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Brands of Decaf

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Many people associate decaf coffee with bad taste. This distaste is often caused by the common caffeine extraction methods. There are two most commonly used methods of decaffeination: First, chemicals are used to draw the caffeine and flavors out and then the flavors are subsequently soaked back into the beans. The second is to use carbon-dioxide-infused sparkling water to decaffeinate the beans. What it comes down to is that essential flavors and oils are taken out and then soaked back into the beans before they are roasted. These methods always treat the coffee bean while it is still green. This can affect overall taste, and each method produces a different flavor range.

There is good news, however, for those who are exempt from the intake of caffeine but still love their cup o’ Joe in the morning or after meals. Many coffee brands don’t actually sacrifice flavor, aroma and taste in their decaffeination process. Since the best coffee is the best tasting and smelling, manufacturers have been hard at work to present an affordable and delicious alternative to whole coffees. One thing to consider before diving in and trying out most of these alternative brands is price. What are you willing to spend for a great-tasting cup of decaffeinated coffee?

Some brands that offer great decaf alternatives are Eight O’clock Decaf Coffee, which is listed in Consumer Search as one of their favorite picks, and Wal-Mart’s 100% Arabica Great Value Decaffeinated coffee, which was blind-tested and received great reviews. For those who do not shop at the superstore, there are private growers and producers of decaf coffee. Maverick’s, from Visalia, CA, processes and roasts their own beans, and is known as a rich, full-bodied decaf. In San Francisco, you have Peet’s Major Dickason’s Decaf. They use a chemical-free process and never over-roast their beans.

Dunkin’ Donuts has a decaf coffee that seems to please the masses. Newman’s Own, a company that Paul Newman started using all natural ingredients would be a nice change. Gevalia, which is a mail-order coffee and tea provider, apparently has a wonderful decaf blend, along with different flavors for their decaf coffees. Mexican decaf coffees usually are processed with chemicals, but they seem to retain a lot of body and aroma in the roasting process. When you brew a Sumatran decaf in a French press you can get a very rich and full-bodied cup.

A higher price doesn’t always necessarily mean better taste. You should always read the labels and do your research. If you’d rather have the more natural decaffeination process over solvents, then that’s your match. Just be wary; there is still caffeine in the coffee you brew. There are not strict rules about how much caffeine can be in coffee products from the Food and Drug Administration.

Decaffeinated coffee does not have to be something you grimace before drinking. A cup of decaf really can be as good as a cup of caffeinated coffee. Just shop around, research online, and best of all, ask others who have been consuming it. Usually, a heavy coffee drinker who has had to switch will tell you which one they discovered that gives them the satisfaction they had before.

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