The Best Decaf Coffee Beans: reviews and buying tips
‘Decaf coffee; doesn’t that taste just awful?’ Well, not anymore.
With speciality coffee taking off in the last years, gone are the days of settling for foot sole tasting decaf options. Low-caf is now a much better option than it used to be, with reputable coffee brands such as the ones you’ll see below all producing high-quality, safely processed decaffeinated coffee beans.
And of course, buying regular coffee or whole beans and then grinding them yourself right before brewing makes a world of difference! We’ve reviewed the best decaffeinated coffees for you here, so you can brew your own jitter-free java.
At A Glance:
- Best Decaf Coffee Caravan Coffee El Carmen Sugarcane
- Great Value Neighbourhood Coffee I Can’t Get No Caffeination
- Best for Espresso Vero Coffee House Brazil Decaf
Top 9: Best Decaf Coffee
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Caravan Coffee El Carmen |
| CLICK TO CHECK PRICE |
 | Two Chimps How Many Llamas Did You Say Were In The Phonebox? |
| CLICK TO CHECK PRICE |
 | Pact Coffee Casa Loma |
| CLICK TO CHECK PRICE |
 | Clumsy Goat Peruvian Decaf |
| CLICK TO CHECK PRICE |
 | SORoast Decaf |
| CLICK TO CHECK PRICE |
 | Decadent Coffee Indonesia Sumatra |
| click to check price |
 | Neighbourhood Coffee I Can’t Get No Caffeination |
| Click to check price |
 | Vero Coffee House Brazil Decaf |
| Click to Check Price |
 | CRU Kafe Organic Coffee Pods |
| click to check price |
We’ve already told you about the best overall coffee beans, but we saved decaf for this list. After a lot of research on your behalf (you can thank me later) here are some great decaf coffee brands we’ve found. All these options have been Swiss water processed.
We’ve excluded chemically decaffeinated options, such as the Eight O’Clock Whole Bean Coffee, which is processed with methylene chloride – known in your local hardware store as ‘paint stripper’. It might be safe or it might not, but hey, why take the risk?
1. Caravan Coffee El Carmen – Best Decaf Coffee
Specification:
Roast: Medium
- Origin: Colombia
- Varietal: Caturra, Castillo
- Tasting Notes: Chocolate, caramel, nutty
Caravan Coffee has maintained a longstanding relationship with the El Carmen cooperative in Colombia, which allows them access to this impressive decaf. The co-op sources arabica beans of the Caturra and Castillo varieties from over 300 small farmers across the famous Huila growing area to make this flavourful brew.
It’s decaffeinated in country using the sugarcane process, which takes advantage of a byproduct of sugarcane fermentation to remove caffeine from the green beans. This is a nice option for sustainability as it removes waste from the chain and keeps more money in the local economy.
The resulting coffee tastes just as you’d expect from a high-end washed Colombian medium roast. You’d never guess it’s decaf. It’s clean and sweet, with low acidity and a heavy body. The dominant flavours are chocolate, caramel, and nuts, with an unusual buttery pastry note in the finish.
2. Two Chimps How Many Llamas Did You Say Were in the Phonebox? – Best Light Roast
Specification:
Roast: Light
- Origin: Ethiopia
- Varietal: Mixed arabica
- Tasting Notes: Peach, mandarin, gingerbread
If you’re anything like me, you want to try this decaf coffee for its name alone. But you can’t judge a coffee by its name any more than you can judge a book by it’s cover. So how does it taste? Just as interesting as its name, and I mean that in the most delicious way.
It’s rare for light roast coffee lovers to find a decaf that offers the subtle complexity they enjoy in caffeinated brews, but this coffee fits the bill. Originating at high altitude in Ethiopia, it’s a blend of heirloom arabica varietals found nowhere else in the world. After harvest, the beans are decaffeinated naturally using an organic sparkling water process.
The flavours are close to what you would expect from an Ethiopian coffee, but with perhaps a bit lower acidity than the typical caffeinated brew. It’s very fruity, with notes of peach and mandarin and a sweet gingerbread finish.
3. Pact Coffee Casa Loma – Best Medium Roast
Specification:
Roast: Medium
- Origin: Colombia
- Varietal: Castillo
- Tasting Notes: Dates, milk chocolate
For the perfect classic medium roast, look no further than the Pact Coffee Casa Loma Decaf. It’s everything a medium roast should be; it just happens to be without caffeine.
