We have been mostly drinking sugarcane decaf in the evening. This is excellent with or without milk. We are running out of the decaf, will be buying a KG soon and not sure if we should try the Swiss Water this time. Which one do you guys mostly drink? Why? Are there any significant differences to the cup between these two? If Swiss Water, could you recommend a roaster please? Thx

@"LMSC"#p17458 This is excellent.....needs a long rest https://www.smithstreetcoffeeroasters.co.uk/product-page/five-archers-decaf

This is excellent too: https://www.neighbourhoodcoffee.co.uk/shop/colombia-i-cant-get-no-caffeination-2/

@"LMSC"#p17458 I think you're going to find more of a taste difference from the origin of where the decaf beans actually came from. For instance Mexican decaf beans tastes completely different to Columbian decaf. The decaf process whether sugarcane , Swiss water , organic mountain water is personal preference. I find Columbian popoyan decaf to be very chocolate-y and tastes most similar to a normal rich coffee you get at a cafe. The Mexican decaf has more of a unique orange aftertaste and tastes more third wave.

https://www.jauntygoat.co.uk/product/colombia-el-eden-decaf/ We have been enjoying this one recently.

Thanks guys. @"drdre89"#p17465 Fait point. I was wondering if the decaf process tends to alter the taste. For example, I read elsewhere the sugarcane process adds a little bit of sweetness. I am not sure where I read this though. There was also an article on Dr [Wakefield](https://drwakefield.com/news-and-views/alternative-decaffeination-methods-an-interview-with-swiss-water/) site that unlike sugarcane process, the Swiss water method is completely organic and additive free. This is an old article. @"dfk41"#p17460 That’s probably perfect. The beans may perhaps last for another 3 - 4 weeks. How long did you rest the beans? @"-Mac"#p17461 How long did you rest them please?

@"Inspector"#p17467 I mostly find Columbian decaf. The coffee beans from Guatemala, Rwanda, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador are usually a little difficult to extract. We notice them straightaway while brewing. I wonder the decaf from them would mean harder dial-in, as we any way grind the decaf beans finer than standard beans? What was your experience?

Both the neighbourhood and Smith St options linked above are great. Smith street currently have a 3 for 2 offer running on their core range if you need a lot of coffee!

@"LMSC"#p17468 I vacuum pack them 3 to 4 weeks after roasting, and from then on they become better and better. If you sign up to Smith Street news letter they send you an offer each month. This morning it popped in as but 2 get one free.....2 kilos of 5 Arches and a kilo of White Peaks.... £70, free postage but I paid £47.50

@"LMSC"#p17469 Very very easy to dial in. Probably easiest to work with so far( for decaf). Rested them 10 days though.

@"Inspector"#p17480 Added all the 3 recommendations to my decaf list. I have had too many sugarcane decaf. I am very keen to try sparkling and Swiss Water. Thx

Sugarcane or Swiss Water decaf

LMSC

MediumRoastSteam Same here. 😊

It will be good to know if there is actually a difference to the cup taste between the decaf processes.

MWJB

I tend to find the EA/Sugarcane Columbian decaf imparts a slightly malty, Caramac like flavour, but I don’t find it objectionable and the best tasting decafs I have had have all been via this process.

LMSC

MWJB I haven’t tried anything other than sugarcane. It was awesome with or without milk. We were surprised how nicely they tasted - like the normal coffee. The decaf has come a long way.

Ordered a KG of Sparkling from Smith Street!

LMSC

The Sparkling Decaf from Smith Street is awesome, thanks to @dfk41. Obviously, the EA/Sugarcane is slightly on the sweeter side.

I need to order another KG, given the resting period. I am debating between sugarcane / CO2 or Swiss Water.

Is there a go to roaster for Swiss Water decaf please ?

@-Mac How is the Neighbourhood EA decaf roasted please ? I tend to avoid anything that falls on the medium dark or darker side of the scale. I do end up with bags that fall in this space when I find it is not consistent with the description.

Thx

drdre89

I’ve also found with my sugarcane Columbian decaf beans the flavour is the best at least 3 weeks after roast date.

I made the mistake early by brewing the decaf coffee beans too early after roast date. As the flavours hadn’t developed.

LMSC

Ordered a KG of EA / Sugarcane Decaf from Neighbourhood Coffee. Paid £24. They have thrown in 250g of mystery coffee beans free! Should be interesting.

I do plan to get some swiss water decaf. Not sure who that go to roaster should be!

LMSC

-Mac This Neighbourhood is excellent! It does fall on the medium dark side. Very sweet and smooth!

First dial 90/96 temp. 26s. Made 2 more shots after this

drdre89

With decaf being this good and with the great health benefits … is there any reason to go back to caffeinated coffee despite the “get up and go” you get?

