Decaffeination The Roasting Process Supplement Benefits
Coffee has many researched health benefits, it has been one of the most heavily studied dietary components in the last few decades. According to Harvard some of those benefits include: longer life span, lower chance of: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and some cancers just to name a few. As doctors it is our passion is help people live a healthier, fuller life and we have found a way to do so by adding to, not changing, your daily routine.
It all starts with production: the dirt, the beans, the location, the harvest, the washing process, the drying process, handling, shipping, etc. We are very careful in our selections of beans and use nothing but high quality certified Organic green coffee beans.
Removing caffeine from coffee can be done in several ways, typically done using chemicals. Either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. Possible side effects from methylene chloride are mental confusion, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting and headache. OSHA considers methylene chloride to be a potential occupational carcinogen, why would we risk drinking it? Possible side effects from ethyl acetate include: irritation of eyes, nose and throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and unconsciousness. High concentrations can cause CNS (Central Nervous System) depression and congestion of the liver and kidneys. We source beans that are decaffeinated using ONLY water, absolutely NO chemicals are used in the process making the beans much safer to drink causing less potential harm to you.
This is where everything started to change for us. There are many ways to heat a bean and get it to it's final temperature of a roasted bean. But not all methods are the same nor do they end up with the same quality coffee bean in the end. We solely roast using a 5kg fluid bed coffee roaster, this is compared to the typical method of drum roasting. Upon early development of Harvest Coffee Co, we were fully planning on using a drum roaster, but based on further research and experience there was zero question we were switching and fully committing to a fluid bed roaster.
A drum roaster is just as you would expect, a metal drum that turns round and round, similar to a clothes dryer. The beans rest on the bottom and as they go up the wall, they fall back down. This is the mixing/agitation method in a drum roaster. And the heat source is typically at the bottom in the form of 'burners.' This will become significant in a little while.
The concept of a fluid bed roaster is similar to that of a hot air popcorn popper. The heat source is at the bottom, in our case a gas burner, and uses a large variable speed fan to keep the beans levitating while pushing hot air up through the beans and out of the roast chamber. That being said the beans are constantly being mixed around and never in prolonged contact with any hot surface altering bean roast consistency.
So how does a fluid bed roaster make healthier, better quality coffee?
- There is a light covering that comes off the coffee bean during the roasting process called chaff. In a drum roaster there is no forced air through the machine. Therefore, the chaff remains in the drum roaster longer, getting caught in the pile of tumbling beans, touching the metal surfaces. Due to the prolonged time in the chamber this light, flakey chaff can burn and smoke. The smoke fumigates and deposits on the surface of the beans altering their taste profile. As well, the possible burnt/carbonized chaff creates volatile end products similar to those found in cigarette smoke and charcoal, known carcinogens. A fluid bed roaster forces air up through the beans and immediately leaves the roasting chamber after doing so. This process is able to pull the chaff out of the chamber before it has a chance to smoke or carbonize, preserving flavor and health in the beans.
- Due to the higher heat of the roast chamber walls drum roasters build up an oily, carbonized lacquer on the walls that needs to be cleaned weekly that does not exist in a proper fluid bed roaster.
- Fluid bed roasters have far superior vigor mixing the beans around. Where as drum roasters have some beans touching the hot metal surface making them roast unevenly and release oils and compounds that compromise flavor of the bean. This creates both conduction roasting on the drum surface and convection roasting in the center. Variables that are inconsistent and make it difficult to create consistency. Fluid bed roasters have levitating beans with consistent air temperature and the roast chamber walls are actually cooler than the roast air temperature which means no additional roasting takes place against the wall and no oil or flavor compounds are deposited on the roaster walls.
- Bean temperature is significantly easier to monitor in a fluid bed roaster using a fixated thermocouple, vs a drum roaster that utilizes intermittent probed bean samples and operator visual judgement. Better monitoring allows better consistency between roasts.
Fluid bed roasting is new relative to drum roasting, going against tradition in the coffee world. However, when it comes to quality and health there is no question for us.
Yerba Mate Green Coffee Bean Schisandra Ashwagandha Echinacea Milk Thistle Rhodiola Rosea Ginseng
With education and research growing in the natural health industry we have decided to add even more health to our top quality roasted coffee. All supplements are 100% pure and water soluble. There are no additives to prevent caking, preserve the supplement or anything of the sort. What you see is what we use.
