10 Best Decaf Coffee Brands For The Best Caffeine Free Experience

Welcome to our guide on decaf coffee. We’ll explore the best decaf coffee options, ensuring you enjoy rich coffee flavor minus the caffeine. Whether you’re a coffee enthusiast or seeking a caffeine-free cup, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into the best decaf coffee choices for a satisfying experience.

If you love the taste of coffee but want to avoid the jitters or sleepless nights that come with caffeine, decaf coffee can be a great option. But with so many brands and varieties on the market, it can be tough to know which ones are worth trying. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 decaf coffee brands that offer rich and flavorful brews without the caffeine kick. From classic blends to unique roasts, you’re sure to find a decaf coffee that suits your taste preferences and satisfies your coffee cravings.

Here are the best options that you can choose from, especially if you’re trying to avoid the addictive effects of caffeine. All of these options will provide you with the exact flavor that you looking for, minus the caffeine.

Our list is full of only the best coffee brands that will give you that rich flavor that you crave each morning. So take a look at our list and save the best for yourself.

Here are some of the decaf coffee for non-caffeine lovers.

Know The 10 Decaf Coffee For Non-Caffeine Lovers!

The Original Donut Shop decaf coffee (Decaf coffee pods)

Specifications

• Origin: Blend
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Direct-solvent process
• Coffee beans: Arabica coffee beans

Original Donut Shop is a reputable brand among Keurig owners. It stands out for providing quick cups of excellent-tasting coffee. The decaf product from this producer also keeps its unique standards.

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More so, it is one of the good options for coffee lovers who love K-cups and want to cut down on caffeine. Thus, we caption it as the supreme decaf coffee pod in the market because of some advantages it has over its competition.

Unlike other products of this brand, this one contains more medium-roasted Arabica coffee beans. Yet, its taste is still flavourful and fresh. It also brews a perfect, full-bodied, great-tasting cup of coffee.

The beans are Orthodox Union Kosher certified and do not contain any artificial ingredients. Sadly, it is more expensive on a per-cup basis than some of its competitors.
Overall, the Original Donut Shop decaf coffee is an excellent choice. Its extra bold variety allows it to contain more specialty blend coffee than the regular K-cup pods.

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Kicking Horse Coffee (dark roast decaf coffee)

• Origin: Blend (Central and South America)
• Roast: Dark roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Arabica coffee beans

Manufacturers craft brand names to provide customers with an idea of the product. In that vein, Kicking Horse coffee gets its name from a legend in 1858 of a rocky mountain explorer whose horse kicked him in the head. His companions thought him almost dead, but a “Kick-Ass” cup of coffee revived him.

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Elana Rosenfield and Loe Johnson founded this company in 1996. Then, they signed on with Transfair Canada (now FairTrade Canada) two years later. By 2007, Kicking Horse Coffee became 100% Fair Trade and Organic. Three concepts shape the entire company’s process: FairTrade, Organic, and Sustainable.

Like every other blend of this renowned coffee manufacturer, the decaf coffee is dark and delicious, with a delicious taste and a mellow finish. It also comes with deep chocolate and a nutty complex aroma. It is suitable for French press, drip machine, espresso, pour-over, and cold brew.

Sadly, because of its packaging size (available in 282g, 454g, and 1kg bags), keeping the grounds fresh can be a demanding task.

Overall, this Central and South American blend coffee is an excellent pick. It is medium-roasted in Canada and is USDA, Kosher, and Fairtrade certified.

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Seattle Coffee Decaf Portside Blend (decaf on a budget)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Latin America)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Chemical
• Coffee beans: Arabica coffee beans

Seattle’s Coffee Company is an ideal representation of a big company that started from the lowest rank. In 1970, the business started as the Stewart Brothers Coffee and brewed a surprisingly smooth coffee with a little 12-pound peanut roaster on Seattle’s Pier. Next, the enterprise outgrew its roaster and moved to Vashon Island, where it continued to roast and blend coffee for stores across the city.

From its inception, up until now, the company stands out for its unique ability to produce excellent results using different means of action. Precisely, a few things set this company at the highest among other decaf coffee companies.

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First, its significantly lower price for the equal amount and quality of coffee its competitors provide is fantastic. Interestingly, its deep, well-rounded, and smooth taste says nothing about it being chemically decaffeinated, rather than the traditional Swiss water process.
More so, this medium-roast, 100% Arabica coffee beans with origin from Latin America (Costa Rica) have a lighter and livelier flavor than the aged beans of some competition. It is Fair Trade (USA), OCIA, and USDA accredited.

