4 ways to take caffeine out of tea
We use the only one that doesn’t ruin it
Supercritical CO₂. Chemical-free, residue-free, flavor-intact. Here’s why it matters, in 60 seconds.
The four methods, side by side
Most decaf tea on the shelf uses one of three older methods. Here’s what each does to safety and flavor.
| Method | Methylene ChlorideSolvent | Ethyl Acetate"Natural" Solvent | Swiss WaterFor coffee, mostly | Supercritical CO₂Our method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health & safety | Possible carcinogen | Synthetic residue | Solvent-free | Food-safe, no residue |
| Flavor preservation | Diminished | Flat, stripped | Washes out oils | Selective — flavor stays |
| Environmental load | Industrial solvent waste | Synthetic chemistry | Water-based | CO₂ is recycled in loop |
| Used for tea? | Yes — the cheap default | Yes — most "natural" decaf | Rarely — kills tea flavor | Yes — the gold standard |
How it actually works
- 01Pressurize
CO₂ goes supercritical
At 73 bar and 31°C, carbon dioxide enters a phase that's neither gas nor liquid. It can diffuse like a gas, dissolve like a solvent.
- 02Diffuse
It moves into the leaf
The CO₂ permeates the leaf structure and bonds selectively with caffeine molecules — less with flavor or aroma compounds.
- 03Extract
Caffeine washes out
Caffeine-laden CO₂ is drawn off into a separator. The leaf stays whole.
- 04Recycle
The CO₂ is reused
Pressure drops, CO₂ returns to gas, the caffeine drops out, and the same CO₂ goes back into the next batch. Closed loop.
Why we picked the hardest method.
CO₂ extraction is more expensive, slower, and harder to engineer than soaking leaves in solvent. We chose it anyway because the alternative is a cup that either tastes wrong or carries trace chemistry we wouldn’t drink ourselves.
The same process is used for premium decaf coffee. It took us two years to dial it in for tea: different leaf, different chemistry, different break points. The result is tea that still tastes like tea, just without the part that keeps you up.
- ✓
No methylene chloride
The most common industrial decaf solvent is a possible carcinogen. We don't use it. Ever.
- ✓
No synthetic ethyl acetate
Sometimes labelled "natural" because the molecule exists in fruit. The version used in extraction is lab-synthesized.
- ✓
The flavor compounds stay
CO₂ binds to caffeine specifically. Aromatics, polyphenols, and the oils that make tea taste like tea pass through untouched.
- ✓
Closed-loop CO₂
The same CO₂ cycles through every batch. No waste stream, no solvent disposal.
A real cup of tea, after 2pm
Two lines, both processed the way we’d want our own tea processed.
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