12 Best Decaf Coffee Brands of 2020 – Buyer’s Guide

If you are looking to reduce your intake of caffeine, getting the best decaf coffee is definitely one way of going about it.

Decaf – short for decaffeinated typically contains a caffeine amount of 1% to 20%. Apart from the variance in caffeine, the difference between decaf and regular coffee is in its method of preparation.

How is Decaf Coffee Made?

Organic decaf coffee is made by extracting coffee minus the caffeine from the beans. To retain its taste and the maximum health benefits of coffee, there are three prominent extraction methods:

Conclusively, apart from a slight change in color and taste, decaf coffee beans are more or less no different than regular coffee beans.

Now, this brings us to our favorite part – the best tasting coffee beans. What roasts are they available in? What are their origins? And what brands to go for? Let’s discuss these queries in the product breakdown of our 12 best decaf coffee.

1. Starbucks Decaf Decaf Caffè Verona — 100% Arabica

The first thing you need to know about this decaf coffee is that it is ground and has a dark roast. Although if you are not a fan of bitter tasting intense notes, then you can definitely go for its other versions that include a blonde and a medium roast.

Tasting Notes

But for this section, we’d be reviewing the dark roast – bold and sweet. That’s right, this one has sweet notes of dark cocoa and is robust enough to wake up with a few sips. Without the presence of much caffeine, it sure is a good choice for you if you are looking for a dark roast decaf coffee that is full-bodied and has a strong taste.

Now let’s talk about its packaging. Fortunately for baristas, you can brew its many different forms as it is also available in:

Isn’t that a surprise? It goes by the name of Verona and is practically available in all roasts and packaging.

Moreover, as this one is packed in a bag, you need to take measures to keep it fresh. One way to do that is to store it in an airtight coffee storage container at room temperature. Apart from this, make sure you use it within a week of opening the bag.

Let’s look at the best way to brew it:

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2.  Eight O’Clock Whole Bean Coffee

Eight O’Clock is a popular brand and has all the features required for it to qualify as one of the best decaf coffee beans. Proudly labeled as “the original decaf” it has been serving great coffee for over 150 years.

I like how they use 100% arabica beans and from one bag to another their roast quality does not vary much. The bag is also available in three different roasts, so if the medium roast is too much for you, you can definitely go for something lighter with the same flavorful notes.

Typically with a pack of whole beans, you don’t have to worry about losing its freshness anytime soon but to maintain its refreshing taste Eight O’Clock has packed the beans in single serve sachets.

America’s oldest coffee manufacturers are not only concerned about delivering taste but their coffee beans are also kosher certified. Keeping in touch with the Jewish traditions, Eight O’Clock leaves no room for its customer base to be void of the best decaf coffee experience.

Decaffeinated coffee is also a good option if you are suffering from type 2 diabetes or heart diseases. As per coffee researchers, it is loaded with nutrients that reduce oxidation damage to your cells.

Decaf Health Fact: Antioxidants are quite useful in fighting off or neutralizing toxins and radicals. To our advantage, decaf coffee contains a good amount of antioxidants.

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3. Peet’s Coffee Decaf Major Dickason’s Blend

Just like Eight O’Clock, Peet is an old name among coffee manufacturers and has been functioning for over 50 years. Their experience dates back to the American Coffee Revolution which was pioneered by Alfred Peet.

So Peet here gained a big name in Berkley, CA and remained true to his coffee promises. He responsibly sourced coffee from across the world to deliver one of the best organic decaf coffee to its followers.

The coffee team by Peet consists of 9 professional roasters that make the beans in small batches manually. Peet has been working with roasters that have been doing this for over 13 years which we believe is the secret to their rich and bold taste.

To ensure that you get the freshest batch of beans, the roasters pack at night while the docker’s ship during the day. As they use the minimal amount of chemicals to keep the beans organic, you will find that each bag has a maximum expiry date of 90 days. If this isn’t a rigorous determination in making a dark roast – I don’t know what is!

Furthermore, Pete’s coffee growing regions are placed high in the mountains amid the volcanic soil which gives it a unique premium taste that is suitable to even make a decaf cold brew.

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4. Cameron’s Coffee Roasted Ground Coffee Bag

If you think all decaf coffee brands are essentially the same, you might want to rethink about Cameron’s Roasted Coffee. Granted that they all match the strength, richness, and boldness of a regular coffee, Cameron’s specialty coffee takes a lead by being fully flavored. That’s right! It has its own unique blend of butterscotch, vanilla, and caramel to tantalize your taste buds.

