Good, strong decaf?

[Epy]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some recommendations for some decent decaf. I'm quite fond of Starbucks' Caffe Americano and find myself going out and getting this frequently because just about every kind of decaf I've bought is either tasteless, nasty, or watery (mostly k-cups). I am also quite fond of long black, which I understand is very similar to a caffe americano. And yes, I've tried simply decreasing the amount of water used / increasing grounds, and most everything just tastes off when compared to normal coffee. Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

-Jake

 

[slurp]

Most of us artisan roaster offer a decaf. Try to find a local roaster that supplies it. Of coarse Center Stage Coffee decaf is the best

 

[justplaincoffee]

Hi Epy (Jake) My husband went through something earlier this year when we thought caffeine in general was a problem for him. We began roasting our own decaf and actually have a small following. It's good (I think it's good and I really don't like decaf!!) and we roast it in a medium or a dark roast. Try to find a local roaster who is using non-chemically treated decaf. (we consume enough chemicals already!) or let us know if we can help.

 

[peterjschmidt]

The MC (chemical used in decaffeination) has a really low boiling point, 250* or so, so by the time the roast is finished all the chemical has dissipated.

 

[Ebert989]

Agree with you Peter. Well I've never really liked Decaf though.

 

[mmmcoffee85]

I agree with slurp and justplaincoffee... depending on where you are located, try checking out some of your local roasters and I bet you will find what you are looking for. I am blessed to live in Coffee Town USA (Seattle, WA) so finding a good roast is easy for me. If you can't find what you are looking for locally, a lot of the roasters make their beans available online for purchase, and most of the prices are pretty reasonable. Plus they usually ship within a day or two of roasting, so your always getting a fresh bag of beans.

 

[slurp]

When selecting a Decaf Coffee make sure it is Swiss Water, this process uses no chemicals. Topher and I both roast with Swiss Water decaf, there is a noticeable difference in the taste.

 

[topher]

When the chemical dissipates...is there any concern for the person roasting? I have always wondered this. I switched to SWP when I was using an old Royal that was built in 1896. That thing kicked off so much smoke! I switched because I wasn't sure and couldn't get any answers from the company I was buying my MC decaf from. I will say this, SWP has come a long way. When I first used it the beans were very dark and it was hard to roast anything light or even medium. Their new process has the beans looking almost as green as non decaf coffee.

 

[peterjschmidt]

I've read, and been told, that the boiling point of the MC chemical used in the decaffeination process is ~250* and that it completely dissipates before the end of the roast. I also found that on several occasions, the MC decaf beans retained a tad more of their original flavor, even though it was never a controlled experiment where I had the exact same lot that used both decaffeinating processes.

 

[ensoluna]

hey peter. off this subject. but i think that we will be cupping your two coffees that I got from you.
however, your two samples will go against two Geisha samples (one DP and other WP) that I picked up from Acatenango.

Dont worry, i will make it sure to give you extra +3 point on top of +2 point you asked for since the beans are two weeks old.
ha ha ha.

thanks Peter