DavecUK

drdre89 I find flavour to be the main thing…decaff often seems to have had the guts knocked out of it by the decaff process.

LMSC

DavecUK decaff often seems to have had the guts knocked out of it by the decaff process.

As caffeine as the gut, which gets taken out. It doesn’t take the flavour out. This is the way we understand the decaf, is it not?

https://drwakefield.com/swiss-water-decaf-process-coffee/

drdre89

DavecUK I find flavour to be the main thing…decaff often seems to have had the guts knocked out of it by the decaff process.

I find that having a nice decaf coffee any time of the day gives me peace of mind knowing I can sleep at night 🙂💤

DavecUK

LMSC As caffeine as the gut, which gets taken out. It doesn’t take the flavour out. This is the way we understand the decaf, is it not?

Well….no, it’s not for me. My belief is that a lot of flavour is lost… Plus the fact that in general, expensive coffee doesn’t go through the decaff process.

LMSC

drdre89 I typically avoid standard coffee after 3 pm. I do find it makes a difference to the sleeping pattern.

LMSC

DavecUK expensive coffee doesn’t go through the decaff process

It doesn’t for sure.

DavecUK My belief is that a lot of flavour is lost

Really? The view from the decaf process is that the flavours are not lost, irrespective of the processing method.

If you are saying otherwise, one can no longer call it as a decaf. This also exposes other questions such as:

are we not getting the correct information from roasters?
I am sure they are equally aware of what’s lost or not lost? I really
doubt if they would completely ignore if the loss of flavour is noticeable or significant. Some may be lost and potentially not significant.
My belief is the guys may have cupped the roast - standard and decaf - and wouldn’t have noticed a major difference in flavour.
Why would you think lot of flavours is lost? How do you validate it? The expensive beans not going through the decaf process can’t be a reason Putting the expensive beans also puts up the cost. 😊

hornbyben

If you want to understand how it works here’s an article from the Royal Society of Chemistry: https://edu.rsc.org/feature/decaffeination-how-does-it-work/4013450.article

In short, the decaffeination processes are fairly selective for caffeine, but some flavour molecules are lost during the process. A decent decaf can be a very tasty drink though, and isn’t something to avoid. I do think you lose some of the complexity though.

LMSC

Some complexity, lots of flavour, some may be but not significant and many more… Another interesting area, which has an ambiguous outcome. May the point of view continue! 😊

Yeah, I saw that article already!

MediumRoastSteam

LMSC - I find decaf coffee doesn’t taste as good as the real stuff. I’m with Dave, and in my opinion a lot of flavours are lost.

I’m happy to be proven wrong, it I’m yet to find a good decaf that I like. It’s a similar comparison to non-alcoholic beer: they taste OK, but it’s just not the same taste wise.

Rave Coffee has, on their website, the “Colombian El Carmen”, both normal and sugarcane decaf. Whether they are actually the same coffee I don’t know.

LMSC

MediumRoastSteam non-alcoholic beer: they taste OK,

The difference is in the kick! This makes a huge difference MRS! I do not know if you drink beer. If you do, get a can of Brewdog’s Hazy Jane and Triple Hazy. The difference in these two us in alcohol content and flavour. I love both, but more of the triple hazy. I guess the same applies for coffee. Certain standard bag has more oomph than others - like light roasts vs medium roast. I find Brazilians are too mild. Liking a decaf is like that.

MediumRoastSteam good decaf that I like.

Please try a bag of Extract Coffee’s sugarcane decaf and Smith Street’s Five Arches. The best so far IMO.

Unless one can prove the significant loss of flavour or otherwise, neither no one is wrong. I would tend to think nothing significant is lost as opined by most of the roasters. We need a solid evidence to prove otherwise.

I am puzzled why expensive coffee beans don’t go through the decaf process. I can’t blindly assume the risk of losing lots of flavour is the reason. The decaf is an expensive process. This will make the expensive beans decaf cost prohibitive.

MWJB It’s a shame we are really limited in decaf choices.

MWJB

I’ve had a lot of awful regular coffee and some very nice decaf. Human intervention always steers the final flavour of the coffee (picking, process, roast and especially…roast). All coffees taste somewhat different, that’s why we buy different ones.

Regular coffee limits how much I like to drink, but choices in decaf don’t really make it a viable alternative to the variety available in regular coffee. But, I have gone through decaf stages, especially when a work colleague had sensitivity to caffeine.

So, in short, not all decaf leaves you wanting in the flavour stakes, but you will certainly be limited in choice. And most decaf is darker/espresso oriented.

(EA process/sugarcane decaf have usually been my preferred options).

MediumRoastSteam

LMSC Please try a bag of Extract Coffee’s sugarcane decaf

Done! 👍😊

DavecUK

MediumRoastSteam Bring some round….so I can try.

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