Cameron might not be the oldest coffee roasting company but it sure has its competitive advantage by mixing all its flavors with rum. Rum, coffee, butterscotch, vanilla, and caramel – now that’s yum.

With the promise of using 100% of Arabica beans, this ground coffee is no different than the rest in sourcing from the top 10% of beans in the world. Yikes, thinking about getting the specialty grade decaf cup keeps me up for a surprise.

Let’s talk about its other redeeming features, like freshness. To be honest, it is a far stretch to keep grounded coffee both organic and fresh. You’d definitely need to sew the bag with some chemicals to maintain its rigor, but here is the catch:

It’s a pretty neat trick actually. Cameron is straight out flinging baristas out of their jobs with this edition, not going to lie.

Between old coffee houses and modern organic blends, I would definitely choose the latter.

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5. Kicking Horse Decaf Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee

Originating from Central and South America, this Kicking Horse Coffee is a replica of its caffeinated roasts. Available in three different roasts, the one we are reviewing comes in a mild roast of 100% Arabica beans.

Prepared with sustainable sources, it has all the three popular certification labels of coffee. For instance:

To add the cherry on top, this medium roast comes in unique tasting notes of honeyed berry body, tart red currant, sugar cane, and milk chocolate. This handmade blend gives the aroma of stone fruits, vanilla beans, and a sweet syrup.

You’d be delighted to know that Kicking Horse uses its profits to empower its coffee farmers and their communities. They have specifically chosen to grow organic beans in order to inculcate the gust of smart farming that saves up nature’s resources.

The medium roast brews a deep, dark and mellow taste with a chocolaty balanced body. Some of the recommended brew for kicking horse include:

They have chosen the peaks of Canadian Rocky Mountains to roast their beans for a deeper flavor. It gives an earthy lingering finish due to the freshness of its smoky roast.

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6. Cafe Don Pablo Decaf Whole Bean Coffee

This Colombian decaf is popular for its tasting notes of sweet, rich, mild and smooth flavors. It naturally processes regular coffee beans by using swiss water. This results in a whole bean bag that is 99.9% caffeine free.

Unlike popular American blends, Cafe Don Pablo offers a medium bodied flavor with notes of citrus along with low acidity. You will get a lasting taste of a walnut and a chocolate combination.

It is a balance between a medium and a dark roast which gives it a slight caramelization of the natural sugars in the bean. Like other decaf coffee brands, Don Pablo uses 100% arabica beans in its making.

In case a medium-dark roast is way too strong for your buds, you can try the lighter roast that includes the same flavorful and tasting notes.

All in all, it’s one of the best tasting decaf coffee you can find. The trick is to select an appropriate brewing method that extracts all its rich flavors and nutrients successfully. To get the best of Cafe Don Pablo, here are some recommended brewing tips:

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7. Seattle’s Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend

Not everyone is a big fan of a strong cup of decaf. We get it. Besides the side effects of caffeine intolerance, a lot of people just can’t enjoy a bitter cup but would love to have something chocolaty and sweet. If this is you, Seattle’s Portside Blend will be a good choice for your taste buds.

One of the primary reasons for switching to decaf is the boldness and high intensity of regular coffee. Seattle, on the contrary, is hearty and well rounded. It is not full-bodied and it does not have a dark roast. With a medium consistency to its beans, Seattle offers a smooth roast that will be gentle on your tummy.

Although coffee has its many benefits for some of you, it may cause an uncalled for restlessness and jitters that last for hours. This again is a good reason for you to have a decaf that doesn’t trigger your anxiety symptoms. And with Seattle, rest assured, you can trust it to taste like good coffee while giving you just the right amount of boost to kickstart your day.

Like other decaf versions, it is manufactured by using 100% Arabica beans. Seattle might not be for you if you would like to go all barista mode with a grinder to brew out a good blend from beans. It is available in ground only, which makes it a good option for brewers who don’t have the privilege of time to grind their coffee beans.

Seattle portside blend goes through rigorous testing before packaging. The beans are sampled at three different steps before being grounded for a blend. The regular tasting checks ensure that you get the smoothest of all blends.

