Best Decaf Coffee (Beans & Pods)

There’s not a lot of beverages more comforting than a nice cup of coffee. However, the side effects that comes with caffeine could be too much to handle. Specifically if the craving comes during the later part of the day.

>> Also read: Best Low Acid Coffee (Beans & Powder)

This is where decaf coffee comes in, the solution to provide coffee lovers with the same palatable taste of coffee without having to strip you off sleep.


Our Best Decaf Coffee Picks

1. No Fun Jo Decaf Coffee

The No Fun Jo Decaf coffee is the jack of all trades of this list. It’s gluten-free, certified by USDA Organic and offers a premium quality at an affordable price.

>> Related: Best Organic Coffee

It has a unique cupping note that includes milk chocolate and sweet blueberry. It is also available in full body and complex. Moreover, no flavorings are being added and the fruity hints are components of the beans they use.

What We Like
  • Kosher Certified and Swiss Water processed
  • USDA Organic & Fair Trade certified
What We Don’t Like
  • Slightly more acidic than other items on the list

2. Caffe Umbria Fresh Seattle Whole Bean Roasted Coffee

The Mezzanotte Decaf Blend that Caffe Umbria offers is suitable for nights when you only need the taste and not the insomniac effects of caffeine. The name “Mezzanotte” actually stands for ‘midnight’ in Italian.

>> Also read: Best Ground Coffee

With its Italian roast and low acidity, these creamy-bodied Arabica beans offer a bold blend and a smooth texture. It’s available in different flavors like the chocolate, hazelnut, and black tea.

What We Like
  • Directly-traded beans
  • Online roasting orders provided
What We Don’t Like
  • Slightly weaker taste for a medium roast

3. Seattle’s Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend

Seattle’s Best Coffee is indeed one of the best in quality of its hand-crafted brew. The beans are 100% Arabica and were sourced in Latin America. With a smooth taste and well-rounded flavor, this coffee surprisingly offers a lot for such an affordable price.

>> Related: Best Espresso Beans

There are also various blends including Portside, House, and Breakfast Blend. The brewing instructions for the medium roast coffee is included.

What We Like
  • Gas-valve packaging
What We Don’t Like
  • Only available in 12-ounce bags

4. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Decaf Keurig K-Cup pods

One of the leading roasters since 2001, Green Mountain Coffee maintained a fresh and exclusive quality by organic and fair trades with single-origin varieties. The pods are compatible with Keurig brewers, and they come in boxes of 48, 72,100, 144 and many more.

>> Related: Best Green Coffee Beans

Its aroma and hints of wood and citrus are what make it favorable for a morning cup. It’s light roasted and has zero artificial ingredients.

What We Like
  • Certified Orthodox Union Kosher (U)
  • Fair Trade certified
What We Don’t Like
  • Frequent complaints about faulty Pods

5. Maxwell House International French Vanilla Sugar-Free Decaf

Maxwell House’s coffee has been around since 1892, and they’re currently selling high-quality blended Arabica beans for both decaf and instant coffee. They are sugar-free and does not contain much calories and is a great option for diabetic coffee lovers.

Its vanilla mix provides a rich and smooth flavor that makes it a suitable creamer for hot beverages. The lightly roasted coffee doesn’t need a brewer, as it easily dissolves in hot water or milk.

What We Like
  • Its canister could be re-sealed
  • Sugar-free and low calories
What We Don’t Like
  • Contains corn syrup

6. Cafe Don Pablo Decaf Colombian Gourmet Coffee

Cafe Don Pablo’s whole beans can be used for everything from homemade espresso to French press coffee and other brewing with non-standard coffee grounds sizes.

In addition to its high-quality Colombian Supremo, it’s decaffeinated using the Swiss Water process, eliminating the need for any chemicals.

The fresh medium-dark roast coffee uses whole Arabica beans and has natural hints of caramel, citrus, and cocoa.

What We Like
  • GMO-Free
  • Also available in Light Roast
What We Don’t Like
  • Only available in large bags (2 or 5 pounds)

7.  Caribou Decaf Blend Keurig K-Cup Pods

Caribou Coffee was one of the first U.S. coffeehouses to serve 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified espresso and coffee.

>> Related: Articles on Coffee Pods & Capsules

Ranging from 32 to 96 single-serve, BPA free coffee pods, it provides full-bodied decaf blend with low acidity and a bold flavor.

Its rich spicy Indonesian beans combined with the fruity tones of Central and South American varieties give its low acidic, chemical-free decaf coffee a palatable taste.

What We Like
  • Compatible with the most recent Keurig k-cup brewers
  • Gluten and Trans-fat free
What We Don’t Like
  • Design of the Cup can be improved

8. Peet’s Coffee French Roast

Where Northern California and France meet, the French roast is a hotter and longer dark roast. This provides the coffee with a sweeter taste with notes of dry, prune fruits, while maintaining some bitter-sweetness.

