Long Live Decaf!

After years of trying various decaffeinated coffee—often out of necessity while working behind the bar—that left much to be desired, I finally had a breakthrough last winter when I tasted a Mountain Water Mexican Decaf that made me think, ‘I would definitely drink that again!’

It was a frosty night in Osaka, and I was craving a latte to warm my body and soul. As we passed one of our favourite local roasters, I thought, ‘Why not?’ and for the first time in ages, I ordered a decaf latte, hoping it would be decent. To my delight, it was delicious!

A few weeks later, back in the Netherlands, I was introduced to a mysterious Colombian coffee called ‘Night Owl’. The name suggested a superhero coffee, and it lived up to that expectation. With notes of blackcurrant and lemon sorbet, it was delightful as a pour-over—and I was shocked to discover that it was decaf!

Then, out of nowhere, coffee YouTuber James Hoffmann launched ‘The Decaf Project’, a tasting kit and online cupping featuring a Colombian coffee decaffeinated using three different methods. Thanks to the 50 or so roasters who participated, this kit was widely available and offered a fantastic opportunity to explore the potential of decaffeinated coffee.

It was during this time that I woke up one morning, feeling refreshed after a night of sound sleep despite having consumed numerous cups of (decaf) coffee. Scrooge-like, I suddenly felt as though I had been visited by the three ghosts of decaffeination. I was ready to change my mind and correct my biases by learning everything I could about modern decaf.

A brief history of decaf

I began my journey into the world of decaf by exploring its so-called father, German coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius, who invented the first commercially successful decaffeination process in the early 20th century. As ever, history intertwines with legend, making it challenging to uncover the truth behind Ludwig’s discoveries and motivations. Nevertheless, here is what I found on decaf’s origins.

Ludwig believed that excessive coffee consumption contributed to his father’s premature death, which catalysed his research. An incident involving a shipment of coffee beans soaked in seawater, resulting in a loss of caffeine, also inspired Ludwig’s method. One incontrovertible fact remains: the patented method. Ludwig’s process involved steaming coffee beans with a brine solution before using benzene as a solvent to extract caffeine. While effective, this method posed significant health risks, as benzene is a known carcinogen.

Fast forward to 2025, when decaffeinated coffee is being processed like never before. New decaf plants have been set up, processing tons of beans daily using traditional and innovative techniques that employ different solvents and compounds to strip the green beans of their caffeine.

For instance, the EA/Sugar Cane method uses ethyl acetate from sugarcane to remove caffeine by steaming green beans. The Swiss Water Process utilizes Green Coffee Extract (GCE), passed through rehydrated green beans. Meanwhile, the Supercritical CO2 process pumps fluid carbon dioxide through soaked green beans, a method often used for teas, cocoa beans, and specialty coffees, albeit at a higher cost. Newer methods, such as the Triglyceride Decaffeinated method using coffee oils and the Methylene Chloride (MC) method, where methylene chloride is circulated through moistened beans, are gradually entering the market, leading to unprecedented availability of decaffeinated options.

While many changes have occurred in decaffeination processes, the most significant shift in the specialty coffee world is the renewed interest in decaffeinated coffee itself. In years past, serious coffee drinkers often scoffed at decaf, considering it ‘not real coffee’; now, for the first time in my career, consumers, roasters, and influencers seem to embrace all things decaffeinated.

Things are changing

Once I learned about the various decaffeination processes, I became intrigued by how perceptions of decaf have shifted in recent years. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore this than by asking James Hoffmann a few questions. A coffee consultant, author, and YouTuber, James, with his new ‘Decaf Project’, was the perfect person to help me understand the current decaf landscape.

On a rainy winter morning, with a very caffeinated coffee in hand, I had video called James. After a brief introduction and overcoming my nervousness, I asked him what inspired the Decaf Project. In his familiar voice, James recalled his moment of realization.

‘As I got older,’ he explained, ‘I wanted to sleep better and consume less caffeine, which is why I started drinking more decaf. This shift made me realize that my understanding of decaf was insufficient; I wanted to learn more. That was the starting point of the Decaf Project.’

‘It was wonderful to give decaf a platform. Based on the responses from thousands who participated, they enjoyed it and now have higher expectations for decaf.’

Paul Sharo, owner of the Dutch roasting company Man Met Bril Koffie, shared his insights on changing consumer perceptions of decaf. Confident in these emerging trends he launched Cafe Decafe, the Netherlands’s first fully decaffeinated specialty coffee bar, for one week in April 2024. The pop-up featured six different decaffeinated coffees, available as espresso or filter.

During a brief visit to Rotterdam, I met Nine van Grondelle, a barista and marketing and outreach manager at Man Met Bril Koffie, who is also part of the Cafe Decafe team. As we enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee-sans-caffeine, Nine explained the pop-up concept.

‘We wanted to show the quality of decaf coffee and engage with its rising popularity. The idea originated with Paul, who noticed that the quality of decaf was improving and becoming popular among our customers, both in the cafe and wholesale. This inspired him to create a space dedicated entirely to decaf, and it was a success. People were enthusiastic, with some even stating that they couldn’t tell the difference between decaf and regular coffee. That’s the best feedback you could hope for!’

While new processes and growing interest were key factors in the recent popularity of decaf, I sensed there was more to the story. As James and Nine confirmed, this new wave of decaf is characterized by exceptional beans. Achieving a quality cup, however, requires a deep understanding of how to adapt roasting and brewing techniques specifically for decaffeinated beans.

