fbq('trackCustom', 'view_shop_coffee'); var trackEvent = 'shop_coffee'; It is not a secret, a little of everything…
Sasha Pavlovich is a coffee expert with years of experience as a barista, and she knows quite a bit about caffeine and coffee. She manually curates every single page on CaffeineStats.com to make sure that you are getting the right information at your fingertips.
Sasha's expertise is backed by a strong foundation of credentials. She is a certified Coffee Roast Master, specializes in Green Coffee Analytics, and is a certified Sensory Cup Taster.
Decaf doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it sometimes suffers from coffee purists, whose chief complaint seems to target the processes used to neutralize the amount of caffeine in a batch of coffee. Nowadays, safe and effective decaffeination practices mean we can break free from the caffeine buzz and enjoy coffee at our own pace.
Most people drink coffee for two reasons: they like the taste, and they like the boost of energy they get from the caffeine kick in every cup. So intertwined are these reasons for buying, making and drinking coffee that it fuels the entire industry. Not only does the idea of decaf coffee seem pointless, it’s often downright degraded by a significant number of coffee-lovers.
These decaf-naysayers are just posturing, however. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with enjoying a caffeine free coffee. In fact, caffeine free coffee is the only way some coffee aficionados can enjoy their favorite drink.
Chief among the reasons why people choose decaf are health-related conditions that can be worsened by regular caffeine intake. If you have a heart problem, for example, you may need to be extra cautious about your exposure to stimulants like caffeine.
Others have more casual reasons for their decaf preference. Many people just want to enjoy the same comfort and flavor they love from their morning cup of coffee, but at night — and without the risk of losing beauty sleep.
These days, it’s just good manners to let folks enjoy their coffee as they please. If you’ve been waiting to make a switch to decaf for some or all of your daily coffee intake, don’t let the fear of being shamed for liking a “lesser” form of coffee keep you from living your best decaf coffee life!
Before scientists could understand how to decaffeinate coffee, they had to understand how to isolate it as a compound, first. However, nobody set out to decaffeinate coffee from the start — the experiments that led to the isolation of the caffeine compound in coffee were used to compare it to belladonna extract.
Even when decaffeination was finally achieved, it was done by pure accident — a shipment of coffee beans became soaked with ocean water. Although most of the caffeine was leached from the beans, the flavor remain unchanged! Eureka!
The earliest commercially viable decaffeination methods used solvents like benzene, which were later classified carcinogenic. Now, coffee can be decaffeinated a few different ways.
Most methods still use a solvent-based decaffeination process, though with food-grade, human-safe solvents. It can be difficult to measure the exact percentage of decaffeination, so always assume there’s still a little caffeine left in the bean no matter what process is used. It’s not uncommon for some enthusiasts to criticize the point of decaffeinating coffee, asking is decaf coffee really decaf if some remains?
Unless you’re cracking open an antique can of old fashioned decaf coffee, you’re not likely to run into any safety issues with regards to carcinogenic solvents. Still, some people like to avoid foods that undergo extra process steps like decaffeination.
As you just saw in the last section, you’re better off assuming all decaffeinated coffee still has some caffeine leftover, no matter what. If your doctor tells you that you must give up all caffeine, every last drop, then your typical bag of decaf from the store will probably need to stay there.
For matters of taste, it’s all subjective, right? Well, it was pretty universally agreed upon that for its earliest inceptions, the flavor of decaffeinated coffee was demonstrably subpar to “regular” coffee. This is despite all claims that the decaffeination process did not alter the flavor of the coffee.
It may have been a trick of the mind, however, considering how intertwined the love of coffee’s jolt is with its flavor. Modern decaf brands manage to balance safe, effective decaffeination processes with maintaining the flavor profiles enthusiasts love the most.
So, How to Choose Decaffeinated Coffee?
If you’re trying to find the best decaf coffee, you might be surprised by the sheer variety. Specialty coffee roasters realized that not every java lover wants to be wired. Now you can find single-origin and blends from every corner of the globe.
So how do you decide which bag to try? Here we’ll lay out a few things to think about when you’re buying your next bag of decaf beans.
Coffee beans contain over 1,000 different chemical compounds. These compounds create the complexities of coffee’s flavor and aroma.
It’s pretty much impossible to extract only a single chemical. Researchers developed methods to better target the caffeine molecule while leaving flavor compounds intact. But a decaffeinated coffee bean will have different characteristics than an untreated bean.
The decaffeination process takes place before the coffee is roasted. It’s not simple or easy. The green beans go to specialty companies to extract the caffeine.
The three methods to decaffeinate coffee are solvent-based, Swiss Water Process, and carbon dioxide. The newest of these methods is carbon dioxide. This method needs around 1,000 psi to extract the caffeine. It’s an expensive process to undertake. It’s mainly used for large-scale commercial coffees.
