Decaf Coffee... how good or bad is it?

[MoeFOH]

Advice needed. Talking whole beans here. 

Now, I love coffee but have recently cut way back on caffeine and temporarily quit the dark master. And the improvement on how I feel is actually quite astonishing.  So I obviously want to retain this. 

That said, a life without coffee also blows. 

I've been considering two paths to get back on the horse: 1. just cut way way back on my regular coffee routine. Or 2. go the decaf route, but I've literally never tried decaf in any form. 

So, questions are, is anyone out there on a decaf regime with whole beans and loving it? How much difference do you notice? What's your experience in general?... i.e. the good, the bad, the ugly... which route would you suggest I take? 

Any advice appreciated. Over to you 

[Ford2112]

Real men don't drink decaf. Other than that I have nothing to add. 

[MoeFOH]

30 minutes ago, Ford2112 said:

Real men don't drink decaf. Other than that I have nothing to add. 

Haha… brutal. But fair. The notion is an abomination to me, to be honest, but I’ve never tried the sh*t so thought it was worth asking the question. I’ll let you get back to your Marlboro’s, Bob. 

[JDoughty]

Highly recommend this one. https://store.driftaway.coffee/products/colombia-el-novado-del-huila-decaf?_pos=1&_fid=2bdd82bb5&_ss=c&variant=44400318709853  If I want a coffee later in the evening to accompany a cigar or dessert after a late dinner, this one is a winner. Genuinely rich, deep flavors with real complexity. A worthy cup. 

If you aren't in a country where shipping from the US would be easy, lmk which country and I'll go poke my international USCC folks for their top suggestions. I believe one decaf placed very highly in either Barista or Brewer's Cup championships in the last few years, competing with full octane beans and winning. 

[MoeFOH]

7 minutes ago, JDoughty said:

If you aren't in a country where shipping from the US would be easy, lmk which country and I'll go poke my international USCC folks for their top suggestions.

I'm in Aus. Appreciate it if it's no bother. That said, there are plenty of good retailers here that I trust, just had no idea in general how the caffeine-free compared to full octane. Cheers for the advice! 

[Dadof3]

There has to be a decent decaf out there. I will add that I don’t think decaf coffee is caffeine free. 

[JDoughty]

Ona is pretty legendary on the competition circuit. https://onacoffee.com.au/products/unwind?variant=40126256251071

Proud Mary is also legendary in the coffee community and has a decaf. https://www.proudmarycoffee.com.au/products/colombia-popayan-reserve-caturra-castillo-espresso-decaf

Both of these roasters are active on the world coffee championship circuit and are putting out some impressive products. 

 

[MoeFOH]

7 hours ago, Dadof3 said:

I will add that I don’t think decaf coffee is caffeine free. 

Good call. Highlights how little I know about the stuff. 

Title etc changed. 

[JDoughty]

The folks at Coffee Alchemy are also worthy as serious coffee curators: https://coffeealchemy.com.au/collections/coffee-beans 

And this is the decaf that won the World Brewer's Cup in 2024 against literally every other coffee in the world. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2024/03/decaf-us-brewers-cup-specialty-coffee/ Another competitor placed third in 2020 with a decaf. https://www.swisswater.com/blogs/sw/the-worlds-most-expensive-decaf

In short, the modern processes of decaffeination are getting sophisticated enough that their end results really can compete against the best coffees in the world, on the world stage. Decaf does not have to suck any more. This is not to say that the vast majority of decaf as well as regular coffee doesn't suck. It does. Don't subject yourself to that stuff. There are enough serious third wave coffee spots now that you don't have to. 

[JDoughty]

The folks on the USCC Discord keep chiming in with more suggestions. I was told to recommend this from Offshoot as well: https://www.offshootcoffee.com.au/products/popayan-decaf-colombia-espresso 

[Ford2112]

You could always just go half caf. 

[JDoughty]

1 hour ago, Dadof3 said:

There has to be a decent decaf out there.  I will add that I don’t think decaf coffee is caffeine free. 

International standard is 97% removal with no more than 2-5mg per cup remaining. And yes, there are some absolutely fantastic decafs out there. Modern decaf processes are quite good. You will pay eye watering prices for them, just as you will for any other fancy varietals from the high end producers. 

[BrightonCorgi]

If I go to a Starbucks or the similar I order half decaf. Coffee beyond first thing in the morning doesn't always sit well. I find the half decaf is a good balance.

[joeypots]

I'll take a little decaffeinated coffee with a evening desert but I'd rather drink tea when I don't want too much caffeine. 

I leave the room if decaffeinated coffee ice cream is served. Maybe the neighborhood.

[ImTripN2]

These are the most common solvents used in modern solvent‑based decaffeination. 

Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) or Ethyl acetate.

Just sayin'...I used to work near a major coffee processor, the stink from the decaffeinating process was unbearable.

