Removes caffeine by diffusion into a caffeine-free green coffee extract, then traps it in carbon filters, using no solvents.
The Swiss Water Process removes caffeine using water alone: beans give up caffeine by diffusion into Green Coffee Extract, and carbon filters then trap the caffeine so the extract can be reused. The company states it uses no esters or solvents. One reference dates the technique to Switzerland in 1933 and says it takes 8 to 10 hours. The company's plant is in Delta, British Columbia.
How it worksCaffeine moves out of the beans by diffusion into Green Coffee Extract, which already holds coffee's other soluble compounds. The caffeine-saturated extract then passes through carbon filters that trap the caffeine. The company says it uses only water, temperature and time, with no esters or solvents.
Step by step
- 01
Soak the beans in Green Coffee Extract so caffeine diffuses out.
- 02
Pass the caffeine-saturated extract through carbon filters that trap caffeine.
Timing · Cited as 8-10 hours in one reference
History
One reference says the water technique was first developed in Switzerland in 1933, commercialized by Coffex S.A. in 1980, and introduced by the Swiss Water company in 1988. The company's plant is in Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
Our notes on Swiss Water Process are still being checked against their sources, so for now this page shows only the facts we can stand behind.
In the cup, according to guides
- CleanCupVariesThe company says the aim is coffee that keeps its origin flavors. No independent sensory data was read.
At the same stage
Sources · 2 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-09-30. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Our Coffee Decaffeination Process · Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company
- Decaffeination · Wikimedia Foundation