Mate has been drank for thousands of years to stimulate and regenerate the mind, body and soul. It contains significantly more antioxidants than green tea, nearly every vitamin and mineral the body needs to sustain, and more healing power and nutrition than any other plant on Earth. With about the same amount of caffeine as coffee, Mate also possesses adaptogenic properties creating a more gradual and longer energy boost than coffee alone. We use pure Yerba Mate powder; powder form significantly increases surface area compared to leaf, allowing us to extract more of its benefit with each cup of coffee you brew.
Green Coffee has some benefits that unfortunately get lost when roasted. Therefore we have decided to add green coffee bean extract to our blends to replenish what was lost. We use pure Organic pesticide free green coffee extract that is standardized to a minimum of 50% chlorogenic acid. Making sure we get the most polyphenol concentration and the most from the extract.
Schisandra is considered a "King" remedy in Chinese Medicine due to its well balanced energetic nature. Schisandra provides powerful antioxidant protection. It is also considered an adaptogenic herb that promotes health and vitality, helping manage stress, supporting mental endurance and promoting overall metabolic efficiency. It is often considered one of the most powerful anti anxiety herbs and used in Chinese Medicine for life longevity.
Ashwagandha has been used for over 3,000 years in Ayurvedic, or India Medicine as well as in North Africa. Another adaptogen that American Medicine has relatively just begun researching. It is most widely known and researched for reducing stress, or cortisol levels. Increased levels of cortisol can prevent the inflammatory response from shutting down. As well, ashwagandha is well researched in lowering blood sugar levels, especially fasting numbers. Inflammation feeds on sugar, therefore reducing systemic glucose can reduce inflammation. Ayurvedic Medicine would mash the root into a paste and apply it topically to ulcers, joints, arthritis, etc to reduce the inflammation. In fact a recent study found it to decrease C-reactive Protein (CRP), a general inflammatory marker, by 36% with a daily dose of ashwagandha.
Echinacea is a flower native to North America that has been used for hundreds of years by the Great Plains Indians. In an article published by the University of Connecticut, Echinacea was shown to reduce the chances of catching the common cold by 58 percent and reduce the duration of the common cold by almost 1.5 days. Another published study found that Echinacea plant extract was able to fight viral infections, including the flu, while also decreasing inflammation and bacterial complications. In fact, the University of British Columbia showed that regular Echinacea consumption can effectively alleviate and even reverse various types of inflammation.
Milk Thistle extract contains a flavonoid called Silymarin which is known to protect, detoxify, and repair damage to the liver. It protects by binding to the outside of the liver cell and blocking toxins from entering and damaging the cell. It detoxifies by seeking out toxins that have already found their way into the liver cells, neutralizing them and eliminating them from the blood or turning them into water soluble forms that can be excreted in waste. Milk thistle aids in repair by stimulating protein synthesis in the liver, speeding up production of healthy new liver cells. These new healthy cells replace old or damaged cells allowing the liver to continue doing its vital job to maintain your life and health.
Rhodiola Rosea has been used throughout history in Iceland, Sweden, France, Russia, and Greece; popular with the Vikings to enhance mental and physical endurance. This adaptogen has many uses and research is continuing to show more efficacy in it's use. Most commonly it is shown to help the body maintain homeostasis with external stressors. Some research shows it helps maintain a specific balance of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Another study found Rhodiola may act to increase Neuropeptide Y, serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, oxytocin, GABA and others. Also been shown to increase athletic performance by significantly increasing the synthesis and resysnthesis of ATP in mitochondria (power house of cells) after intense exercise. There is more to this plant that is discovered with every bit of research that is done. I encourage you to try it yourself and see just how much this one plant can change for you!
Ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Being considered an adaptogen, Ginseng is a tonic herb that increases the body's resistance to external stressors. It aids in maintaining homeostasis and counteracts negative forces to the body. Most researched is it's ability to improve physical stamina, concentration, memory and stimulate immune function. It is thought to have warming properties that increase systemic circulation. There is a compound in Ginseng called ginsenosides that is known to be a powerful protector, decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress to the body. Ginsenosides also stimulate the release of acetylcholine, the transmitter associated with learning and memory. Considered the "elixir of life" in Asia, ginseng has been considered a "cure all." In fact, Panax means "all heal" as this balancing herb has the unique ability to both stimulate and relax the nervous system.