If you've ever struggled to find a really good decaf, you're not alone. It’s one of the main reasons I created Decaf Before Death. While specialty coffee has come a long way, decaf still lags behind in availability, variety, and perception. But why?
It’s All About The Money (Decaf Costs More)
Good decaf isn’t just an afterthought, it’s an investment. Good specialty-grade decaf beans are high-quality, carefully processed, and then undergo additional decaffeination processing. That’s already two rounds of work before the roaster even gets their hands on them.
Depending on the method used, decaffeination happens in different places:
- Some beans are decaffeinated at origin, reducing transport costs but introducing other challenges (delays, infrastructure, and additional processing costs). For example, increasing decaf demand is currently causing delays at Descafecol (decaffeination plant in Colombia) meaning producers are left waiting much longer than usual for their lots to be decaffeinated.
- Others are sent to decaffeination centres in other countries, requiring even more logistics and added costs. For example, a Colombian coffee might be sent to Canada to be decaffeinated by Swiss Water Process. That’s a long and costly journey!
For roasters, this presents a dilemma. They could buy a higher-scoring regular coffee for less money — so why invest in a decaf that costs more and might not even sell well? Most will opt for the safe choice: a single decaf offering, often a chocolatey, nutty profile, roasted to please the widest audience.
Things are changing slowly. More roasters are recognising the demand for quality decaf, but with the rising cost of coffee overall, will decaf see the same innovation as regular coffee, or will it remain stuck in the background?
Fewer Choices, Fewer Risks Taken
Even if a roaster wants to offer something different, the options just aren’t there. Yes, there is more choice than ever before but we still have a long way to go…
Most producers only process one decaf at a time, if at all.
Roasters, in turn, often offer one decaf option, choosing the most "traditional" flavour profile to appeal to the average consumer. For many people, coffee that tastes like coffee is preferable to floral and fruity notes often sought by specialty drinkers.
That’s why the same types of decaf appear on menus everywhere (e.g., Colombian washed EA field blend). These are reliable, but they don't reflect the full potential of decaf.
Specialty decaf drinkers, the ones who enjoy fruitier, lighter-roasted, or experimental coffees, are often neglected. If a roaster is only going to stock one decaf, they’ll go for something that’s a “crowd-pleaser,” meaning the more adventurous side of decaf remains unexplored.
It’s exciting to see a handful of producers and roasters taking risks — processing experimental decafs, offering multiple options, or treating decaf with the same care as regular coffee — but it’s still far from the norm.
The Stigma Still Exists
Let’s be honest: decaf still has a perception problem. Try searching for Decaf Before Death and you’ll be met with loads of results celebrating death before decaf instead… Even within specialty coffee, some baristas, roasters, and consumers often treat it as second-rate.
It’s not just bias, there are technical reasons decaf is harder to roast and brew well:
- Roasting: Decaf beans roast differently, requiring a more tailored approach. Many roasters don’t develop custom decaf profiles, leading to dull or overdeveloped flavours.
- Brewing: Decaf extracts differently, but most brewing guides don’t account for this, meaning many people aren’t getting the best out of their decaf.
- Consumer education is another issue. Many people still think decaf is low-quality or "chemically processed" and bad for you, even though the reality is far more nuanced. Specialty coffee has done a brilliant job educating people about processing methods, roast styles, and brewing techniques but decaf is rarely part of that conversation.
What’s Next for Decaf?
Despite all this, there are clear signs of change:
- More roasters are investing in decaf, offering multiple options rather than just one default choice. There’s also a growing number of decaf roasters! You know who you are and thank you!
- Producers are experimenting. Los Nogales in Colombia, for example, is working on mucilage EA decaffeination, and more farms are growing coffee specifically for decaf rather than using lower-grade beans.
- Consumer attitudes are shifting. More people now drink decaf not just because they have to but because they want to, whether for health reasons or simply to enjoy more coffee throughout the day. Seeing coffee influencers openly advocating for better decaf definitely helps in this. A good example is the decaf project by James Hoffman which changed people’s perception on decaf all over the world.
As the price of coffee continues to rise1, however, what will happen to decaf? Will producers continue to invest in it? Will roasters expand their offerings, or will decaf remain a niche within specialty coffee?
For now, if you want help in your search for great decaf, try our subscriptions :)