Roast it good, brew it good

To delve deeper into roasting for decaf, I reached out to my friend Reuben Mardan, founder of the Australian independent roaster Sample Coffee, who had participated in the Decaf Project. After navigating the time difference, we scheduled a video call: it was late at night in Amsterdam—a perfect time for another cup of decaf—while it was mid-morning in Sydney.

‘We treat decaf slightly differently when it comes to roasting,’ explained Reuben. ‘The decaffeination process alters the bean’s structure, causing roasted coffee to age faster than non-decaffeinated coffee. For this reason, we follow a roasting protocol that develops the coffee enough to achieve sweetness and body while avoiding excessive roasting that could lead to staleness and oiliness. It’s a delicate balance between under- and over-roasting.’

When discussing roasting different decafs, he noted, ‘Before the Decaf Project, we had only worked with EA Natural (sugar cane) coffees for decaffeination. As we experimented with other processes, we found that only minor adjustments were needed between the profiles. Overall, the goals remained consistent: balancing great flavour with a reasonable ageing window.’

Having learned some basics of roasting decaf, I turned to its preparation. Despite my experience, I had yet to identify a specific pattern for modifying my recipe., so I put the question to Nine.

‘There wasn’t a specific approach at Cafe Decafe; it was a matter of conducting numerous trials and experimenting with different recipes. However, I found it essential to focus on increasing extraction. Techniques like grinding the coffee finer, raising the brewing temperature, or increasing turbulence are all beneficial. Decaffeinated coffee is generally more challenging to extract, so any method that boosts extraction is helpful.’

James, during our phone call, also shared his experiences.

‘It really depends on how the roaster approaches the beans,’ he explained when asked for tips on preparing decaf. ‘During the Decaf Project, we experimented with different coffees and found that some decaf beans required a coarser grind while others needed a finer grind. Some demanded a higher coffee-to-water ratio, and others a lower one. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. If you have a darker decaf than what your roaster typically offers, you can decrease the water temperature, but if you have a high-quality decaf roasted similarly to your usual brew, you may need to adjust the grind, but brew it just like any other coffee.’

This satisfying explanation led me to my final question: Are specific decaffeination processes related to specific flavours in the cup? Once again, James provided clarity:

‘I looked at all the data, and I can’t definitively say that one decaffeination process corresponds to one specific flavour. There was significant variation in how the coffee expressed itself across different roasting processes. I tried 12 to 15 different roast sets, and the results varied greatly. It was fascinating!’

Feeling satisfied with my findings—a solid foundation for my future experiments with decaffeinated beans—I realized there was one more thing I needed to do. Throughout my career, I had encountered many cafe owners and managers uninterested in including decaf in their coffee offerings, and I was curious to see if that sentiment had changed. Deciding whom to consult on the subject was not difficult.

The bright future of decaf

I have known Ralf Rüller since my time working at The Barn, the Berlin roastery, and I was aware of his policy against using decaf beans, preferring naturally low-caffeine varieties like Aramosa or Laurina, which contain about 0.7 and 0.2 per cent caffeine, respectively (arabica beans typically contain between 1.2 and 1.5 per cent).

Curious if Ralf’s perspective had shifted, I called him, and he was more than happy to oblige.

‘We launched our low-caf coffees in 2018 during the World of Coffee expo in Amsterdam,’ Ralf recalled. ‘Before that, we had never offered decaffeinated beans, and we haven’t since. While processing has evolved, resulting in better decaffeinated beans, I still believe that the natural product offers a superior taste. The heavy processing involved in decaffeination stresses the beans, compromising their flavour.’

Ralf then shared his thoughts on tasting decaffeinated beans.

‘I try decaf regularly and have tasted some interesting Colombian Sugar Cane decafs. However, to me, they still taste too sweet, and I miss the clarity of flavours that I prioritize when selecting beans to showcase at The Barn. Yes, the taste of decaf is improving, but my mind remains unchanged: decaf is still a heavily processed coffee where the clean flavours of the earth and terroir are often obscured. That’s not what we aim for at The Barn. I believe that Aramosa and Laurina are excellent alternatives for those looking to avoid a high dose of caffeine.’

This perspective highlights that even the staunchest critics of decaf acknowledge improvements in its quality, suggesting a promising future for lesser-caffeinated options.

As Reuben stated, ‘Decaf is gaining attention and respect, similar to non-alcoholic drinks. People are becoming more open to these consumption styles, likely due to health and lifestyle concerns. Some want to limit caffeine intake, while others cannot consume it at all, yet many still appreciate the taste and ritual of coffee. Moreover, some are simply curious and willing to explore decaf as part of their coffee journey. Since we started offering decaf in 2014, we have noticed an increase in quality, probably due to better harvesting and processing methods, more precise roasting, and greater knowledge of brewing methods. When something is good, word of mouth spreads.’

A bright future awaits the specialty coffee world if we approach it correctly, as James noted before I rang off.

‘Decaf represents an opportunity for the industry. Caffeine is one of the most popular legal and unregulated substances globally, yet most people have no idea how much they take. When we take a legal prescription or drink alcohol, we know exactly how much we are consuming, but caffeine is different; even after 20 years in coffee business, many still don’t know how much coffee they actually drink. As we pay more attention to our sleep and health, we need to address our caffeine intake. It’s crucial for the coffee industry to move forward on this issue. Once people understand their caffeine consumption, many may choose to cut back. We could lose them as customers, or we could offer an alternative: ‘You don’t have to drink caffeine! You can still enjoy a delicious cup of coffee that doesn’t compromise on taste or, for that matter, interfere with your eight hours.’

After all that, I am happy to have discovered that not only decent but truly delicious decaf exists, and long may it live!

And peacefully may I sleep!