The first method people developed to decaffeinate coffee used solvents. Some of these solvents were carcinogenic. Companies don’t use those harmful chemicals anymore. Today’s chemical decaffeination process is safe. They use solvents either directly or indirectly. When used indirectly, virtually no solvent remains in the coffee bean.
The most common process for decaffeinating specialty coffee is the Swiss Water Process. It uses a series of water baths to extract the caffeine. It’s a lengthy process. The final product has almost all of the original compounds.
Here’s the deal. If you want a decaf that tastes like its fully-charged counterpart, then you’re best to stick with darker roasts. Dark roasts are great for many brewing methods, including decaf espresso
A lighter roast gets much of its flavor from the original bean. The decaffeinated beans won’t have the exact same chemical makeup as the original bean. As a result, they will have a slightly different taste. Not necessarily bad. Just different.
Much of the flavor from a darker roast develops during the roasting process. Therefore, the resulting brew will taste nearly identical to its potent counterpart.
But getting the perfect caramelization isn’t easy. When it comes to roasting, not all beans are created equal. Add to that, decaffeinated beans react differently during the roasting process than regular beans. You have to have a skilled artisan to get perfectly roasted decaf coffee.
The bottom line is, when buying decaf coffee, go with a company that knows their stuff when it comes to roasting beans.
In general, you’ll find decaf as a blend. There’s nowhere to hide in a single-origin coffee. A single origin is more likely to highlight the differences between caffeinated and decaffeinated beans. With a blend, the roaster carefully selects the beans to create a pleasing flavor profile that matches a caffeinated blend.
But you will find single-origin decafs. Most likely, these are darker roasts. So, if you must have, say, a Sumatra coffee, a dark roast decaf should be a very enjoyable beverage.
One thing to know about decaf coffee is that it retains all the health benefits of regular coffee. These benefits include increased longevity and a lower risk of cancer or other chronic illnesses.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring chemical in coffee. It’s in lots of other food and drinks, such as tea and chocolate. In moderation, caffeine has a number of health benefits. But in excess, caffeine can have harmful side effects. These include anxiety, insomnia, diarrhea, excess sweating, racing heartbeat, and muscle tremors. In our stressful world, it’s no wonder more and more Americans are turning to decaf.
According to the FDA, healthy adults can have up to 400mg of caffeine a day. That’s about four or five cups.
A typical cup of decaf has between 2 and 15mg. Even if you drink a pot of coffee a day, you’ll be well within these guidelines. But remember that many people are more sensitive than that. Be sure to pay attention to your body (and your doctor) when considering how much caffeine is too much.
If you get an upset stomach after drinking coffee, you may blame the oils or acidity. That may be the case. But the truth is, caffeine itself can cause tummy trouble. Studies revealed that decaffeinated coffee can significantly reduce reflux when compared to fully leaded coffee. If you’re a coffee drinker who has trouble with heartburn or acid reflux, you may want to try decaf.
While not really a health benefit, many people prefer decaf because it is less bitter. Pure caffeine is a white powder that is very bitter. You might be wary of trying new coffees because you don’t like the bitterness. If that’s you, experimenting with different varieties of decaf may open a whole new world.
From this list, you can see we have a few clear favorites and some others we include as honorable mentions. Your reasons for choosing a particular brand of low caffeine coffee may center on the flavor descriptions, or they may hinge on the origin of the beans in the blend.
In our opinion, the best decaf is Lifeboost. Their whole focus is on creating healthy coffee. If you’re drinking decaf for health reasons, it makes sense to go with Lifeboost. In all aspects of coffee production, from bean to beverage, Lifeboost never uses chemicals to adulterate the coffee. Another advantage is its sheer number of decaf coffees. You’ll also find a range of flavored decafs that you can choose as the seasons change.
Runner Up is Volcanica House Blend Decaf Coffee. They are a trusted roaster you can rely on. Their decaf House Blend was crafted to give you a satisfying cup you can enjoy any time, day or night.
Another solid choice is Stumptown’s Trapper Creek organic decaf coffee. It’s a trusted brand that pushes the envelope when it comes to setting standards in the coffee industry. It’s no surprise Stumptown puts out a quality decaf option. The company maintains the integrity of its high-quality raw coffee beans by only treating them to the all-organic Swiss Water decaffeination process.
In the end, if you’re looking at decaf, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find. This list has plenty of options if you want to reduce your overall caffeine intake. Even if you still need that boost in the morning, you still might want to pick up a bag of decaf. It lets you enjoy your favorite beverage even late in the evening and still get a good night’s sleep.
Note for UK coffee lovers: Looking for Best Decaf Coffee Brands in the UK? Here is a good selection of UK Decaf Coffees.
We’re confident our list of the best tasting decaf coffee brands has your next favorite on there, just waiting for you to discover it!
