Science: Does the coffee roast level affect caffeine content?

The guys at Swiss Water Process are experts at removing caffeine, but that doesn't mean decaffeinated coffee is all they think about, such as:

Does the roast level affect caffeine content?

Recently Swiss Water Decaf conducted a series of tests on the same coffee roasted at three different levels:

• Light roast
• Medium roast
• Dark roast

At each roast level, they roasted the coffee at five different speeds:

• very slow
• slow
• normal
• fast
• very fast.

They then measured the caffeine levels present in each bean at the end of the process.

The results?

Swiss Water Decaf found that across controlled roasting times and roast levels there was:

• no consistent trend emerged to show the level correlated with how much caffeine ended up in the coffee bean itself
• the results are consistently inconsistent
• caffeine content isn't tied directly to roasting time or style.

While Swiss Water Decaf’s lab studies aren't rigorous enough for a scientific journal, they're persuasive to conclude that roast level isn't a strong factor in "strong" coffee.

So, what does this mean for roasters?

This means that:

• Roasters can keep on roasting exactly how they like to get the best possible flavour from their coffees.
• When trying to limit caffeine content, stick to Swiss Water Decaf coffee, which is constantly improving the decaffeination technology whilst providing the most delicious, chemical-free decaffeination process around.