At Decaf Nation, we offer plenty of different decaf coffees to choose from. With decaf continuing to grow in popularity, we want to make it as easy as possible to find the right coffee for you.
Whether it’s your first time ordering from us, your first experience with decaf coffee, or you simply fancy switching up your usual order, there are a few things worth thinking about before you choose.
From flavour profiles and roast levels to your preferred brewing method, here’s how to find your perfect Decaf Nation coffee.
If you’d also like to know more about the different ways coffee is decaffeinated — including Swiss Water, Sugar Cane and CO2, which we use across our current range — take a look at our guide: What Is Decaf Coffee?.
Tip 1: Think About the Flavours You Enjoy
Flavour is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a coffee. After all, you need to enjoy what’s in your cup!
A coffee’s flavour profile is influenced by several factors, including where the beans are grown, how they’re processed and how they’re roasted.
At Decaf Nation, we cup our coffees in the roastery to identify the flavours we can taste in each one. From there, we choose a roast level that helps bring out the best characteristics of the coffee.
Prefer Traditional Coffee Flavours?
Many people enjoy more traditional tasting notes, especially if these are the flavours they’re already familiar with in coffee.
Coffees with notes of chocolate, caramel and nuts also tend to be really versatile. They work particularly well in milk-based drinks, while still tasting great black.
If that sounds like you, try:
- Mexican Sierra – Hazelnut, Peanut, Caramelised Sugar
- Peru Alto Mayo – Maple Syrup, Praline, Milk Chocolate
- Honduras El Alto – Toffee, Apple, Walnut
Fancy Something Fruitier?
If you’re looking for something a little different, we also have decafs with brighter, fruitier and more unusual flavour profiles.
Fruity decaf can sometimes be harder to find because decaf coffee has traditionally been roasted quite dark. Lighter roasting allows more of the coffee’s natural fruit flavours to shine through.
At Decaf Nation, we roast carefully to bring out the best flavours in every coffee rather than simply roasting decaf dark.
For something fruitier, try:
- Yemen Anis – Orange, Sour Cherry, Raspberry
- Limited Edition Ethiopia Lala Salama – Red Berries, Chocolate Mousse, Cherry Jam
Tip 2: Choose Your Roast Level
The next thing to think about is how you like your coffee roasted.
You may have heard people describe decaf as bitter or lacking in flavour. One reason for this is that decaf has traditionally been over-roasted, resulting in darker, more bitter-tasting coffee.
We wanted to change that.
At Decaf Nation, our coffees are generally roasted light or medium to help preserve their individual flavours and avoid unnecessary bitterness.
As a simple rule of thumb:
- If you enjoy fruity, brighter flavours, try a light roast.
- If you prefer chocolatey, nutty or caramel flavours, a medium roast could be a better fit.
Here’s how our current range breaks down:
- Mexican Sierra – Medium Roast
- Peru Alto Mayo – Medium Roast
- Honduras El Alto – Medium Roast
- Yemen Anis – Light Roast
- Limited Edition Ethiopia Lala Salama – Light Roast
- Hybrid Half Caff – Medium Roast
And, of course, whichever roast level you choose, our decaf coffees are fully decaffeinated. The exception is our Hybrid, which is a half-caff coffee.
Tip 3: Consider Your Brewing Method
Your preferred brewing method can also help you decide which coffee to choose.
Whether you use a bean-to-cup machine, espresso machine, AeroPress, pour-over or filter brewer, certain coffees can naturally suit different brewing styles.
Espresso and Bean-to-cup Machines
If you visit a coffee shop, you’ll often find that the house espresso has quite traditional tasting notes.
That’s because espresso needs to work across a wide range of drinks, from flat whites and cappuccinos to iced coffees and americanos.
The same applies to decaf.
If you use an espresso or bean-to-cup machine, some great options include:
These coffees have versatile flavour profiles that work particularly well across both black and milk-based drinks.
Pour-over and Filter Coffee
Pour-over and filter brewing are great ways to explore more unusual flavours, especially fruitier coffees.
Filter brewing is generally a gentler extraction method than espresso, which can allow more of the coffee’s subtle flavours to come through.
Some of our favourite options for filter include:
What About Omniroasts?
Some coffees are roasted to work well across a variety of brewing methods. These are often known as omniroasts.
They can be a great choice if you have several different brewing methods at home or simply like to switch between espresso and filter.
Our current omniroasts include:
That said, these recommendations are only a guide.
There are no strict rules when it comes to brewing coffee, and you can use any coffee with any brewing method. For example, our Yemen Anis also works really well as an espresso.
The suggestions above are simply based on how our roaster, Jacob, develops each coffee and the brewing methods we think showcase its flavours best.
Ready to Find Your Favourite Decaf?
Hopefully, these tips have helped point you towards the Decaf Nation coffee that sounds right for you.
Think about the flavours you normally enjoy, whether you prefer a light or medium roast, and how you usually brew your coffee. From there, you’ll have a great starting point.
And if you’d rather try everything before choosing a favourite, you can also buy our whole range for £50.
We can’t wait to hear which one you choose.
Proper coffee for sleep lovers.