Here in the days of #stayhome and social isolation, home consumption habits for coffee are trending up. It might be a good time to consider your caffeine uptake, and consider adding in a cup of decaf now and again.
Soothing decaf. Warming decaf. Delicious decaf! We’re in the Golden Age of Decaf, and you might find yourself really enjoying a cup of the soft stuff, whether as a change-up to lighten your daily caffeine intake or a complete switch for health reasons. Specialty coffee is like a two-front arms race of decaf options, a dual to see who can come up with the tastiest decaffeinated coffee, often paired with the cutest possible brand name.
You won’t catch any of the Death Before Decaf malarkey here at Sprudge—we love the stuff! Our comprehensive #StillRoasting list is a great place to find active roasters in your area, many of whom are offering a tasty decaf product, and our coffee at home and coffee subscription guides are chock’d full o’ roasters making tasty caff-less goodness.
But today we’ll take it a step forward—this is a guide for our favorite decaf options from near and far. Got more suggestions? Make sure to add ’em to the comments or let us know on social media. Happy drinking!
This is the motherlode. The decaf experts at Swiss Water have curated a totally unique and deeply considered Curated Coffee Subscription, featuring different coffee roasters offering their spin on high quality decaf. Enjoy brands like Joe, Grumpy, Manzanita Roasting, Talking Crow, and many more, delivered weekly or monthly, plus access to special edition roasts exclusive to club members. This is the ideal hookup for the decaf lover in your life, or perfect if you’re looking to get regularly delivered decaf into your home rotation.
Ooh, a nice single origin decaf from Honduras? With notes of “raisin, baking spice, date, and vanilla?” Sign me up!
Camber Coffee of Bellingham might have my personal favorite decaf blend name of anyone in the industry: “Goodnight Moon.” It’s adorable and it makes me want to have a nice sleepy cup with a book before bed. While you’re at Camber’s website, be sure to check out their Employee Relief Fund.
Slow Motion is Counter Culture Coffee’s flagship decaf blend brand, but right now it’s actually a single origin, comprised of 100% Peru Ihuamaca. Look for tasting notes of molasses, cocoa, and my personal favorite of all possible notes, “smooth”.
“Decaf coffee is a whole different animal,” says Minneapolis roaster Dogwood Coffee, “so we take extra time in roasting this coffee.” Dogwood’s decaf offering, De Caña, comes from the Huila region of southwestern Colombia, and is decaffeinated using sugar cane.
It’s tough to beat the cutie sloth on bags of Duluth Coffee’s Colombia Sugar Cane Decaf. This comes form the Quindio department of Colombia courtesy of the Lopez family—learn much more here via Cafe Imports.
From the hills of Cauca, Colombia to the streets of Philadelphia comes Elixr Coffee’s delicious Swiss Water Process decaf. Enjoy notes of red berry and caramel, not unlike Gritty.
You like decaf, huh? Looking for some decaf? Equator Coffees of San Rafael, CA has you covered and then some. Not one, not two, but three, four, five distinct decaffeinated coffees are available here: Ethiopia Kochere single origin, decaf espresso, decaf Equator blend, a nice decaf organic blend, and a decaf Eye of the Tiger espresso blend. While you’re there at Equator’s site, consider tipping the baristas!
Houston favorites Greenway Coffee are roasting up some delightful decaf from the Cauca region of Colombia, from the Trilladores Andes Mill. Look for notes of dates and cinnamon.
“Enjoy delicious, non-caffeinated coffee, without compromising on flavor,” promises Intelligentsia Coffee. Take your pick from a three’fer of decaffeinated options out of Chicago: Peru El Mago, decaf Black Cat, and the decaf House Blend.
Slip yourself a cup of Joe’s Nightcap Decaf blend and the sweet dreams are on us. Currently this is a blend of coffees from Honduras, comprising varieties like Typica, Bourbon, and Caturra.
Olympia Coffee Roasting Company
We’re not shy about our love for Olympia Coffee Roasting Company’s Asterisk Blend decaf—one of the few decaf coffees we recommend to anyone, any place, anytime, and would put toe to toe with any other coffee in your daily drinking arsenal. Learn more about the current offering from Olympia Coffee and considering donating to their webstore tip jar.
This is so smart. Not only does Onyx offer a lovely standard decaf option (currently a single origin Colombia Nariño), but they also have an innovative half-caf option called POWER NAP! It’s all from the same village, called Aponte (in the Nariño region of Colombia) and it’s all processed via the “honey” and raised bed drying method. This clocks in at roughly half the caffeine of a typical cup of coffee, and is a truly unique product offering in the world of decaf.
NYC’s Partners Coffee have another excellent name for their decaf blend: “Ghost Town” is a Peruvian coffee from the cooperative COOPAFSI, located in the Cajamarca. Look for malt, golden raisin, and white chocolate, which—if that doesn’t sound good, I don’t know what does.
Pilot’s Catalyst decaf blend—a collaboration with Swiss Water Process—is ready to spark joy without sparking the jitters. It’s an ever-changing, crowd-pleasing blend with notes of chocolate and caramel.
Red Bay Coffee of Oakland offers a lovely Ocho Libre Decaf, Colombian single origin that’s available for 20% off if you set up a subscription.
Another expert Swiss Water Decaf collaboration, Stumptown’s Trapper Creek Decaf blend has been a benchmark third wave decaf offering for decades. Come see what all the love’s about.
We adore this “predominantly decaf” specialty coffee roaster. At press time they have seven single-origin decaf offerings on their menu. Can’t decide? Get the sampler pack with all seven and host a virtual cupping on Zoom!
Verve’s decaf selection is on point. One coffee, three ways: Vancouver Decaf as whole bean, instant, or ready to drink flash brew by the 12-pack count. Now that’s chill drinking.
Some (but not all) of the roasters in this feature are advertising partners on the Sprudge Media Network. For a complete list of partners please consult the right hand side of this and every Sprudge feature.
Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network.