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Koa Swiss-Water Coffee Decaf (high-end decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Hawaii)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Kona Coffee

Like Seattle, Koa Coffee started as a small family business. The company describes those days as “a real ‘Mom & Pop’ with a small boy and his dog playing and running in the Hawaiian sunshine as they tended their precious Kona beans.” Yet, over time, the company rose to beat all its competitors and won many accolades and competitions. Some are the Gevalia Cupping Competition, PCCA coffee of the year, and Forbes Coffee in America.

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Koa uses 100% Kona coffee. These beans are the rarest and most sought-after coffee varieties in the coffee world. Thus, it has exceptional taste and flavor. The decaffeination process it uses is the Swiss water method that utilizes the fewest chemicals possible.
Koa Coffee is a luxury brand. More so, since it is more expensive than most decaf coffee in the market, this medium-roast coffee may be difficult to find in retail shops.

However, Koa decaf is an excellent choice for evenings if caffeine affects your sleep. You can mix it half, and a half with your favorite Kona to reduce caffeine as well as enjoy 100% Kona coffee.

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Café Don Pablo Light Roast Decaf (light roast decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Light roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Arabica coffee beans

Darron J. Burke founded Don Pablo Coffee in 1989. The coffee company is a world-class grower and roaster of specialty-grade coffee that is roasted in small batches and according to demand. This decaf coffee has one of the best tastes in the market. Its natural notes of cocoa and caramel and a hint of citrus produce its outstanding taste. Yet, unlike other brands, it does not leave a bitter aftertaste.

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Although Café Don Pablo is not fair trade certified, the company has its Sharing Certified program that treats and pays their Colombian farmers adequately. This decaf is made from 100% Arabica beans and decaffeinated with Swiss water. This process gets rid of the caffeine content without disrupting the natural flavor of the coffee.

Don Pablo Columbian Decaf is available in light roast and medium roast. It is GMO-free. Albeit, it is only available in large bags (2 pounds bag or 5 pounds bag). That may not be a massive demerit because the coffee does not rapidly become stale.

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Wild Coffee Lonestar (low-acid decaf)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Columbian Arabica

This decaf coffee is a product of the Wild Foods Co. The company Specializes in real food products sourced from small producers around the globe. It believes that ingredients should shine and keep things simple. Also, it focuses on real, raw, close natural as possible ingredients. That gives consumers the flexibility to use their functional superfoods as they want.

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So, the Wild coffee Lonestar is a low acidity, low-caffeine decaf coffee sourced from South America and roasted in Austin, Texas. It is FairTrade certified, Swiss water decaffeinated, GMO, Gluten, and Soy free. Also, the coffee is mold-free, which means that it can stay fresh for an extended period, resisting moisture from marring its flavor.

Like Don Pablo, this decaf is from 100% Arabica beans. It also features a caramel and nutty flavor that produces an excellent taste. More so, it is grown at high altitudes and is available in a light and medium roast.

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Mount Hagen Organic Instant Decaf Coffee (Instant decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Columbian Arabica

This product is arguably the instant decaf coffee in the market. Even more, it is the first certified organic freeze-dried coffee in the world. Mount Hagen started in 1986 in Papua New Guinea intending to create the perfect coffee, which in their definition, is far more than taste. To achieve that, it uses 100% Arabica coffee from high-altitude regions to produce a naturally flavorful but mild taste drink.

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We recommend this product for coffee lovers who love decaf but want it instant, tasty, fresh, and without caffeine. The beans are decaffeinated by the Swiss water method to ensure maximum retention of flavors and oils and eliminate the caffeine content.

This medium roast decaf coffee is FairTrade certified, USDA accredited, and 100% organic. It comes in a 3.53-ounce jar or a box of individually packaged servings that are easy to carry around.

All in all, the Mount Hagen Organic Instant Decaf coffee is an excellent pick for instant decaf coffee lovers. More so, it is very affordable.

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No fun Jo Decaf (organic decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Medium-dark roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Columbian Arabica

Giving up caffeine does not necessarily mean giving up coffee. The No Fun Jo has its craft to illustrate the notion stated earlier correctly. Jo Coffee, the manufacturer of this decaf brand, boasts of an exclusive specialty grade, certified organic coffee. These Arabica beans are sourced worldwide by a Q-cupper team from a group of hand-crafted artisan roasts.

