A Simple Decaffeination Method

Here's an easy, simple and effective method of decaffeinating your tea that requires no special equipment or expertise.

It is estimated that 80-90% of the caffeine in tea is released within the first 30 seconds of infusion. This is particularly true of tea sold in bags, which releases caffeine much more quickly due to the broken leaves. For some people who find that tea keeps them up if they drink it late at night, or are sensitive to caffeine, this can be a problem. Commercial methods of decaffeination, which remove up to 95% of the caffeine in the beverage and are inarguably more effective than anything you can do at home, usually alter the flavor of the beverage substantially, and not in a good way.

So if you want to enjoy tea but without so much caffeine, what can you do? It's simple:

1. Steep the tea as you normally would, with whatever temperature of water is appropriate for the type of tea you're making.

2. Allow the tea to infuse for thirty seconds.

3. Remove the water from the pot or cup, but leave in the bag or leaves.

4. Pour more hot water into the pot or cup, and infuse for the regular amount of time, or to your own personal preference.

This method works. Why? Unless you're a real connoisseur (in which case no decaffeination method will be totally satisfactory), 30 seconds won't make or break the taste of the infusion. What it will do, however, is remove a substantial amount of caffeine from the infusion.

Using this method you can easily and effectively decaffeinate any tea at home.

Cheerio.