A good decaf tastes like coffee first and decaf second. The way to find one is to check three things on the bag: where the coffee comes from, how it was decaffeinated, and how it was roasted. Get those right and decaf stops being the compromise cup.
The short answer
- Look for a named origin. A single origin decaf, ideally speciality grade, starts from better coffee than an anonymous blend.
- Look for a named method. Sugar cane, Swiss Water and CO2 are the gentler methods, and a roaster who names theirs is usually proud of it.
- Look for a medium roast. It keeps the sweetness and body that make decaf satisfying, without roasting the character out.
Our own is San Lorenzo Decaf, a Colombian single origin. Seriously good decaf.
Why so much decaf tastes flat
Decaf has a reputation it does not deserve. Much of it starts life as low-grade commodity coffee, is decaffeinated with a harsh process, then roasted dark to cover the result. Every one of those steps takes flavour away, and by the time it reaches the cup there is not much coffee character left.
None of that is a property of decaf itself. Start with good green coffee, decaffeinate it gently and roast it with care, and you get a cup that is hard to tell apart from the regular version.
1. Start with the coffee, not the process
Decaffeination happens to green, unroasted beans, so the quality of the decaf can only be as good as the coffee that went in. A bag that names its country, region and producer is telling you somebody chose that coffee on purpose. Speciality grade decaf, scored 80 or above on the SCA scale, is still uncommon, which is exactly why it is worth looking for. There is more on what the score means in what is speciality coffee.
2. Check how it was decaffeinated
There are four main methods, and they differ in what they use to draw the caffeine out:
- Sugar cane (ethyl acetate): uses ethyl acetate derived from sugar cane, which bonds to caffeine and draws it out gently. Common for Colombian coffee, and known for keeping sweetness.
- Swiss Water: uses only water and activated charcoal.
- CO2: uses pressurised carbon dioxide.
- Methylene chloride: a solvent method, widely used for cheaper decaf.
The first three are the ones speciality roasters tend to choose. If a bag does not say how it was decaffeinated, it is worth asking why. Our full guide to how decaf coffee is made goes through each method in detail.
3. Choose the roast for the cup you want
Decaf beans have been through an extra process before they reach the roaster, so they need a lighter touch. A medium roast is the sweet spot for most people: enough development for chocolate and caramel sweetness and a satisfying body, without the bitterness a very dark roast adds. Our guide to roast levels explains the difference.
4. Buy whole bean if you grind, and a bag size you will finish
Like any coffee, decaf loses aroma once it is ground and once the bag is open. If you have a grinder, whole beans keep their character longest. If not, choose the grind that matches how you brew. Most decaf drinkers get through coffee more slowly than they did before switching, so a 227g bag is often a better fit than a 1kg bag. If you drink decaf every day, a subscription keeps it arriving on your schedule.
Does decaf have caffeine in it?
A little. Decaffeination removes almost all of the caffeine, but not every last trace, so decaf is very low in caffeine rather than caffeine free. Our guide to how much caffeine is in coffee has the figures side by side.
How we chose San Lorenzo
Decaf done properly. San Lorenzo comes from smallholder farmers of the San Lorenzo indigenous community in Rio Sucio, Caldas, Colombia, grown at around 1,600 metres. It is speciality grade, scored SCA 84+, washed, then decaffeinated with the sugar cane method before it reaches our roastery, where we roast it medium.
In the cup: raspberry and cherry at the start, then smooth chocolate and almond fudge. Acidity is gentle, the body is satisfying and the sweetness sits high, which makes it a decaf that holds its own with milk.
How to brew it
- Cafetiere: 30g of coarse ground coffee to 500ml of water at 95°C, steeped for four minutes. Our four-minute cafetiere method has the full steps.
- Espresso: 18g in, 36 to 38g out, in 25 to 30 seconds at 93°C. It makes an excellent evening flat white.
San Lorenzo comes as whole beans, cafetiere grind or espresso grind, in 227g and 1kg bags. See our decaf coffee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best decaf coffee?
The best decaf starts with good coffee: a named, ideally speciality grade origin, decaffeinated with a gentle method such as sugar cane, Swiss Water or CO2, and roasted medium so it keeps its sweetness and body.
Why does some decaf taste bad?
Usually because it started as low-grade coffee, went through a harsh decaffeination process and was roasted dark to hide the result. Good decaf avoids all three.
Is sugar cane decaf good?
Yes. The sugar cane method uses ethyl acetate derived from sugar cane to draw caffeine out gently, and it is known for keeping a coffee's natural sweetness. It is the method used for our San Lorenzo Decaf.
Is decaf completely caffeine free?
No. Decaffeination removes almost all of the caffeine, so decaf is very low in caffeine rather than caffeine free.
Should I buy decaf as whole beans or ground?
Whole beans if you have a grinder, because they keep their aroma longest. Otherwise choose the grind that matches how you brew, and a bag size you will finish.
What roast is best for decaf?
A medium roast suits most decaf. It brings out chocolate and caramel sweetness and a satisfying body without the bitterness of a very dark roast.