[JDoughty]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

If I go to a Starbucks or the similar I order half decaf. Coffee beyond first thing in the morning doesn't always sit well. I find the half decaf is a good balance.

Drinking Starbucks is kind of like smoking Philly Blunts. Easy to come by and it'll do the job, but there's a whole world of real cigars with actual flavor that are well worth discovering. 

[JohnnyO]

In the Miami area the top expresso sellers (Llave, Pilon, Bustelo) make decaf. I have only tried the LLave ground and it is fine. It just doesn't have the oomph! But we drink it from time to time in the evenings when its too late for the high octane. I don't know about whole bean but I imagine it's there. John

[Ruggerpgh99]

I love coffee, but had to cut back due to caffeine, and I switched to mud/wtr - which is a "mushroom coffee". There are plenty of different brands of this substance out there. Its not, a replacement, but it does the trick for me. 

[El Niño]

I had a decaf coffee from a friend who had a small roasting business for a while. It was actually my favorite blend of hers. I am 100% positive that fantastic decaf exists, but I sadly can't name anyone making it.

[JDoughty]

16 minutes ago, El Niño said:

I had a decaf coffee from a friend who had a small roasting business for a while. It was actually my favorite blend of hers. I am 100% positive that fantastic decaf exists, but I sadly can't name anyone making it.

Go to the link in my first reply for some off the chain good decaf you can order. Closer to you, try Mad Priest's offering https://madpriestcoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/decaf-colombia  or https://www.8thandroast.com/collections/decaf-coffee/products/easy-does-it  I have tasted neither, but both have solid credentials. 

[mikejh]

I try to drink mostly decaf, it seems like the last few years there are many more quality decaf options.

[JDoughty]

8 hours ago, JohnnyO said:

In the Miami area the top expresso sellers (Llave, Pilon, Bustelo) make decaf. I have only tried the LLave ground and it is fine. It just doesn't have the oomph! But we drink it from time to time in the evenings when its too late for the high octane. I don't know about whole bean but I imagine it's there. John

No "x" in espresso. All of those commercial sellers you mention are mass low end producers. The thing with mass produced coffee, where a single consistent batch must produce a huge amount to serve gas stations, grocery stores, big commercial chains like Starbucks, etc, is that there is no such thing as this level of volume in any output from any coffee growing farm or region. The only way to standardize batches this large is to purchase relatively flavor neutral beans and rely on a heavy handed roast profile, or in some cases even "steam cleaning" the coffee to remove specific flavor profiles and defects and standardize the output for consistent mass production. This is most often done with robusta beans for mass production and cases where the steaming is followed by an addition of flavor. It is less often done with arabica, but it is done on the lower end.

Consider the reason they put brown paper wrappers on gas station cigars made of cheap processed fillers. There is simply not enough wrapper leaf grown in any region to make a million Swisher Sweets or Philly Blunts. Not enough real binder and filler either. The exact same production issues exist in coffee. Coffees from a particular growing region processed in a particular way by a farming cooperative have unique flavor profiles which can be really outstanding. There will never, ever be enough of any one of them to supply a multinational chain for consistent mass production. You can buy a fantastic single origin Columbia Gesha varietal, yeast inoculated thermal shock process, and the tasting notes are as deep and complex as any wine, bourbon or cigar. What you can't do is have enough of this coffee to supply Starbucks, or whoever is making those wretched cans and pre-ground cups that have approximately the flavor of a used ashtray filtered through gym socks. And those big companies cannot put out a highly variable product, so they are buying the lowest common denominator coffee and roasting it within an inch of its life or steam cleaning the beans to neutrality or both. 

Really good coffee including decaf does exist, and I mean good at the same level as a 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or limited release cask strength bourbon, and similarly finite in quantity. You will not find it in any supermarket or large chain. When you do find it, it will not be cheap. But it will absolutely be worth it. If all you have ever tasted of coffee is a Starbucks or McDonald's or Keurig or a can you bought at the grocery store, you literally have not tasted coffee. You're in the same boat as the person who has never smoked anything but a gas station cigar. The quality difference is very much comparable. 

[westg]

😳

[MrBirdman]

Research is ongoing to develop arabica coffee beans that are naturally decaffeinated. Latest info is from 2023 but the commercial release - if successful - was always a good way off. I suspect we’ll see it on shelves in the next 5-10 years. No idea whether it’ll taste any good. Here’s hoping they succeed!

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jun/17/researchers-one-step-closer-to-growing-decaffeinated-coffee-beans

[CaptainQuintero]

  One of my favourite drinks is iced coffee, and caffeine doesn't like my heart (or the other way round!), so being 90% milk the coffee quality doesn't seem to matter too much. I usually grab whichever Lavazza or Nescafé Azera is on sale and if I do make a quick hot one I've found that they're totally fine. 

  That being said I've never chased caffeine so it's not something I notice being missing either.