Estimated studying time: 7 minutes
Key takeaways
- Decaf drinkers select espresso purely for style, not caffeine.
- Demand is rising quick, however provide is struggling to maintain up.
- Decaffeination processing is bettering, however roasters and low retailers must pay equal consideration to high quality.
- A high quality decaf espresso providing is a worthwhile funding.
Decaf was as soon as the afterthought of the espresso trade. For a lot of its historical past, the class had a status for poor-quality inexperienced espresso, aggressive chemical processing, and over-roasted beans. Behind the bar, baristas not often awarded it the identical consideration as caffeinated espresso, leading to overly bitter flavours.
However the “dying earlier than decaf” sentiment appears to have pale lately. Decaf coffees are successful US Brewers Cups and now have their very own subcategories at roasting competitions.
That mentioned, roasters and low retailers worldwide can nonetheless overlook decaf too simply. As James Hoffmann mentioned on A Diary of a CEO: “The nice frustration of decaf is that decaf drinkers are usually very poorly served by the espresso trade.
“They’re the purest espresso client, really, as a result of they simply need the flavour,” he continued. “They don’t even need the caffeine.”
As decaffeination vegetation put money into amenities to scale and enhance processing strategies, it’s essential to ask whether or not roasters and low retailers are maintaining with the brand new requirements for decaf.
You may additionally like our article on why the demand for decaf is rising.
Demand for decaf is rising, however provide can’t sustain
As youthful shoppers drive the development of all-day espresso consumption, the will to observe caffeine consumption is growing. Euromonitor Worldwide’s most up-to-date Voice of the Shopper: Shopper Well being report discovered that self-reported curiosity in lowering or eliminating caffeine reached a report excessive in 2024, with 46% of respondents reporting it.
Because of this shoppers select decaf purely for flavour slightly than for a caffeine repair – a degree many roasters and cafés usually overlook.
“I agree that decaf is commonly neglected, however I feel that is altering slowly as demand will increase,” says Bee Southworth, Espresso Partnerships and Coaching Supervisor at North Star Espresso Roasters in Leeds, UK.
Demand for decaf is rising worldwide. The Nationwide Espresso Information Traits Spring 2025 report exhibits that decaf’s share of US espresso consumption rose from 9% in 2024 to 12% in 2025. In Europe, Mintel experiences that one in 5 UK espresso drinkers recurrently chooses decaf, whereas the Asia-Pacific market is rising the quickest.
However provide can’t maintain tempo, significantly in Colombia. Merchants will usually ship increased volumes than normal to safe decaffeination slots, which might create bottlenecks and backlogs, risking a drop in freshness and high quality.
These unable to order slots at Descafecol, Colombia’s principal decaffeination plant, might ship espresso to Mexico, North America, or Europe for decaffeination earlier than importing it again to Colombia. Inevitably, this provides price, time, and carbon emissions at each stage of the provision chain, making decaf a costlier providing for roasters and shoppers.
To keep away from further prices and retain worth, the temptation is to chop corners by sending previous crop or lower-quality espresso for decaffeination processing. Some facility operators are additionally hesitant to put money into main capability growth, unsure whether or not the surge in decaf demand is everlasting or might reverse.
Decaffeination processing has improved
As merchants and roasters use higher-quality inexperienced espresso for his or her decaf choices, high quality has genuinely improved lately. Decaf processing strategies additionally play a key function on this. There are 4 principal approaches: solvent-based strategies utilizing methylene chloride or ethyl acetate; the Swiss Water Course of; the Mountain Water Course of; and CO2 extraction.
The Swiss Water Course of is likely one of the hottest. Processors soak inexperienced beans in an answer containing all espresso compounds besides caffeine, permitting caffeine emigrate out naturally whereas the beans retain their flavour and aroma compounds.
The Mountain Water Course of makes use of an analogous method, however the plant’s location in Mexico gives producers, exporters, and roasters in Latin America a geographical benefit.
In the meantime, the CO2 course of introduces carbon dioxide at excessive stress, making a fluid that extracts caffeine with minimal influence on flavour. Since CO2 is a naturally occurring compound, it leaves no chemical residues behind.
“Our home Brazilian espresso is CO2 decaffeinated to make sure it’s sourced consistent with our coverage and shopping for ethics, and to maintain high quality excessive,” Bee says. “We even have traceability on the decaffeination course of, and this looks like the best way ahead for roasters to enhance high quality.
“I don’t overly have a desire for one decaf processing technique, as I feel they’ve all improved from the outdated ‘chemical’ style,” Bee provides.
The ethyl acetate or sugarcane course of has additionally turn out to be extra common lately, significantly with Colombian beans, however many contemplate ethyl acetate to have the best influence on a espresso’s unique style among the many obtainable strategies. Even so, the winner of the 2024 US Brewers Cup used ethyl acetate processing, displaying that the tactic can produce excellent outcomes when utilized to distinctive inexperienced espresso.
Are roasters and low retailers investing sufficient in decaf?
Traditionally, the perceived decrease high quality of decaf espresso was the most important issue limiting its market potential. At the moment, nonetheless, roasters world wide provide a rising vary of decaf, half-caf, and low-caf choices, acknowledging the shifts in consumption habits and catering to them.
In December 2024, James Hoffmann hosted the Decaf Mission, an interactive, side-by-side tasting of the identical espresso decaffeinated utilizing three completely different strategies: the CR3 Carbonic Pure CO2, ethyl acetate/sugarcane, and Swiss Water. The coffees had been despatched to native roasters worldwide and shared with members within the stay tasting, additional demonstrating how far high quality has elevated.
However as decaf processing continues to enhance and extra shoppers look to decrease their caffeine consumption, roasters and cafés ought to rethink how they roast and serve these coffees.
Beginning with higher-quality inexperienced espresso makes an apparent distinction. Some manufacturers have traditionally used cheaper, lower-quality robusta for decaf, regardless of its increased caffeine content material in comparison with arabica. Utilizing single origin arabica coffees that may be traced again to farm stage offers the extent of transparency that many decaf shoppers now demand.
Roasting & brewing decaf
Roasters want to contemplate that decaffeinated beans behave otherwise throughout roasting. The decaffeination course of opens up the bean’s mobile construction, which implies it absorbs warmth sooner and might tip in direction of over-roasting extra simply than caffeinated inexperienced espresso, in response to Candy Maria’s. Moisture additionally escapes extra simply throughout roasting, and extra oils will rise to the floor post-roast, so roasting to a lighter profile might assist retain extra flavour.
Decaf espresso additionally stales extra shortly, so shopping for smaller portions extra usually can keep freshness.
Baristas must also be correctly skilled in making ready decaf. As a result of the bean’s cell construction is extra open after processing, decaf extracts barely sooner than caffeinated espresso. Small changes to grind dimension, barely coarser than for caffeinated espresso, can forestall over-extraction and bitterness.
With most cafés solely having one decaf espresso possibility, Bee suggests increasing decaf choices. “Having a decaf filter possibility can be nice,” she says.
Investing in a top quality decaf providing doesn’t require an entire menu overhaul. It means sourcing high-quality inexperienced espresso, processing it at trusted decaffeination vegetation, roasting it with the identical care as different coffees, and coaching baristas to brew it appropriately.
The fee distinction is manageable, and the impression it leaves on shoppers who select decaf as a result of they care about flavour, slightly than a caffeine repair, is critical.
Want extra leads on your espresso enterprise? Get in contact with PDG Media, our advertising company devoted to specialty espresso, right here.
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