10 Best Decaf Coffee Blends (Review) In 2021

We’ve looked at the best decaf coffee beans to start out your morning with, but now it’s time to delve deep into the subject matter. Decaf coffee has a lot of misinformation hovering around it, and we’re here to not only discuss the facts of decaf coffee, but to also make you more knowledgeable during your purchase process. It’s hard to find good decaf coffee; this makes it infinitely easier.

Q: What Are the Decaffeinating Methods Currently in Practice?

A: There are a total of four different methods currently in place to take the caffeination out of coffee. No two methods are equal; Swiss water process decaf coffee is superior not only in flavor, but also in maintaining nutritional value. Let’s explain the four of them so you can be in-the-know.

• Direct Solvent Decaffeination: We’re talking about this and indirect solvent decaffeination first, because they’re arguably the most ineffective ways of decaffeinating coffee, and subject your beans and grinds to retaining chemicals. They begin by steaming the beans to open everything up, but then washing them in methylene chloride for hours on end (sometimes as long as twelve hours). They drain the chemicals afterwards and steam the beans again, but it’s far from natural.
• Indirect Solvent Decaffeination: Similar to the previous method, the beans are steamed, boiled for roughly six hours, and then washed for the same amount of time with either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. This is referred to as the European method, so if you see this on decaf beans, they’re using it as a measure to make it seem ritzy and expensive.
• CO2 Process: There’s something called alkaloid in your coffee beans, and using CO2 will remove it from those beans. This is the most recent and mass-produced method, where massive pressure is applied to coffee beans submerged in CO2. It only affects the alkaloid and nothing else, so it’s seen as a much safer way than direct or indirect solvents.
• Swiss Water Process: The superior method of decaffeinating your coffee. This process uses osmosis and water solubility to decaffeinate coffee. It can sometimes mean that there’s still a 4-7% caffeine content (more on this later) in your coffee, but doesn’t use direct or indirect methods of chemical intervention, and we always want to keep our food and beverages as natural as possible.

Q: What Are Some Decaf Coffee Benefits?

A: Decaffeinated coffee beans get a bad rep for flavor, but when you know how to prepare it right, you’re still reaping just about all the benefits of regular fully caffeinated coffee. The best tasting decaf coffee comes from the Swiss water method, as mentioned in the previous section, and maintains the full body without stripping arabica beans of their flavor and nutritional benefits. Decaf coffee can help to:

• Lower Risks for Diabetes: Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee share this attribute. Thanks to high contents of chlorogenic acid, you’re able to regulate and metabolize glucose easier. This means less work for your liver, which can help deter symptoms and negative effects that are risk factors for, or direct symptoms of diabetes.
• Safeguard Your Liver: Quite simply put, there’s an antioxidant found in most decaf coffees that help protect your liver by detoxing what goes into, and comes out of your liver’s natural process. In harsh decaffeination methods, this effect can be removed entirely, which is why it’s best to stick with Swiss water methods only.
• Increase Cardiovascular Related Health: Perhaps the number one thing that coffee in general does for you, is increase cardio health. This is something that will always be lessened through the decaffeination process, because you’re still stripping some of the natural oils from the coffee bean when it undergoes this process, but it still has a slight impact. Basically, it means you can have four cups of decaf in a day without the risk of high blood pressure, and improve your heart health through the most enjoyable way possible.

Q: Does Decaffeinated Coffee Have Risks?

A: It’s been proven that coffee, when in moderate amounts, is good for you. But if you’re like some of us and you’re extremely sensitive to caffeine, suffer heart issues, or you’re pregnant and want to enjoy your coffee without harming your baby, then you’ll be able to get most of the same benefits from decaf without the risks. To be clear, the health benefits won’t change whether you’re using organic decaf coffee or not: it’s all about the decaffeination process.

Even the best decaffeinated coffee will fall prey to one irrefutable fact: all coffee has caffeine. If the brand you’ve gone with uses the Swiss water method, that’s good, but there’s still up to 3% of the original caffeine amount in those beans. To put it in perspective, there’s usually 140 mcg of caffeine in a standard eight-ounce cup of coffee. With decaffeinated coffee, there’s maybe 7 or 8 mcg in there at best. It’s still better for you than caffeinated coffee, but there is no such thing as 100% decaf. If you’re still sensitive to these low levels and you use additives in your coffee, consider replacing half of the volume in your cup with milk. Four ounces of milk and four ounces of decaf coffee make an excellent beverage.

Q: How do I Prepare the Best Decaf Coffee?

A: Before you start preparing your decaf coffee beans, let’s talk about storage. Once you open those vacuum sealed bags, they’re essentially useless. Nothing bad against any of the companies that product them, but you don’t have the machinery in your home to get that same level of seal again. You need to find a storage solution that keeps your beans or grinds nice and fresh. Get a canister with a fairly tight seal, and keep your coffee in a dark, dry, cool place (preferably between 45 F and 68 F). As a heads up, if you have flavored decaf coffee, it won’t affect storage solutions.

Storage is assuring quality prior to actually preparing your perfect cup(s), but it isn’t all. You should:

• Invest in a Quality Grinder: Grinding your own beans will always yield a better cup of coffee than using grinds from a can or a bag. Believe it or not, the individual size of each grind will impact your coffee. In restaurant environments and QSRs, they have daily quality assurance measures to compare their grinds to samples of “perfect” grinds. Coarseness and size change the taste, and with decaf, it’s especially true.
• Get a Water Filter: Most of us use tap water to prepare coffee, especially when we’re making a pot a day. Even if you live in an area with excellent city water, you’ll still want to filter it. Get a Pur filter that clips onto your faucet spout, or consider getting a Brita pitcher to put tap water into, and filter it out. It’s going to make a major impact in the flavor and quality of your decaf coffee.
• Use a Kettle: The ideal range for great tasting coffee is between 180 F and 196 F. Coffeemakers can burn your decaf coffee (hence why you always find single-serve coffee from the shop to be bitter or burnt). It’s easier to distaste decaf coffee, so use a kettle instead. When it whistles from the water boiling, the water is at least 212 F or higher. Open the spout and let it rest for about ninety seconds or so. If you have a food thermometer, temp the water to ensure it’s in that perfect range.
• If You’re Not Sure, Overdo It: You can dilute your coffee, but you can’t do anything with watered down, thin coffee. If you’re afraid that you’re using too high a volume of grinds, test it, dilute it when necessary, and make adjustments for the next time. If you’re really ready to dig your heels into this and get the best decaf coffee of your life, you can invest in an inexpensive kitchen scale that measures in grams. Measure each batch of grinds to ensure you’re getting the perfect amount for the perfect flavor every single time.