The manufacturer utilizes the Swiss water decaffeination method. Thus, accounting for a more natural and complex flavor. The beans are FairTrade certified, USDA organic, and Kosher accredited. Jo Coffee is also a member of the Specialty Coffee Association, and its coffee is GMO-free.

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The name suggests that there is no fun in this coffee. In contrast, its blueberry aroma, and the fruity, cocoa flavor does not agree. The company also states that there are no additional flavorings than its natural components.

Overall, this product is an excellent choice for persons with a strict intention of consuming only organic, sugar, and caffeine-free coffee.

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Koffee Kult Columbian Decaf (medium roast decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Columbian Arabica

Koffee Kult is a renowned brand for excellently flavored coffee. The manufacturer aims toward settling for more than the ordinary and strives to be very good. For that reason, they roast premium coffee beans acquired from quality growers in more than fifty countries across the globe.

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The company prides itself on maintaining the highest standard of excellence, roasting the supreme quality and grade of Arabica beans from Indonesia, South and Central America, and Africa. Although the roasting of the beans gathered from all around the world takes place in Florida.

The decaf coffee is strictly Arabica beans from Columbia. Swiss water method is the decaffeination process its producer utilizes. It is medium-roasted in small batches to ensure a quality outcome. More so, the roasted beans produce a smooth and robust drink with notes of dark chocolate and a hint of raisin.

A little downside to this brand is that it is neither Fairtrade certified nor Organic accredited. Yet, the company claims to support over 650+ small coffee farmers.

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Volcanica Coffee Costa Rica Tarrazu Decaf (pre-ground decaf coffee)

Specifications:

• Origin: Single (Columbia)
• Roast: Medium roast
• Decaffeination method: Swiss Water process
• Coffee beans: Columbian Arabica

Volcanica Coffee is a specialty retailer of exotic gourmet coffee with a commitment to offering only the most exceptional quality beans from volcanic regions around the world. More so, only coffee with a fantastic and remarkable taste. The company carries over 120 different coffees plus single-origin, peaberry, estate, decaf, and flavored coffees. However, it only roasts on demand in its art roasting facility in Atlanta.

Costa Rica Decaf Tarrazu Coffee is the decaf type of this fine single-origin coffee. It originates from the Tarrazu high mountain ranges south of San Jose, Costa Rica. The Tarrazu mountains and cool temperatures, provide full-bodied and a vivacious finish, a bright, smooth cup with a well-balanced flavor and a subtle chocolate flavor.

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The decaffeination process utilized for these medium roast beans is the Swiss water type. Also, Volcania provides a pre-ground option that is suitable for drip coffee makers, French press, and espresso grinds. It is Rainforest Alliance-certified, shade-grown, and wet-processed.

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What is Decaf Coffee?

Let me start by saying that decaf coffee tastes just like real coffee – that is – the one with caffeine. If you have ever tried decaf coffee and you were not satisfied with how it tasted – you got a bad batch. Or it was not prepared correctly, or, what is more likely – it was not such a good batch in the first place.

Decaf coffee tastes just like casual coffee, it also has a selection of roasts available, as well as origins. For example, if a single-origin coffee tells you that this specific coffee comes from only one region (like the Kona coffee, for example, which can only be found on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii). It means you will get the same taste every time you use these beans.

The same goes for roasts and coffee bean types – Arabica, Robusta, Liberica – and the rest of them.

The short answer for what decaf coffee hides in the name itself – it is coffee that has been deprived of its caffeine. There is a complicated decaffeination process involved (that I will explain simply further in this article) that takes care of (most of) the caffeine in the beans – extracting it, leaving just a tiny bit of it in the beans.

Why not remove all of the caffeine? It is not possible. Or possible – but, if tried, the process will spoil the taste of your coffee beans. However, the amount of caffeine in them is so small that it does not affect a human being.

What Is The Difference Between Decaf And Regular Coffee?

Well, there isn’t a huge difference. It may taste a tiny bit different, or it might just be a Horn effect at play here. Mostly – you won’t be able to tell the difference, and they will all taste great!

Sure, only a few years ago the caffeine extraction methods involved using quite a few chemicals, which then led to a bad aftertaste. This ruined the reputation of decaf coffee which, truth be told, wasn’t decaf coffee. Instead, it was just low-caffeine coffee as the decaffeination methods of the past were not so effective.

