., MSc, medical director of the GI Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, and on-staff physician for Good LFE, tells mindbodygreen. “There is still some caffeine in decaf coffee,” he says.
