The Struggles of a Decaf Drinker
Updated: Nov 21, 2019
Just imagine, you’re a decaf drinker. Perhaps it is because you feel too jittery when you drink caffeine but really love the taste of coffee, or perhaps it is late afternoon and you don’t want to mess with your night’s sleep.
Perhaps you actually are a decaf drinker; but if you’re not; just imagine.
If you drink decaf coffee - always or sometimes - you know the problem: you love the taste of coffee, but getting that decaf cup to taste the way you like it is just… difficult. Why is that? Does it really have to be that way?
Supply and demand
One of the reasons is quite simple: there are fewer decaf drinkers than“caf” drinkers. Most people that like the taste of coffee, also like the little kick it gives. So with less demand, there are unfortunately fewer varieties available for you, the decaf drinker.
While coffee comes in a large range of different types, beans, roasts, flavors; the options for decaf coffee are quite basic. In your coffee shop, you might only have one type to “choose” from rather than the 5 different roasts and custom flavorings. In your supermarket, different brands typically only supply one decaf variety, which still severely limits your choice.
Destroying the bean
The other reason there are limited options for decaf is the decaffeination process itself. As we outlined in our previous posts, the decaffeination process changes the quality of the bean. In addition to removing the caffeine, some of the flavors are removed as well. Moreover, the most common methods of decaffeination use chemicals that are harsh to the bean.
As a result of decaffeination, you change the bean significantly and that changes the final taste of your bean. That’s why decaf coffee always tastes a bit - well - decaf.
Another consequence of the damage inflicted on the coffee bean during decaffeination is that it typically isn’t possible to perform lighter roasts. You can only get medium and darker decaf roasts, again limiting your choices.
Is there another way?
What if you - the self-proclaimed decaf coffee snob - would like to have the same range of choices and flavors that a “normal” coffee snob has? We’ve got you covered here at Decafino! With post-brew decaffeination, using the Decaf Pouch, you can pick whichever caffeinated coffee variety that pleases you, and makes it decaf on the fly!
Written by Valerie Bentivegna