The washed processed Colombian beans have bold flavours of dates and milk chocolate, with a pronounced caramel sweetness and bright apple acidity. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy. This is a result of the arabica varietal chosen, Castillo. It’s famed for being disease resistant and, more importantly, for winning a number of national tasting competitions.
Like any good medium roast, this is a versatile decaf coffee you could drink all day long. It’s equally delicious as a filter brew, French press, or even a rich espresso.
4. Clumsy Goat Peruvian Decaf – Best Dark Roast
Specification:
Roast: Dark
- Origin: Peru
- Varietal: Caturra, Typica
- Tasting Notes: Chocolate, peanut, mild citrus fruit
Clumsy Goat Coffee stands out for their commitment to sustainable and ethical sourcing, and this holds true for their decaf coffee as much as any other.
In this case, the Fairtrade and Organic certified coffee beans are sourced from the Cenfrocafe Cooperative in Northern Peru, where the Fairtrade programme has brought significant economic benefit to the area. They are decaffeinated via the Swiss Water process, which many consider to be the gentlest and most natural way to remove caffeine without affecting flavour.
This is a dark roast decaf, with bold flavours of peanut and chocolate backed by mild citrus fruits. It’s low in acidity, which you’d expect from a dark roast, but it’s also very light in body, which is a bit more surprising. It’s delicious brewed with an Aeropress, or it makes a unique espresso.
5. SORoast Decaf – Best Blend
Specification:
Roast: Medium
- Origin: Ethiopia, Honduras
- Varietal: Catui
- Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, watermelon, raspberry
Very often, the best blends consist of just two origins, each working to enhance the characteristics of the other. This is certainly the case with this certified Organic decaf coffee blend combining beans from Ethiopia and Honduras. It has a complex flavour that exceeds either of the two as single origins.
The coffee beans are decaffeinated using the sparkling water process, which is gentle enough to leave those complex flavours intact.
You’ll taste the rich dark chocolate for which Honduran coffee is known, but thanks to the Ethiopian pairing, there is also plenty of sweet fruit character in the form of watermelon and raspberries. Scoring an impressive 83.75 out of 100 on the SCAA tasting scale, this coffee is well into speciality coffee territory.
6. Decadent Coffee Indonesia Sumatra – Best Single Origin
Specification:
Beans: Arabica
- Roast: Medium
- Origin: Single Origin
Decadent Coffee is the rare coffee company that actually specializes in decaf coffee, which is always a good sign when it comes to quality. All their expertise is focused on getting the caffeine out of the coffee beans and keeping the flavour in, and as a result, they’ve mastered it. They use the Swiss Water decaffeination process, a favourite among high-end roasters for being gentle and chemical-free.
Their single origin Indonesian Sumatra coffee is a fantastic example of Decadent’s skill, just as rich and earthy as its caffeinated counterparts. It even won a 2017 Great Taste Award.
The beans were grown in the Mandheling province of West Sumatra, known for strongly aromatic coffees with flavours of brown sugar and cocoa. It’s a full-bodied brew, as you’d expect from this origin, but with a smooth finish that doesn’t feel overpowering. It would be delicious as an espresso or French press.
7. Neighbourhood Coffee I can’t Get No Caffeination – Great Value
Specification:
Roast: Dark
- Origin: Colombia
- Varietal: Catuai, Castillo, Colombia
- Tasting Notes: Treacle, toffee-caramel, black cherry
There are plenty of ways to buy cheap decaf, but GOOD cheap decaf is a much harder fish to fry. If that’s what you’re after, we’ve tracked down this affordable, high-end decaf from Neighbourhood Coffee that will knock your socks off. This is a far cry from the ultra-cheap instant decafs of the past.
This Colombian single origin is so tasty, the roaster claims you won’t even know it’s decaf, and we’re inclined to agree. The dark roast gives it rich, bold flavours of treacle, toffee, caramel, and black cherry. It’s an exceptionally sweet brew that makes an impressive espresso but can equally be used as a filter brew, where it shines with a bit more fruit character.
8. Vero Coffee House Brazil Decaf – Best for Espresso
Specification:
Roast: Medium-Dark
- Origin: Brazil
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Tasting Notes: Hazelnuts, milk chocolate
While decaf espresso lovers don’t necessarily need to seek out an espresso roast to guarantee a delicious shot, it certainly doesn’t hurt. In this case, it’s clear that Lithuania-based Vero has prepared this coffee with espresso in mind, with the roast, flavour profile, and body all shining when prepared as a rich shot.
