The short answer: decaf is coffee with the caffeine taken out before roasting. Done properly it tastes like coffee, because that's exactly what it still is.
How decaf is made
Caffeine comes out of the green beans, not the roasted ones. The beans get steamed and washed in a way that dissolves the caffeine and leaves the flavour behind, then they're dried and roasted like any other coffee. Some processes use water and carbon filters, some use CO2, some use solvents. Ours is a natural water-based process - no chemicals, no solvents.
The honest bits
- No decaf is 100% caffeine-free. To be sold as decaf at all, at least 97% of the caffeine has to come out - a typical cup holds about 2 to 5mg, against 75 to 100mg in a regular one. It's a trace, not zero. If it's a medical zero-caffeine situation, that's one for the doctor, not a coffee company.
- Old decaf deserved its bad name. Harsh old processes stripped the flavour out with the caffeine. Modern decaf is a different animal, and the roaster matters more than the method.
- Half the bad cups of decaf in the world were made with stale decaf. It's still coffee, it still needs to be fresh. Same storage rules, same grind rules.
- Brew it exactly like any coffee. Same amounts, same water just off the boil, same method. If someone tells you decaf needs special treatment, they've been drinking stale decaf.
Who it's for
Anyone who wants the taste and the ritual without the jitters. Sleep, anxiety, blood pressure, pregnancy, or just a flat white at 8pm without paying for it at 2am. A good decaf means you never have to choose between coffee and a night's sleep.
Ours is called Nae Faff. It's the pink bag. The name does what it says.