Before decaffeination, the green coffee is rehydrated to prepare for the target moisture level that is ideal for caffeine removal. This step also removes dirt, dust, and silverskin.
Caffeine is drawn away and filtered out. Pure water plus water-soluble solids found in green coffee except for caffeine (GCE) is continuously circulated around the green coffee for a period of 8-10 hours, until there is no more than 0.1% of caffeine remaining in the green coffee. Caffeine is removed from the GCE through a proprietary carbon filter system, and the carbon is sent to a regeneration furnace to burn away the caffeine, so that it can bereused.