Pete’s Coffee is also available in light and medium roast, and their single-serve K-Cup coffee pods come in pack of 16, 24, 32, 54 or 60 counts.

Their flavor packs woodsmoke and burnt caramel, and tastes good with cream and sugar.

What We Like
  • Fewer fats are driven off the beans (smoother French Roast)

9. Solimo Decaf Light Roast Coffee Pods

This decaffeinated Arabica coffee offers a light flavor that’s smoky and brisk. In addition to its mild intensity and nutty aroma, it’s renowned for its medium body and acidity.

It is relatively cheap price for 100 coffee pods, which come in various flavors including the Decaf Breakfast Blend. Like the Caribou coffee, it’s compatible with 1.0 and 2.0 k-cup brewers.

What We Like
  • Offers refund upon return within 1 year of purchase
  • Compostable Cups
What We Don’t Like
  • Its flavor can be on the weaker side

10. McCafe Decaf Keurig K Cup Premium Roast Coffee Pods

McCafe has been booming for the past couple of years thanks to their high quality and unique taste.

The 100% Arabica beans from Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala, account for a premium medium roast blend with a smooth flavor.

For 84 pods per pack, its price is reasonable. It’s also compatible with all Keurig 1.0 & 2.0 brewing systems.

What We Like
  • Strong aroma and smoky flavor
What We Don’t Like
  • Multiple Packs come with less than 84 pods

11. AmazonFresh Decaf Colombia Medium Roast K-Cups

Even Amazon wants a piece of the coffee industry, entering the market with its AmazonFresh decaf coffee which features pure Arabica roasted beans that are packed in the US.

Like most K-cups, these 80 single-serving pods are compatible with Keurig brewing machines. They are also available in light, medium and dark roast version.

With its citrus aroma and hints of cocoa and brown sugar, Colombia’s medium roast cups are smoothly finished.

What We Like
  • Refundable within a year of purchase
  • Offered with versatile flavors and formats

>> Bonus

12. Eight O’Clock Ground Coffee (50% Decaf)

We included an option that actually contains slight amount of caffeine. The Eight O’Clock Ground Coffee are a great option for coffee lovers who would like to have some caffeine, but so much that it may possibly messes up their sleep.( i.e. drinking towards mid/late afternoon).

It has a strong taste and an alluring aroma. The medium-roasted Arabica beans provide you with a smooth mellow taste balanced with fruity notes.

The Eight O’Clock Ground Coffee comes in a wide range of roasts, including dark Italian roast and French roast.

What We Like
  • Kosher certified
  • Budget-Friendly
What We Don’t Like
  • Poor Espresso roast

What to Consider When Buying Decaf Coffee

Here are a couple of considerations to help you in the selection of the most suitable decaf coffee that suits your preference.

Decaffeination Process

The most common category upon which you should choose your decaf coffee is the Decaffeination process. When it comes to removing most of the caffeine in the beans, it could be done either through a direct or an indirect solvent process or through the Swiss Water method.

Both the direct and indirect solvent methods involve the usage of chemicals such as ethyl acetate to remove most caffeine. However, the Swiss Water method is usually favoured by most coffee drinkers, since it’s organic and doesn’t require any chemicals to remove the caffeine.

Certifications

USDA Organic and Fair Trade labels are some of the most well-known and trusted certificates.

The USDA Organic ensures that the company abides by the suitable procedures and that the beans were likely decaffeinated using the Swiss Water method. Whereas the Fair Trade labels indicate that the manufacturers comply with the established ethical principles.


FAQ

What is the difference between decaf and regular coffee?

It’s quite obvious from the name that the major difference between the two is the caffeine content. Although decaf coffee is not entirely caffeine-free, its beans go through the distillation process, which extracts most of its caffeine content, usually no less than 97%.

Does decaf coffee affect blood pressure or cholesterol levels?

Although containing much less caffeine content, lower blood pressure isn’t strongly linked to replacing caffeinated beverages with decaf coffee.

When compared to each other, decaf does slightly lower blood pressure, but not low enough to be noted. As for cholesterol levels, there had been no notable increase when consuming decaf coffee.

Is Decaf Coffee healthy?

Yes, though even coffee has its benefits, decaf preserves that while removing some of the side effects that may come with caffeine.

Decaf coffee, like regular coffee, is rich in nutrients and antioxidants such as hydrocinnamic acids and polyphenols. These antioxidants neutralize radicals, which are reactive compounds.

This reduces oxidative damage and decreases the chances of diseases including heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. They’re also linked to reduced symptoms of heartburn, which is one of the downsides of regular coffee.


Conclusion

Although all the above-mentioned products are of high quality and provide numerous interesting features, we’d personally would go with the No Fun Jo decaf coffee if we had to pick one.

The coffee is more all-round where its naturally decaffeinated and contains no artificial flavors. It has a medium roast and fresh aroma.

For coffee lovers who prefer darker roasts, you might want to consider going for the McCafe decaf premium-roast for its strong flavor and aroma.