this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2026
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Coffee

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Decaf beans (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 days ago by BurntWits@sh.itjust.works to c/coffee@lemmy.world
28 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

How does this community feel about decaf? And are there any really good decaf options at your local roaster or roaster of choice? I’m personally a big fan of decaf for a dessert latte in the evening. Unfortunately I’m still trying to find a really good decaf bean, but this one is good for a really dark roast, which is my preference for espresso.

I like Hoffmann’s stance on decaf personally. His thought is the “death before decaf” folks aren’t really into coffee as much, because they’re admitting they’re just into it for the caffeine, and those who drink decaf are willing to drink often times bad coffee (since most places don’t treat decaf with the same respect as regular) just to have a cup of coffee since they love it so much.

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[–] kata1yst@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

For medical reasons I can only drink decaf for years now.

TL;DR I have found Frequent Coffee to be a true "decaf specialty" coffee. Really amazing flavors. S&W Roasting also gets some great ones sometimes, though they're more hit and miss.

Hoffman did as much an apples to apples comparison of decaf processes as is possible. I did the same tasting blind and agree with his ranking: EA / Cane processed is best for flavor preservation, followed by CO2, with muddy dusty swiss water in dead last.

The biggest problem with EA is the available beans are nearly all the same Columbia/Huila beans. Very little variety. Sometimes they'll do a little bit of a Mexican bean, and sometimes they'll get "exotic" stuff like a fermentation batch (Frequent and S&W are really good about snapping these up quickly).

It is really disheartening to see Swiss water used by so many specialty roasters I love, but usually it's a choice their bean suppliers are making for them. The company that does Swiss water processing has the African and South American been suppliers cornered with partnership deals.

I'll also sometimes go with a local roaster or a big name like Ceremony or Merit using EA processes to liven things up.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Very informative, thank you! Frequent Coffee looks quite nice, but I don’t like buying from American companies so I’ll try to find a comparable one in Canada. My current favourite roaster, Hatch, does offer a decaf bean so I may try that first, but I’d like to find someone that specifically does decaf in Canada.

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

If you find a Canadian alternative, I'd love to hear more about it!

[–] kata1yst@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh Hatch is fabulous! I used to order from them often before all the tariff bullshit. You'll be happy with them.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

I only recently discovered them but I’m sorta hooked on them now. I definitely want to try all their offerings. Unfortunately they’re just a bit too far away for me to drive to them, so I have to get them shipped, which is not my preference, but from what I’ve tasted it seems to be worth it. My local grocery store does also sell their beans for about $2 cheaper, but they’re not as fresh usually. I did get lucky once though and found some that were less than two weeks old, but since then everything’s been at least two months old. I do still keep an eye out though every time I get groceries.

[–] Capsaicin1337@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There are roasters that really treat decaf well. My favourite one actually does 5 different decafs right now

https://www.goodkarmacoffee.de/c/shop/kaffee/koffeinfreier-kaffee

I don't know if they are prohibitively expensive for you because of sgipping, but give them a try. They do really great stuff.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Those look quite promising, but shipping will be a bit steep. I’ll still consider them in the future, though. Thanks for the link.

[–] iconherder@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I love coffee but had to switch to mostly decaf a long time ago due to caffeine sensitivity.

I’ve tried lots of different decafs and for awhile Peet’s was a go-to for me. I switched to a local roaster a few years ago and I’ve been happy with the results.

I still notice a difference in the decaf blends, but it’s good coffee and it’s working for me.

[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 3 points 2 days ago

I drink decaf almost daily because I LOVE a cup of coffee. But I also take meds for my adhd and they don't mix too well.

[–] matelt@feddit.uk 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm annoyingly sensitive to caffeine (any caffeine intake after midday means I won't be sleeping until 3am). So I took part in James Hoffman's big decaf taste test a few years ago and you'd be surprised how different decaffeination methods tasted! I'll have to dig out my notes but there was one I remember that made the coffee taste like soil.

Try to do your own comparison if you can, but decaf doesn't have to be bad.

[–] mrfriki@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Oh, I saw that video not too long ago :)

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I drink decaf every day. I'm drinking black decaf right now! Probably the purest sign of "I just like coffee" lol

I'll drink caffeinated when I have to drive 2+ hours, if I really need to focus on a task, if I'm traveling and need to stay awake, etc. I try not to drink it every day to avoid getting dependent/resistant to it.