To avoid losing most of the other chemicals that make for the taste of coffee (there are around 1000 of those – the good ones), they had to use a lot of chemical solvents to tie them to the beans.

Nowadays though, the process of decaffeination is much more delicate, involves a lot fewer chemicals and solvents (some are still required to help keep the unique taste of coffee), and overall provides great-tasting coffee.

Decaf coffee is not bad, you just did not buy the right blend!

As I wrote earlier – you may have stumbled upon a bad batch of decaf coffee once in the past, decided it was bad and then thought that all decaf is bad. It is not.

Decaf, much like ordinary coffee, can taste bad or good. The thing with decaf is that if a wrong decaffeination method is used, or it is of low quality, the coffee will be flavorless, leave a bad taste, and will not leave a good impression.

Why Should You Drink Decaf Coffee?

A lot of people are converting to low-caffeine coffee consumption. There can be many reasons one would consider starting to drink low-caffeine or decaf coffee. The most common reason, however, is that people are concerned about their caffeine intake. Too much coffee can cause various adverse health effects and we should always take care and follow how much coffee we consume. But, there are numerous types of research stating that coffee does good things for your health, too.

The Pros and Cons of decaf coffee

Caffeine can be both – useful and harmful to you, it all depends on how you consume it. If you drink too much coffee daily, it will hurt your health.

If you don’t abuse it, it will bring several health bonuses, like lowering risks of certain cancer types regulating your blood pressure, and raising awareness and concentration among many others. But it can also cause insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and many others.

The average intake of caffeine for an adult is around 173 mg a day. In cups of coffee that would be – the average person drinks two to four cups of coffee a day. That is not a lot, right? Unfortunately – there are a lot of people who drink more than that. In addition – some don’t know that a lot of other products and ingredients contain coffee, too.

Caffeine in Decaf – (In Small Quantities)

Like decaf coffee – despite its name, there is still some caffeine left in it (also chocolate, green and black tea, and several other products). So, if you turn to decaf coffee hoping you could substitute it in times when you’ve reached your caffeine limit for the day – think again and drink water instead.

However, it does contain close to no caffeine and tastes almost the same. And, since many people are not addicted to caffeine, but rather to the taste of the coffee – this is a great solution for how to keep your caffeine intake in check and still enjoy your wonderful Java drink. Allowing you to sleep better at night, and have a more natural energy level that is not exhausted all the time by caffeine.

No caffeine also means that the blood pressure will be lower – something to consider if you have high blood pressure.

Doesn’t Decaf Coffee Taste Different?

When decaf coffee was first invented they used to use less good methods for extracting the caffeine from the beans, it involved various chemicals that caused a lack of flavor and a bad aftertaste.

Why is caffeine present in decaf coffee?

There is some caffeine in decaf coffee, however, it is much less and would not leave an impact on your health or your well-being. It is related to how the decaf coffee beans are prepared – the methods involved. To fully preserve the taste and flavor of the coffee beans, all of the caffeine can not be extracted as essential chemicals would be removed that make the coffee taste like coffee.

How Much Caffeine is in Decaf Coffee?

In decaf coffee, there are around 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams of caffeine per 16oz (around one cup of coffee) drip coffee. In a regular cup of coffee, you’ll get 90 to 200 milligrams of caffeine per cup. How does it impact your no-caffeine diet? Not by much, as we mentioned before – not all of the caffeine can be extracted.

If you want a great taste – there will be compromises on your side. However, the amount of caffeine in them is not that big for you to notice its effects. If you want to be completely sure tho, you can avoid drinking caffeine-free coffee before going to bed.

Although – if you are using it as a substitute for coffee because coffee contains too much caffeine – most likely you are already used to not drinking it before bedtime.

How is decaf coffee made?

Decaf coffee first came to light in 1903, when a German merchant Ludwig Roselius with his co-workers created the first commercially successful decaffeination process that could be replicated.

It was nothing new (well, for most people it was at that time) as decaffeination was first achieved by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge in 1820 – more than 80 years before it was patented by L.Roselius, who is known widely as the inventor of the decaffeination process.

F.F.Runge was the first man known to us who managed to extract the caffeine from coffee beans. He was asked to do so by the poet Goethe and was not seeking commercial benefit from that.

