SWISS WATER

October 25th, 2006

I admit it, my aversion to flaky women’s magazines and the Daily Mail means I don’t get a steady supply of bad science. Sometimes I just type pseudo-scientific nonsense into Google and see what comes up. Which isn’t all that different to buying the Daily Mail. A lot of companies claimed “chemical-free” products, but SWISS WATER win the award for basing an entire PR campaign on bad science.

Dear SWISS WATER,
I recently chanced upon your website, intriguingly titled “SWISS WATER® Process: 100% chemical-free coffee decaffeination“. After watching your promotional video featuring the delightful Mr Jones, I have a few questions regarding the SWISS WATER® Process.
1) Your decaffeination process uses a water solvent and a carbon filter, as well as an unknown number of “soluble flavour molecules”, all of which are chemicals. Yet you claim the process is 100% chemical free. Please explain.
2) You neglect to mention what you use to remove the caffeine from the carbon filters. What’s the secret?
3) How does the SWISS WATER® Process differ from the Indirect Chemical Decaffeination Process described on your website? It seems to me that both use water to extract the caffeine from the coffee beans, and then remove the caffeine from that water using chemicals.
Your answers are much appreciated,
Regards,
Frank Swain

Hi Frank,
Thank you for your interest in Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company. In response to your questions:
1. The water soluble flavor molecules come from the coffee bean. A coffee bean is made up of 26 soluble flavour components. When the bean is soaked in water, it expands and the coffee flavor solids are extracted.
2. Thermal regeneration i.e. heat, not chemicals is used to remove the caffeine from the carbon filters.
3. Indirect chemical decaffeination use solvents such as ethyl acetate and methylene chloride to remove the caffeine. Some solvent remains in the water, however FDA allows 10 parts per million residual in the coffee bean solvent. The SWISS WATER Process uses carbon filters to remove the caffeine.
I hope this has cleared things up.
Regards,
Nicole Charles
Sales & Trade Marketing Assistant
Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Co.

Egads! Are you freaked out by the spooky-sounding chemicals in your typical decaffeination process? Here are some more spooky sounding chemicals: ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), sodium chloride (salt), acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), magnesium silicate (talcum powder) and 3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione (you guessed it - caffeine).

Dear Nicole Charles,
Thank you for your reply. I am reassured to know that that the SWISS WATER® Process does not use chemicals to scrub their carbon filters.
However, I feel that you have misinterpreted my first question. I wanted to know how it is you can claim that the SWISS WATER® Process is “chemical-free” when it uses water and carbon, both of which are chemicals.
Your explanations are much appreciated.
Frank Swain

Hi Frank,
I’m glad you are now reassured. I’m curious to know why you are so adamant regarding the “chemical free” claim? The claim is our interpretation of our process since the other decaffeination methods use methylene chloride and ethyl acetate which are solvents. These are harsh chemicals compared to organic and natural water and carbon filters that the SWISS WATER Process uses to decaffeinate. Our process is certified organic by the OCIA.
Regards,
Nicole

Organic and natural water? I think Nicole is humouring me. In every sense of the word. Does she think I’m some kind of crank with too much free time?

Dear Nicole,
My position regarding the “100% chemical-free” claim of the SWISS WATER® Process is a sticking point because it is nonsense to suggest that water and carbon are somehow not chemicals because they are “natural”. Methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are solvents. So is water.
I don’t doubt that the SWISS WATER® Process is organic (which, truth be told, is based on an arbitrary notion, but not one we’ll get into right now). But while the organic label divides the world into “good” and “bad” chemicals, SWISS WATER has written water and carbon out of the periodic table altogether. So, to summarise, saying a certain chemical is “bad” is a matter of opinion. Claiming that water is not a chemical isn’t a matter of interpretation. It’s a misleading claim preying upon the public’s poor understanding of chemistry. Which leads me to ask: does SWISS WATER honestly believe water is not a chemical, or is it misleading consumers intentionally?
Your answers, as always, are much appreciated.
Frank

Well, Nicole hasn’t written back, which tends to happen when I make people face up to their bad science. It’s really tiring to have to spell it out so bluntly. Perhaps I’ll forward the email to someone at SWISS WATER who has a grasp of basic chemistry.
And before you write in, I know water isn’t in the periodic table. It’s a turn of phrase.

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