FROM THE EDITOR

by Shanna Germain

I‘LL ADMIT IT: I did drugs before I came to work this morning. But I don’t feel too bad about it—chances are, so did you. Lucky for us, our drug of choice doesn’t come in a syringe, it isn’t illegal and it is available on every street corner in America (and in most parts of the world).
     I’m talking about the delightful “high” that comes from caffeine. And while new caffeine-laden options like chewing gum, energy drinks and even ice cream are gaining ground, coffee is still the delivery method of choice for the majority of Americans. The average American consumer drinks one to three cups of coffee per day—about 180–350 milligrams of caffeine. How we get our daily dose might vary—French press, iced mocha, espresso, Americano—but the effects are the same: a boost in energy and well-being, a heightened sense of alertness and increased mental ability.
     This combination of flavor and buzz makes specialty coffee the whole package. To me, specialty coffee is like a great bottle of ice wine or a perfect porter—I would drink it for the taste alone. The caffeine buzz (like the alcohol one) is just one more added benefit. And honestly, it wouldn’t occur to me to order a cup of decaf. In fact, I don’t think I have ever deliberately drunk coffee without the caffeine (although in college, my roommate once switched our house stash to decaf without telling anyone, which is another story, and not a very pretty one at that).
     So, as we started putting together the article on roasting decaf for this issue, I decided I’d better sit down and do some research. Why does 10 percent of the U.S. coffee market drink their coffee sans caffeine? What are the benefits? What happens inside the bean during the process? And, most importantly, how does this process affect the taste?
     Turns out, there is a lot more to decaf than I realized. Not only has decaf coffee been commercially available since the early 1900s, it’s one of today’s fastest growing segments of the coffee market. This is especially true in the specialty coffee industry, with its emphasis on flavor. “The interesting thing about decaf coffee drinkers is they’re drinking it for the taste, not the caffeine,” says Jason Remmer, business development manager for Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Co. “So, if they’re not looking for caffeine, then they’re looking for flavor.” The percentage of decaf drinkers is even higher among organic specialty drinkers—decaf sales total nearly 25 percent of the organic market. “Most people who are choosing organic are doing so for their health, the same reason they’re choosing decaf,” Remmer says.
     For specialty roasters, decaffeinated coffee has big potential—if you can keep the flavor. In our article, Up to Speed: The Buzz On Roasting Decaf (page 51), we explore how decaffeinators actually get the lead out of the bean, take a look at some decaf facts, and offer roasting tips to help you give customers the drug-free “flavor buzz” they’re looking for.
     Personally, I’ll stick with my morning dose of liquid drug. But somewhere out there, there’s a whole group of specialty coffee buyers, just waiting (quite calmly, I’m sure) for the perfect cup of unleaded flavor to come along. Maybe it’s yours.

Keep the flame burning,

Shanna