The German merchant was, however, so he patented the first decaffeination process in 1906 (three years after he invented it). And by “inventing it” I mean he stumbled upon the discovery when his ship got in some rough sea and his coffee beans were soaked in the water. The soaking led to the coffee beans losing most of their caffeine without affecting the taste much.

This original decaffeination process involved steaming coffee beans with various acids or bases. Once that was done, they used benzene as a solvent to remove the caffeine. But the taste was not so pleasant, and many people tried to come up with new, better methods of extracting the caffeine from the coffee beans, as Roseliuse’s method was admitted harmful to human health.

The most prevalent solvents used to date are dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. However, a decaffeination process using chemical solvents is not well looked upon nowadays, as it adds a bitter, unpleasant taste and can be cancerogenic, too.

What Are the 4 Methods Of Decaffeination?

There are 4 methods of decaffeinating coffee:

1. The Swiss Water Method
2. The Indirect-Solvent Method (Also known as the Methylene-Chloride Method)
3. The Direct-Solvent Method (also known as the Ethyl-Acetate Method); and
4. The Carbon-Dioxide Method

All of the decaffeination methods involve water in the process. Water is a solvent when it comes to extracting caffeine and is very soluble.

Caffeine can only be extracted from green beans. Chemicals are added to protect the beans from the water – by locking the essential coffee chemicals inside the beans, not allowing the water to wash away around 1000 coffee bean chemicals that give them the specific and much-appreciated coffee taste.

Which decaffeination method is the most widely used?

The Swiss Water Process

It is the most widely used decaffeination process to date. It uses the elements of water, temperature, and time to create some of the most intriguing decaf coffee.

This method is the most effective and safest, as it does not involve any chemicals can remove up to 99% of the caffeine from the beans, and is certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association, making the Swiss Water facility the only certified organic decaf coffee maker in the World.

The process relies on a Green Coffee Extract (GCE) – a process that was invented by the Swiss Water – and the basic science of equilibrium to draw the caffeine out of the coffee beans and into the GCE during a water-soaking process. The GCE is then run through a filter, to trap the caffeine, this process is then repeated several times until up to 99% of caffeine is removed from the beans.

What Are The Other 3 Decaffeination Methods?

Besides the Swiss Water Process method, there are three other methods for extracting caffeine from coffee beans. Two of them involve chemical solvents in the process of decaffeination.

This is the indirect-solvent process, which uses methylene chloride to separate the caffeine from the coffee beans. The other is the direct-solvent process, where ethyl acetate is used to rinse the beans to extract the caffeine.

Direct-Solvent Process

The Direct-Solvent Process soaks the green beans in water for half an hour. During this time the caffeine is extracted from the beans. This is possible because, in the water, the beans will open up their pores. Then a chemical solvent is used to wash out the caffeine.
The most used chemical solvent for this is methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. Once this process is finished, the beans will be rinsed and steamed for several hours to remove any residues of the used chemicals.

Indirect-Solvent Process

This method is similar to the Direct-Solvent method. The difference lies in the fact that the beans themselves are not exposed to the chemicals. Therefore the name “Indirect” is in the name.

During the indirect-solvent process, the green beans are first soaked in hot water for several hours. After that, the beans are removed, and the water in which they were soaked is treated with ethyl acetate to remove the caffeine.

The water is then added to the beans, but not before going through several soaking-drying steps and adding new batches of beans. This way, only the caffeine is removed from the beans in a phenomenon known as the Solubility equilibrium.

Carbon Dioxide Process

The Carbon Dioxide Process, or the CO2 process, is the newest decaffeination method. In its essence it involves the green beans being soaked in warm water, then they are placed in an airtight stainless steel container and processed with CO2.

The CO2 is blasted at the beans with great pressure (1,000 pounds per square inch), which then removes the caffeine from them. CO2 binds only to caffeine, therefore it can be used for this decaffeination method. However, it is very expensive. Because of that, it is used mostly on commercial levels where there are large batches to decaffeinate.

Also Read: Ground Coffee Brands | Coffee Beans For Cold Brew | Non-Coffee Drinker’s Guide | Nescafe Keurig K Cups | Instant Coffee Brands | Organic Coffee Beans | Kona Coffee Beans | Espresso Coffee Beans | Best Decaf Coffee | Best Coffee Beans for Cappuccino

Closing Thoughts on Decaf Coffee

Frequently Asked Questions about Decaf Coffee