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

[JohnnyO]

On 5/22/2026 at 7:55 AM, JDoughty said:

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. 

I hate to break it to you bubba but Italy is the only country that uses the "S". According to the Mirriam Webster Dictionary the 'X" is widely used in the US and many other countries/cultures around the world. Added to that, the root words that come from Latin all have an "X" in it. Now I don't know what OED says as I haven't looked at one in a while.The 2 million Miami Cubans all prefer Bustelo and in Havana it's the same. I have drank all that boutique stuff and I don't see any benefit. I have drank expresso in many Latin American countries and they don't serve the Starbucks quality coffee you refer to. 

[JDoughty]

On 5/23/2026 at 9:58 AM, JohnnyO said:

I hate to break it to you bubba but Italy is the only country that uses the "S". According to the Mirriam Webster Dictionary the 'X" is widely used in the US and many other countries/cultures around the world. Added to that, the root words that come from Latin all have an "X" in it. Now I don't know what OED says as I haven't looked at one in a while.The 2 million Miami Cubans all prefer Bustelo and in Havana its the same. I have drank all that boutique stuff and I don't see any benefit. I have drank expresso in many Latin American countries and they don't serve the Starbucks quality coffee you refer to. 

[laficion]

Hi all, 

As I've said before, STARBUCKS is not coffee for us coffee lovers, it's a CANDY SHOP IN A SO CALLED COFFEE SHOP. Let's not mix the both.

Coffee is coffee, anything else is sugar and candy for a so called coffee.

Amicalement,

Guy

[Lucas Buck]

On 5/21/2026 at 8:08 AM, ImTripN2 said:

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.

There are many chemical-free decaf beans available. Swiss Water Process is the most common. 

[JohnnyO]

On 5/23/2026 at 12:44 PM, JDoughty said:

Is it Silofono or Xylophone?

Tassi or Taxi?

Clacson or Claxon?

Mejico or Mexico?

Tejas or Texas?

Havana or Habana?

I realize you are trying to educate BOTL's with your higher knowledge but think time passed you by. And to follow your logic I know nothing about driving a car because I have never driven a Lambo EV. Class dismissed. John

[CanuckSARTech]

What the hell is this. Same FOH?

Decaf coffee???? What, are ya pregnant??? (Only time it's even been in my house is when The Wife was Pregasaurus Rex those two times).

Decaf coffee - that's like nookie without the finish. What's the point????

  

Coffee (and that nookie thing) is the reason I haven't shot/throat punched/bouncer slapped/pile-driven more people in life...both are cheaper than therapy.

[CanuckSARTech]

Exxxxxxssssspresso.

Ooooooohhhh. LOL. Paging Mr. Frank, paging Mr. Frank...LOL.

(...I say it that way sometime to get his paesano blood boiling...)

[Puros Y Vino]

8 hours ago, CanuckSARTech said:

Exxxxxxssssspresso.

Ooooooohhhh. LOL. Paging Mr. Frank, paging Mr. Frank....LOL.

(...I say it that way sometime to get his paesano blood boiling...)

Yeah only found about the "X" vs "S" thing in Paris when they would correct me when ordering it. Every. Damn. Time. 🤨 As far as my knowledge of written Italian, X doesn't really come up often. IIRC a few letters are missing from the Italian alphabet as combo letters are used. "Ch" instead "J","K,"W" and "Y" are also not used.  

[Li Bai]

7 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Yeah only found about the "X" vs "S" thing in Paris when they would correct me when ordering it. Every. Damn. Time. 🤨

Can't say I'm surprised, some of our waiters seem to be waiting for the slightest mistake to correct customers, tourists or not.

I recall one dinner at a fairly nice restaurant with good mates 20 years ago, one of them picked up the wine just to be absolutely (yet somehow politely) smashed by the sommelier. 🤣😂😂

We still laugh about it today but just because the victim was that one friend that acts like he's an expert on all fields (don't we all have one 🤔), it was and still is hilarious because of that.

[MoeFOH]

And for the final word on this thread...

[JohnS]

Haha...don't forget the twist of lemon! 😂

[Namisgr11]

The discussion reminds me that I have a lot of things to appreciate in life this fine morning, and one is my completely caffeinated and freshly ground cup of Hawaiian from the Greenwell Farms.

My wife serves decaf after dinner when she hosts her book club, and while it may not measure up to the taste from the finest beans is still a perfectly acceptable evening accompaniment to dessert. Peet's coffee offers a variety of types of decaf for mail order, and locally we have well regarded roasters La Colombe, Elixr, and Rival who have decaf options I would trust.  If you have a few nearby, then supporting your local coffee sourcers and roasters is a great option.

[JDoughty]

On 5/21/2026 at 6:59 PM, MrBirdman said:

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

There's also this going on; they're working on breeding tobacco without nicotine. https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/200-year-old-puzzle-tobacco-plants-nicotine/

I imagine there will be some resistance and downright hostility towards the concept, as apparently there is here towards anyone who is passionate about coffee. I think that giving people more choices is always a good thing, and that people with medical conditions including cardiovascular health and pregnancy do deserve to continue enjoying their favorite things.

[MrBirdman]

3 hours ago, JDoughty said:

I think that giving people more choices is always a good thing, and that people with medical conditions including cardiovascular health and pregnancy do deserve to continue enjoying their favorite things.

I agree entirely. Even I sometimes like a cup of coffee after a big meal but I’m too sensitive to caffeine to go with regular if it’s after noon. A decaf that tasted just like the real McCoy would be most welcome. 

[westg]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYkKoMHyyJ9/?igsh=YXUyaTRid2xtOXds