It’s a single origin medium-dark roast Brazilian coffee of the Bourbon varietal, which is popular among South American farmers for its pronounced sweetness. The brew is mild, smooth, and nicely balanced, with the rich and enticing flavours undiminished by the CO2 decaffeination process. You’ll taste sweet caramel, buttery hazelnut, and a lingering sugary aftertaste, which is fantastic as an espresso, macchiato, or latte.
9. CRU Kafe Organic Coffee Pods – Best Decaf Coffee Capsule
Specification:
Roast: Light
- Origin: Peru
- Varietal: Arabica
- Tasting Notes: Milk chocolate, biscuit, cashew
Not everyone has the time or equipment to brew fresh coffee every morning, and for those pressed for time, there’s nothing more convenient than a coffee capsule. These aluminium pods from CRU Kafe are hermetically sealed to keep the coffee at peak freshness, are fully recyclable, and are compatible with all Nespresso Original machines.
This decaf coffee is 100% arabica, sourced from Peru and certified Organic and Fairtrade. It comes from small farmers with which CRU Kafe maintains a close relationship, so they always get the best of the crop.
With this lighter roast decaf coffee, you’ll enjoy a surprisingly bright aroma of lime, while the flavours skew to richer notes of toasted cereals, cashews, and sweet chocolate and honey. It shines best as an espresso or lungo, rather than a milky drink, so you can appreciate the natural sweetness and clean, refreshing flavours.
Things You Should Look out for when choosing Decaffeinated coffee
If you’re not already a low-caf convert then you might wonder why you should give it a try. If you are, you may have noticed that most decaffeinated blends are Arabica based (robusta has more caffeine) so what’s the difference between them?
Choose the Swiss Water Method of Decaffeination
There are 4 methods of decaffeinating coffee – with the most popular today being the ‘Swiss water method’. It’s the most effective, and safest method used today. We cover these in detail in our guide: The truth about decaf coffee. Read it out if you really want to get into the science.
The Swiss Water Method (S.W.M. for short) of decaffeinating coffee is a certified organic process that naturally removes 99.9% of the caffeine, while keeping all of the flavours as unadulterated by the process as possible.
Here’s how the swiss water decaffenation process works:
Why Drink Decaf Coffee?
As many as 10% of us now buy reduced caffeine coffee. Why? Partly because some of us just like the coffee taste too much. Others like to drink a coffee after dinner – it’s such a nice ritual, hey? – but they’re wary of sleep problems. By the way, if you have any problems with heartburn, the low acidity of decaffeinated coffee might be a reason for trying it out.
As a life without coffee is too cruel to be imagined, if a decaf coffee can be a good compromise. Or if you want something a little weaker, go for some great tasting instant coffee.
Doesn’t It Taste Different?
It depends on the way the coffee has been decaffeinated. Water decaffeination doesn’t alter the flavour profile as much as solvent-based methods. Of course, any process that your coffee goes through changes the flavour to a certain extent, but it’s probably not as noticeable now as it was years ago (or for poor Ludwig).
Decaf Doesn’t Mean Nocaf
No process can remove all the caffeine from the coffee. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration requires 97% of the stimulant to be removed from the coffee before it can call itself decaffeinated. In a recent study, it was found that most of the brews tested contained as much as 10% of a regular cup of drip (1) .The standards are a little tighter in Europe, with EU regulations requiring more than 99.7% of the caffeine to be removed to be called decaffeinated.
If you’re caffeine sensitive, the best brew to choose is one that’s been decaffeinated using the SWMS as that is the most effective process, removing 99.9% of the caffeine.
THE VERDICT
Without further ado, for our money the best decaf coffee is the Caravan Coffee El Carmen Sugarcane. BUT we cannot finish this post without stressing how much we love Clumsy Goat coffee. So, let’s say we have two winners this time.
Your mileage may vary, of course. But one thing is certain; the days when decaffeinated was second-best are well and truly in the past. Enjoy your cup of coffee!
References
- Jennifer Warner. Decaf Coffee Isn’t Caffeine-Free. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061011/decaf-coffee-isnt-caffeine-free