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8. NO FUN JO DECAF Organic Decaf Ground Coffee

Most decaf coffee brands positively advertise to blend organic roasts. While shade grown beans or beans processed through swiss water are generically considered to be organic, there is a secret to making the best organic decaf coffee. Ask a barista and you will know it is true, the rigor and robustness of a bean are measured through the roasting technique used. While many brands are hasty about sharing their roasting tips, here is what we know about No Fun Jo – it uses no added flavor.

Coffee without flavor is indeed bland, but not if you roast it by hand. The professional cupping notes of an organic coffee includes no chemicals but does give off a whiff of full-bodied notes. To be specific, it will taste like milk, chocolate and a hint of blueberries. And with No Fun Jo, you know that to be true with the first sip of coffee.

The organic process of blending by No Fun Jo isn’t just a self-proclaimed advertising story. Its originality is verified by a number of its many certified labels that add due weight to its name. To name a few, this decaf coffee is approved by:

You may not be able to get a different roast to No Fun Jo but you can get it in a single serve keurig k cups to maintain its freshness.

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9. New England Coffee French Vanilla

Enough of the American decaf coffee brands, let’s look at a European favorite. If you have had the fortune to travel to the Queen’s land, you would definitely know that from tea to coffee, British beverages have a unique taste and like a prolonged jet lag – one that you simply can’t shake off.

Like some of the oldest coffee houses in America. New England has been practicing the art of roasting for over 100 years. Their flavor French Vanilla has been coined as an afternoon blend as it has the power to energize your midday with a medium jolt. If a medium roast isn’t your choice of brew, you can try its equally famous other flavors like Colombian, Hazelnut Creme and Breakfast Blend.

Now let’s talk about its tasting notes – as named – it gives an undertone of vanilla essence which I believe adds on to its smooth texture. As it is a mix of both natural and artificial flavors, hence, you would be disappointed to know that it does use some chemicals but only those that have been approved by the Sustainable Cup Project.

The Sustainable Cup Project

New England Coffee believes in using eco-friendly methods in producing their own coffee. They have been using shade grown coffee which has led to the plantation of many trees and plants to provide just the right amount of shade to grow healthy coffee beans. Through this project, they provide valuable resources to coffee farmers so that they can use technologies that combat climate change.

The back of the pack reads ‘Gluten Free’ which is a piece of good news for you if you are looking to improve your cholesterol levels. Moreover, it might have compromised with additive flavors but New England sure chose the right bunch of beans – Arabica – that gives it it’s signature mellow taste.

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10. Bulletproof Coffee The Original Ground Decaf

If you are searching for the best instant decaf coffee on-the-go, Bulletproof Coffee will light your taste buds with just the right amount of roast. When it comes to finding organic beans, every coffee lover wants a clean process of roasting. And Bulletproof offers you just that with the Rainforest Alliance Certification to back up its organic claims.

Not only is it chemical free, but it is also a water processed decaf coffee that uses swiss water to decaffeinate the beans. While it is roasted a bit on the lighter side, it gives you flavorful notes of Cinnamon, Nectarine, Sweet Plum, Cocoa Hazelnut and Chocolate.

From CEOs to professional athletes, it packs the punch of a high-performance drink that will help you be more energetic and driven. It can replace the addition of sugars like bread, cereal and smoothies in your breakfast menu and introduce you to quality fats like Brain Octane oil and grass-fed butter. This can help you rethink your sugary meals.

Before the grinding process, the coffee roasters at Bulletproof expertly sorted, sustainably washed and mechanically dried the coffee beans to maintain their quality. They are then tested for toxins before being packed to ship to retailers. Their coffee plants are grown in high altitude mountains in Guatemala and Colombia.

You can purchase this coffee in a whole bean bag of 12 ounces or use the ground decaf to save up on time. The competitive advantage to Bulletproof is the richness of its beans in nutrients and antioxidants which boosts your performance and improves your memory.

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11. Cafe Don Pablo Honduran Marcala Gourmet Coffee

Originating from Hondura – the hub of coffee regions – this organic decaf has been processed through swiss water along with a certification of USDA Organic. It is rich in flavors with a velvety body and chocolaty undertones.

Due to its natural processing and roasting technique, this decaf coffee tastes just like the real thing without any additive flavors. It is deep, rich and has tasting notes of honey and caramel. A caramelised taste to a whole bean decaf coffee verifies the richness of its roasting method. Although, the beans appear darker than a medium-dark roast but that is only because they have been processed organically.