My local roaster has a decent whole bean decaf, and I have a good coffee shop scene in town. Pretty lucky I guess ☕

[–] mrfriki@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

May I ask how decaf flavor is compared to equivalent caffeinated beans? Is there much of a difference? The only decaf I tasted is a sample of Lavazza decaf that came with my espresso machine and it tasted horrible but I assume is the brand since the regular Lavazza beans also tasted awful.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

I’m not as educated as some folks here but in my experience, most places just don’t treat decaf with the same respect as regular, both roasters and cafés. It seems to be a bit of a snowball effect, where people don’t get decaf as much so the café doesn’t have as fresh of decaf beans, which makes people less likely to order them, so they’re even less fresh, and so on and so on, and then that in turn affects people’s perception of decaf, making them less popular to order from roasters, which then don’t prioritize it as much. There seem to be some places that really focus on decaf though, which is great to see. In my experience, most decaf tend to taste notably worse than their regular counterparts. Usually less clarity of flavour. The current top comment on this post explains it quite well though, I’d recommend reading that to get a better idea.

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I have found two suppliers of decaf whole bean coffees I like. Magnolia coffee co has a brazil decaf swiss water process and a decaf colombia sugar cane process. I also like Counter Culture Slow Motion. These are all medium roast.

I actually use a blend of half decaf beans and half Jagshead Coffee Roasters Torogoz blend for my daily latte. I find that full caffeine makes my heartburn worse. I like medium-light roasts though so these options might not line up with your tastes.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

I tend to like a dark, oily, traditionally Italian style roast for espresso, but like a more modern, light to medium, fruity roast for pour over. I’ll take a look at those you mentioned.

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

+1 for Counter Culture Slow Motion!

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Decaf is the only way I have a chance to have more than a single cup of coffee a day anymore. My body just can’t handle the caffeine anymore. I’ve even had to decrease the size of my single cup a day.

Good decaf is a struggle for me to find and when I have it’s carried a premium even over already pricey coffee.

I guess what I’m saying is I’d like to drink good decaf but I may just be too cheap to chase the good stuff.

[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

I've never had a good decaf, but I don't try them much, so I have no suggestions, sorry.

I love coffee, but I'm not one to choke down bad coffee because of some need for it. I dont think I love anything so much that I ever want the bad versions of it. Beer is a good example, I will turn down bud, coors, miller, I just don't desire to drink it. I would rather have a good one, or none at all. I try not to be snobbish though and will make an excuse that I'm not in the mood. I love good cheese but American is never worth it. The list goes on, and a lot of it comes from seeking out quality as I get older. Its hard to go back once you've had the good stuff.

That said, there have been times where a coffee is offered after dinner and I turn it down because I need to sleep, but I do want to drink it. If there is a good decaf that sounds like a perfect reason to have it around. I'm not above exploring that option.

[–] Vibi@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 days ago

My roaster of choice unfortunately doesn't offer any decaf options 😞 I've had to start spacing my caffeinated coffee mornings since my adhd meds don't really mesh well with caffeine. I started exploring decaf a couple months ago, mainly from whatever was on the grocery store shelf; everything I had tried was very uninteresting. I recently looked into specialty roasters that offered beans around the level I was used to and am currently going through a bag from Luminous Coffee. It's definitely much more flavorful and far more interesting than any mass produced beans I've picked up from the grocery store, but also very different. It has a particular taste that I'm thinking is part of the decaffeination process they use. I have my eyes on a few decaf options from Black & White Coffee Roasters that I'm going to try next.

[–] jakemehoff11@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Fresh Roasted Coffee makes several tasty decaf and half-caf varieties. There's a decaf dark Sumatra variety that I've made many a late night espresso out of with great results. It comes and goes, though.

I've tried several of the lighter decafs since I have a friend who's all but allergic to caffeine, but he loves coffee; and of those, the Ethiopia is my favorite.

If you don't mind shelling out, there's a variety pack with 12 samples of various decafs here

[–] __Lost__@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

That's the store I've been buying from the last year or two. The one i liked best is called Black Knight, but I've tried a few of their others and they're all much better than what i can get locally.

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I would love a coffee in the evenings but I haven't found a good decaf bean that I like (yet 🤞)

I wish there was a "bulk barn" style coffee bean shop where you could get small batch samples to try. A fantasy, for sure, as I know it's not economical.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I would love a shop like that. I’d be there all the time.

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Same!

[–] JakeSparkleChicken@retrolemmy.com 2 points 3 days ago

I'm getting ready to make my late night flat white with Two Brothers Radiance Decaf. They're a local roastery I've been checking out recently, and I really like them! Aside from the Radiance decaf, I've also tried their Brewhouse Dark, which was exquisite, and I have a bag of Morning Drive ready to try soon.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

ARROOOOOOOO!

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination#Swiss_Water

Because GCE is saturated with the other water-soluble components of green coffee, only the caffeine molecules migrate to the GCE; the other water-soluble coffee elements are retained in the green coffee. The newly caffeine-rich GCE solution is then passed through the activated carbon filters to remove the caffeine again, and the process is repeated.

IDK. I don't particularly care what other people do with their pasttimes or pleasures. I enjoy and alcohol free beer every now and then, and if someone needs to avoid caffeine and wants to drink coffee, go for it.