What would the reason be to switch to decaf?

There are several reasons why you might want to switch to decaf, caffeine affects us in very different ways. The most common reasons to make the change is Pregnancy, sensitivity, and the need for a good night’s sleep.

 So, are there health benefits, or is it actually bad for you to drink decaf?

Back in the day (and still sometimes today), methylene chloride or ethyl acetate was used to remove caffeine from coffee, Methylene chloride can be used as a paint stripper and a degreaser, hence the bad name of decaf. However, all the decaf sold by The little bean co. is decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Method, a completely natural way of removing caffeine, hence it’s completely harmless.

There are several health benefits from drinking coffee (with and without caffeine) but decaf on its own has been shown to cause significantly less acid reflux than regular coffee and drinking two or more cups of decaf coffee per day has also been linked with up to a 48% lower risk of developing rectal cancer.

 Switching completely from caffeinated coffee to decaf might not be necessary but adding decaf into your coffee routine to lower your caffeine intake might be a good idea as excess caffeine may overwhelm the central nervous system, cause restlessness, anxiety, digestive problems, heart arrhythmia or trouble sleeping in sensitive individuals.

Coffee whilst being pregnant

 Additionally, pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to limit their caffeine intake, the NHS recommend limiting your caffeinated coffee intake to 1 cup a day whilst pregnant as too much caffeine is not good for the foetus. 

What does the Swiss Water Method mean?

Swiss Water Decaf is 99.9% free from caffeine, the caffeine is filtered out from the coffee beans by applying water pressure and exerting the caffeine into carbon. It’s a complete natural and organic process and leaves the coffee with all of its flavour profile intact but without any caffeine. Green coffee is shipped from all across the coffee growing countries to Canada where the decaffeination process takes place. After it’s been decaffeinated it’s shipped, still in its green coffee state, to roasters across the globe. 

Does the coffee taste any good?

When decaf tastes as good as caffeinated coffee then it’s not really a big deal to make the change. Many of the coffees from Decadent Decaf  are winners of the Great Taste Award and when the Daily Mail did a taste test of the decafs available in the UK market, Decadent Decaf was the only coffee that received 5 out 5 stars in the taste test, I think that tells you the level of quality that Decadent Decaf provides.

Decadent Decaf has raving reviews and it’s really on the forefront of the decaf revolution in Europe and continuously breaking down misconceptions about decaf coffee.

I read somewhere that 80% of university graduates don’t actually work in the field that they studied. That’s most definitely true for me. Many years ago, now, I moved to England to study politics. I spent 3 years doing a degree that I pretty early on lost interest in but stuck with. After I finished my degree, I did a Master’s in business management which I was far more passionate about and that has served me well over the years in the coffee industry. 

After finishing my Master and moving down to London my friends and I did not receive the warm welcome we had hoped for by the job market. It was the height of the recession and we all ended up doing jobs with minimum pay. But after a year luck stroke and I applied for a 3-month internship at a coffee importer who had also turned e-shop for rare and exotic coffees. The 3-month internship turned into a 9-year career in coffee. I had found my passion!

 My job allowed me to learn about the many different sides of the coffee industry. I worked with importing, exporting, sourcing, brand creation, brand building, B2B, B2C and much more. Coffee is such a special and diverse product. Where and how it is grown, the processing and the roast profile makes a huge difference to the cup profile. And just like with wine, people have incredible different tastes when it comes to how they like their coffee.

 One and a half year ago when I left England and was on maternity leave, I knew that I would no longer be able to continue working for my old company, but I wanted to stay in the coffee industry that I had grown to love so dearly. I wanted to work with what I was passionate about, build my own brand and bring my expertise to my new home. Source coffee that fit different tastes and preferences. This is how The little bean co. came about.

It has been a work of labour and love to build this site (with the help of my web designer, who has brought my vision to life), but I am so happy with the result. I have chosen the different brands for their uniqueness, not only from each other but also from what else is on the market. Whilst some people love the taste of high-quality blends of unaltered coffee, such as our range from Brown Bear coffee, others have more of a sweet tooth and prefer a flavour infused coffee such as cinnamon and Hazelnut from the Fantastically flavoured coffee co.

Decadent Decaf is especially dear to my heart as it is a brand that I started with a dear friend of mine, it has been a pioneering brand for decaffeinated coffee in the UK and Europe. My personal opinion is that with this brand we re-invented the concept of decaf in Europe, by roasting high-quality single origin coffees and only using the Swiss Water Method for our decaf coffees.

Now a new chapter is being written and I hope you will be as excited as I am about these coffees.

Brown Bear coffee was founded in England in early 2013, the company was born out of the pure love of quality coffee, and that is what you get with this coffee. Love, care and attention goes into every bag of Brown Bear coffee, assuring you that you will get unmatched quality and an unforgettable cup of coffee. The little brown bear cub that you’ll find on each one of our products is a symbol of unmatched quality and reassurance of care and attention that has gone into producing it.

To achieve this amazing quality in the taste Brown Bear coffee is roasted by the best in the business, taking these brilliant blends of coffee and bringing out the ultimate flavour from the beans. This level of expertise makes for great tasting coffee.

 And as to not lose any of these flavours Brown Bear coffee is roasted and packed superfast. All the bags are heat sealed to keep your coffee fresh and that delicious flavour inside.

What we at The little bean co. particularly like about Brown Bear (besides that the coffee tastes amazing) is that all of Brown Bear’s coffee beans are sourced ethically from reliable, sustainable supplies around the world – South America, Africa, Asia and beyond.

The team at Brown Bear know that coffee quality starts with its cultivation and Brown Bear coffee is grown by amazing farmers who are rewarded fairly and honestly, just the way it should be with all coffee producers and brands.

Although we love them all, our favourites from Brown Bear are the Blue Mountain, Mambo Italiano and La Vida. We are not one bit surprised that La Vida got 9/10 stars from The coffee judge (coffeejudge.co.uk), as it is delicious.

Now the best way to really get to know Brown Bear is to get a bag and get brewing and sipping.

For my first blog I thought I’d brooch every Swedes favourite past time Fika.

Living in London my friends used to ask about the concept of “fika”. They had heard about it as just like hygge it had become a bit of a buzz word.

I’ve always cherished fika as I believe most Swedes do, but I did feel when coming back home to Sweden that the coffee served wasn’t always up to par. Coffee should be drunk because it tastes amazingly, not just to keep you going, and in particular when it is the case of enjoying a fika. This is a cherished time when you might indulge in something tasty on the side with your coffee and so the whole culinary experience should be a feast for your senses, whilst enjoying the company of friends or loved ones.

With the selection of coffees that The little bean co. offers you can pick the coffee that suitable for you and your friends. Perhaps to avoid does pesky calories but still enjoy something with a bit of a sweet taste you choose a Fantastically Flavoured coffee such as Salted Caramel, or if its later in the day or your just sensitive to caffeine then perhaps a decaf coffee.

If I haven’t convinced you to drop what you’re doing and put the coffee machine on well the allow me to continue. The addition of fika breaks in the work place has actually been proven to increase productivity and efficiency. That little break and chance to recharge your batteries is positive for both you and your employer. A study in 2010 by Grant Thornton showed that Swedes were the least stressed worldwide and on top of that only 1% of Swedes work overtime and still in 2014 Sweden was ranked 11 out of 38 of countries that were measured for productivity, I would say the proof is in the pudding or in this case the cup of coffee.

Now pick up some cinnamon buns from your local bakery, get yourself some good coffee, and even better friends over for a fika.