Swiss Water process is a way to remove caffeine from green, unroasted coffee using water, green coffee extract and carbon filtration, without adding chemical solvents. The process is designed to preserve the coffee's flavour. It doesn't make every coffee taste identical, and the brewed cup is not guaranteed to be completely caffeine-free.
I used to hear “decaf” and imagine a coffee I would drink only if I absolutely had to. Then Guillermo became our Half-Caff Guy, and I started paying much closer attention to what decaffeinated beans could actually taste like.
The lesson was simple: the coffee still has to be good before you remove the caffeine. And the method used to remove it matters. Swiss Water Process is one of the processes we choose for some of our decafs. Here is what it does, in plain language.
How does the Swiss Water Process remove caffeine?
It happens before roasting. The Decaf beans that arrive at our Calgary roastery have already been decaffeinated while green. We then roast them for the cup we want to create.
The Swiss Water Process has four main parts:
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Prepare the green coffee. The beans are cleaned and hydrated, preparing them for the decaffeination process.
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Surround the beans with Green Coffee Extract. The beans are immersed in Green Coffee Extract (GCE), a water-based solution containing the soluble compounds naturally found in green coffee, but without caffeine. Because the surrounding extract already contains these coffee compounds, caffeine can move out of the beans while limiting the loss of the compounds that contribute to the coffee’s flavour and character.
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Filter out the caffeine. Caffeine naturally moves from the beans into the Green Coffee Extract through diffusion. The extract then passes through specialized carbon filters that capture the caffeine, and the refreshed extract is used again in the process.
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Dry the beans. Once decaffeination is complete, the green coffee is dried back to an appropriate moisture level before being shipped to roasters like us.
Is Swiss Water decaf completely caffeine-free?
No. Swiss Water says the green coffee leaving its process is 99.9% caffeine-free. That statement refers to the processed beans—not a promise of zero milligrams in a particular mug. Your dose, serving size and brewing method affect how much residual caffeine ends up in the drink.
That distinction matters if you are especially sensitive to caffeine or have been advised to limit it. “Decaf” means far less caffeine than regular coffee; it doesn't mean none. If you need a precise personal limit, use professional advice rather than relying on a general claim on a bag.
Does Swiss Water decaf taste like regular coffee?
It can taste like a genuinely satisfying coffee. But no decaffeination method can turn a poor starting coffee into an exceptional one. Origin, variety, growing, processing at origin and roasting still contribute to what you taste.
That is why I would ask what kind of cup you enjoy before recommending “the best decaf.” Do you want smooth caramel and bittersweet chocolate? Or do you want a darker coffee with spice and body? Both can be Swiss Water decafs. The process doesn't dictate one flavour profile.
At Crickle Creek, Peru Organic Decaf is a medium roast with caramel and bittersweet-chocolate notes. If you prefer an unapologetically dark cup, Sumatra Decaf brings dark chocolate, syrup and spice. Both product pages identify the Swiss Water method; the coffees themselves give you two different experiences. Their current tasting notes are more useful for choosing a bag than a process name alone.
Is all Crickle Creek decaf Swiss Water?
No. This is an important correction to the older version of this article. We also offer decaf coffees made using a sugar cane process, including Colombia decaf options. The two methods are different, and the right choice can come down to the flavour you enjoy as much as the process you prefer.
Check the individual product description for the decaffeination method. You can compare our decaf and half-caff coffees here. If you want to know why we introduced a sugar cane decaf alongside our Swiss Water options, read our Colombia decaf story.
I would rather tell you clearly which method was used than imply one method describes every bag we sell.
What does “without chemical solvents” mean?
Swiss Water does not add the organic solvents used in some other decaffeination methods. Water and carbon filtration do the work. You will sometimes see this described as “chemical-free,” but that is a misleading way to talk about coffee: water, caffeine and flavour compounds are all chemicals. “Without added chemical solvents” is clearer.
It also doesn't automatically prove the process has a smaller environmental footprint than every alternative. That would require a separate, comparable assessment. Here, we're telling you how the caffeine is removed and why we selected the coffee for its cup quality.
Can I brew Swiss Water decaf as espresso?
Yes. You can use it for espresso, drip, French press or pour-over. Like any new bag, it may need a different grind setting or brewing recipe from the coffee you used yesterday. If you drink it with milk, a decaf with body and chocolate notes can be a lovely place to start. If you drink it black, pay attention to the bag's tasting notes and choose the profile you enjoy.
Nobody should have to settle for a disappointing cup just because they want less caffeine. That is the standard we use when choosing and roasting decaf: would we look forward to brewing it again?
Find your next decaf or half-caff coffee
Brew boldly. Live fully.
Adriana