You can brew the perfect cup by using different methods, for instance:

Certified Organic by CCOF, this decaf coffee is GMO free which means that it has not been engineered to modify its taste through genetic means. With a natural flavor character, it uses Arabica beans and has a coffee region of over 1,000,000 coffee trees in South America.

You can purchase it in a 2 lb bag or a 5 lb bag in case you are a heavy coffee drinker. The downside though of larger bags is that the beans don’t stay fresh for long which inadvertently also decreases its shelf life.

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12. Folgers Black Silk Decaf Dark Roast Ground Coffee

Folgers black silk coffee is definitely one of the darkest roasts on our list. If you like your coffee without milk and without the addition of sugar, this is definitely your go-to drink, especially if you have a low tolerance to caffeine on top. Folgers roast four flavored beans ranging from light, medium, medium-dark and then dark. It is 99.7% caffeine free and has an aroma seal canister to lock in the roast’s scent for a fresher coffee experience.

Folgers, like other coffee makers, have been in the country for long. It is an iconic American brand that has been making fine ground coffee for over 150 years. Along with a robust taste, the texture is velvety smooth and gives a rich jolt to your taste buds. It is the cliche “wake-you-up-in-the-morning” drink that is grown in mountain regions to deliver a rich cup of delight.

To create this perfect blend, it has been perfectly balanced by roasters who have mastered this craft for decades. As Folgers does not believe in machine brewing, it uses traditional roasting methods to ensure the great quality of its batches.

Everyone in Folgers is passionate about being environment friendly and uses safe practices detailed by UTZ when purchasing green coffee. If you want to take your coffee brewing to another level, you can visit the Folgers site for multiple jaw-dropping coffee recipes like the easy mocha mousse, grilled coffeehouse asparagus and cinnamon spiced iced tea.

It comes in different packaging of 10.3 ounces, 20.6 ounces, and 30.9 ounces to suit your coffee needs.

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Editor’s Pick – Recommended Best Decaf Coffee

A good marker of a decaf coffee is its regularity with freshness and taste when compared with regular coffee. As most coffee brands lose coffee’s natural flavors during the decaffeinating process, hence, it was a surprise to come across a bag of Jo Coffee. For the reasons listed below, No Fun Jo stands out among its counterparts as the best decaf coffee for us:

With this said, No Fun Jo also hires the certified home brewers that are responsible for keeping the water temperature controlled and have a good eye on the brewing time. As their abilities to brew in accordance with the SCA Golden cup recommendations go unmatched, they have been given a number of certified labels to approve their good taste and quality.

Buyer’s Guide to Pick the Best Decaf Coffee

Roast

Most people are of the view that decaf coffee does not taste as dark or delicious because of the absence of caffeine. Although, the theory makes sense but the intense taste of coffee actually comes from the type of roast coffee beans have. As most coffee lovers prefer a darker roast so we have more variations of dark roasts than light roasts.

Typically, decaf coffee brands have a range of four roasts starting from a light roast and going towards a medium roast, a medium-dark roast and dark roast. Depending on your preference of coffee, you can choose darker roasts for espresso and lighter roasts for lattes.

Packaging

Decaf coffee comes in different packaging. You can find them in keurig pods, instant sachets, whole bean bags and ground coffee. As there is a whole science behind the difference between pre-ground vs whole beans, it is upto you to choose one that suits your coffee needs. In case you prefer having fresh coffee each morning, you can go for single serves.

Buying ground coffee will save up on brewing time. If you happen to brew with beans, you would need to get the best coffee maker with a grinder that breaks down the beans without coffee being oxidized.

Tasting Notes

Expert roasters are able to lock in the natural flavors of coffee within the beans. This will enable your decaf coffee to taste velvety smooth with a hint of chocolate and hazelnut. If you prefer a dark roast, tasting notes of caramel is an indicator of a premium handmade roast.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Conclusion

Decaf coffee does make for a good alternative for coffee lovers who are caffeine sensitive. With endless possibilities for how you would like your coffee, it is a breakthrough for people who have been medically called off from caffeine. Just because caffeine doesn’t sit well with your immune system, it does not mean coffee can’t be a daily staple of your meals.

For a good price, you can get flavored notes, arabica beans and a multitude of roasts minus the caffeine. Talk about a win-win situation for coffee lovers. And with the products listed in the article, all of them can give you a decaf experience with a good punch to kickstart your day. If you have tried any of the products reviewed in this blog, let us know what your decaf experience has been like!