A process for the decaffeination of green coffee beans by the extraction, process stage (a), of soaked green coffee beans with an equilibrium extract of coffee beans, from which extract caffeine has been removed, resulting in caffeine-deficient beans, which are recovered, and an equilibrium extract of the beans, which in a series of successive process stages (b), (c), (d) and (e), is contacted with an adsorbent circulating counter-currently through the same process steps, said adsorbent having a preferential adsorption capacity for caffeine. The equilibrium extract from stage (a) together with solution from stage (e) are contacted in stage (b) with adsorbent from stage (c) with adsorption of caffeine from the solution. The resulting solution is partly returned to stage (a), and partly, in stage (e), contacted with "clean" adsorbent from stage (d). The resulting "clean" solution is contacted, in stage (d) with adsorbent from stage (e) with desorption of caffeine from said adsorbent. The resulting caffeine-rich solution is partly recovered and partly, in stage (e), contacted with adsorbent from stage (b).