Welcome to Decaf Nation - Coffee for Night and Day. This blog is highlighting everything there is to know about decaf coffee. As the decaf coffee industry continues to grow, we want to spread the word that decaf doesn’t mean compromise.
Whether you’re winding down after a long day or simply looking for a coffee that fits your lifestyle, we’ve got you covered.
How We Decaffeinate Our Coffee Beans
The reason you can drink our coffee anytime of day, is due to it being caffeine free. Before we roast the coffee beans in house, they are decaffeinated beforehand, and this is how..
There are many ways to decaffeinated coffee, however we choose the most natural and chemical free methods.
Swiss Water Decaffeination
Swiss Water Decaffeination is the process of soaking the coffee beans in water and GCE (Green Coffee Extract, a solution of concentrated coffee compounds containing everything except caffeine) then a little heat is applied and the water takes out the caffeine from the coffee beans leaving the flavour relatively intact. This method removes 99.9% of caffeine.
Sugar Cane Decaffeination
Sugar cane decaffeination is the process of removing the Caffeine using ethyl acetate, a compound found naturally in fruits and sugar cane. It’s widely used for high-quality decaf because it’s effective without being harsh on flavour. This method removes 97-99% of caffeine.
To be counted as caffeine free, the coffee beans have to have at least 97% of caffeine removed, so yes decaf has a tiny amount of caffeine still remaining.
Is Decaf Coffee Completely Caffeine Free?
To be counted as caffeine free, coffee beans have to have at least 97% of caffeine removed, so yes decaf has a tiny amount of caffeine still remaining.
Decaf coffee has always had a stigma associated with it. A lot of decafs on shelves will be decaffeinated through non-natural chemicals. Using a chemical process is more cost effective, and efficient for chains and bigger brands. However, this then removes the natural flavours of the coffee, along with the caffeine. Hence where the ‘flavourless’, ‘unhealthy’ stigma has started from with decaf.
Don’t worry, we have never and won’t ever use this process!
Now we’ve established that our decaf is chemical free and natural, we can talk about all the reasons why people make the switch.
Why Do People Drink Decaf Coffee?
Decaf Drinkers - ‘The purest of coffee drinkers’ - James Hoffman.
As James Hoffman, the coffee expert says, those that choose to drink decaf, are drinking it for the taste, not the effects. Those who love their coffee, also want to have an evening brew, knowing you can still have a good night’s sleep; win win!
Caffeine sensitivity is also becoming a more recognised concept. Caffeine is known to raise heart rates, worsen anxiety, and increase adrenaline. Many of our current customers have these symptoms, and want to be able to enjoy a coffee without worrying about effects on their body, hence making the switch. Overall, if you find you struggle with your mental or physical health, decaf might be worth trying.
To all the pregnant women, postpartum and breastfeeding we’ve also got you covered. It’s recommended to be caffeine free during pregnancy especially, so be able to enjoy a cup of coffee that tastes just as good, with Decaf Nation.
Does Decaf Coffee Taste Different?
Now, just like with anything, people taste things differently. Whether it’s a caffeinated or decaf coffee, the taste notes you get might be different to others. However, good decaf shouldn’t taste that dissimilar to caffeinated coffee. It all depends on how it’s roasted and decaffeinated. Simply, by using a decaf method that is natural, it helps keep the flavour profiles, and speciality coffee beans roasted well. Which we certainly do.
Whereas decaf coffee that isn’t roasted to the right level for its taste notes, chemically decaffeinated or are not specialty coffee beans, yes you can expect that will taste different to specialty caffeinated coffee. Decaf just needs more care.
There is also a history with decaf beans always being a dark roast. With decaf used to being treated as an afterthought, dark roasting the beans hides more of the lower quality of beans that were being roasted.
As mentioned above, decaf needs extra consideration.
With people not focusing on this, darker roasts meant imperfections became more easily covered.
Speciality decaf roasters like ourselves however, use speciality coffee beans, sample roast to identify correct roast level for the beans, and this results in the highest quality beans, varying from lighter to medium/darker roasts.
Give Decaff Coffee A Go
If you’re looking for another reason to try decaf, unlike decaf coffee myths suggest, decaf does still have health benefits. Yes, there is no caffeine, but the antioxidants still remain. Decaf is also still flavourful and doesn’t taste ‘awful’ or ‘bland’. If it does, it’s not the decaffeination doing this, it’s the quality of the beans. If you start with high quality coffee beans, you’ll end with high quality, just without the buzz.
Choosing Decaf Nation means you’re getting an amazing tasting brew just with less caffeine, still flavourful and high quality.