20 Must Try Decafs! Gevalia, Starbucks, Bulletproof and More!

Often I hear people exclaim in surprise that a decaf tastes good. Often it happens when I sneak it into the coffee maker at a party or the office! Personally after drinking dozens of decafs I think the days of bad Sanka like decaf are long gone. It’s a new frontier of coffee buyers sourcing beans from sustainable bird friendly small farms, gentle decaf processes like supercritical CO2 then micro roasting to perfection with coffee roasters with more computing power than the Apollo moon missions!

Which decafs taste like regular? Seattle’s Best, Starbucks House Decaf, Gevalia, Charleston, or Caffe Umbria are all outstanding choices. All offer great flavor that won’t disappoint even the biggest caffeine snob. Read on for my list of 20 decafs that taste like regular!

8 O Clock Decaf

This one is one of the highest ranked decafs on Amazon! This is one of the few decafs that you can readily get in whole bean form in the supermarket. Whole bean style is preferred because it keeps coffee fresher longer and it allows me to custom grind to my process like french press or percolator.

I brewed this coffee in both my french press and autodrip for comparison. I found it very similar between methods with not a big difference. My french press version was slightly more watery but that might have been too little coffee. Overall I would describe this as smooth, fruity, with a cocoa undertone. I might have noted a melon flavor in the french press version as well.

How is 8 O Clock decaffeinated? It is decaffeinated with the Methylene Chloride direct method and not sourced through fair trade. This coffee does carry the circle U kosher marking.

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Fruit, Cocoa
Notes: info from company, caffeine <5mg/8oz

Laws Coffee

You may or may not have heard of the small New Jersey based company of Laws Coffee. I first had Laws coffee when I was in college. They served it in the little deli next to the university. I would go there every morning and get a nice hot cup of Laws coffee to take to class to study calculus, heat transfer, finite element and many other challenging subjects!

I brewed this coffee in my autodrip and found it to be pleasant medium/dark roast that is slightly nutty, roasty and sweet. This coffee will always hold a special place in my cupboard and bring me back to days in college!

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride/Direct Method
Certifications: None
Kosher: No
Flavors: Nutty, Roasty
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Caffe Umbria

I first had this coffee during my first trip to Seattle on a coffee tour. It was instantly my favorite coffee of the whole tour. I remember our tour group sat right next to the antique roaster enjoying a espresso.

I have brewed this just about every way I can except for straight up eating it! This is a big dark earthy coffee tastes of macadamia nut with aromas of roasty dark chocolate. It’s a deep caramel/amber color that reminds you of a great stout beer. One of the best I’ve had!

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride/Direct Method
Certifications: None
Kosher: No
Flavors: Macadamia Nut, Dark Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging and company

Dunkin Donuts

Okay a lot of people are either going to nod their head or have no idea what Dunkin Donuts is. Mostly an east coast coffee donut chain their slowly expanding across america and many foreign countries. That said Dunkin coffee is generally either praised or maligned. I think it stems from many workers holding the coffee too long or not brewing it right. The one I used to go to always had the best coffee!

DD decaf uses the Ethyl Acetate decaf process for their coffee. As well in their email to me they mentioned that they source their coffee from responsible growers who are verified to be compliant with human rights, environmental practices, and safety. As well since 2016 they have sourced 10 percent of their coffee from certified green sources such as Rainforest alliance.

I brewed this in my autodrip and found it a solid medium roast coffee with a citrus like character that was roasty. I did detect a phenolic character to it. Some have criticized Dunkin Donuts coffee for having a phenolic taste but I found it very subtle. Phenolic flavors can originate in chlorinated water which is all of municipal water supplies in America. It likely is not even from the coffee. I would have to brew it again with filtered water.

Decaf Process: Ethyl Acetate/Direct
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Citrus, Roasty
Notes: Info from company

No Fun Jo

Also considered one of the best decafs to buy No Fun Jo is a great medium roast that is citrus like with mild bitterness, notes of milk chocolate and walnut. Also of interest this is an organic, fair trade, Swiss Water Process decaf and is Kosher. This was definitely an enjoyable one for me but perhaps slightly too lightly roasted for my tastes. If you like a more mild decaf this might be a great one for you!

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Organic, Fair Trade
Kosher: CRC Triangle
Flavors: Milk Chocolate, Walnut
Notes: Info from website/packaging

New England Breakfast Blend

Another autodrip brew this one was perhaps the lightest and most mild I have tried. It was earthy and grapefruit like with hints of leather and notes of date. I originally didn’t appreciate a good leathery coffee but have come to really enjoy that flavor. It is not what you would naturally expect to like but I do! Give it a try you might start to enjoy it too!

I also formally cupped this with the SCAA method and also noted a very faint hint of rust, which I found strange and interesting.

Decaf Process: Ethyl Acetate/Direct
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Citrus, Roasty
Notes: Info from company

Peets Major Dickasons Decaf

I brewed this one in the formal SCAA cupping process (or my best attempt at it anyway). This was a hearty dark roast worthy of trying for sure! The aromas of earth and cocoa are huge. It keeps this up with a welcome heavy flavor of roasty cocoa with mild bitterness.

This coffee is decaffeinated using the Methylene Chloride method. While the decaf coffee doesn’t offer any certifications like bird friendly, Peet’s does offer coffees (not decafs) that do carry fair trade, rainforest alliance, and bird friendly certifications. Check out their website for more info, and let them know you want decaf that is bird friendly!

Decaf Process: Ethyl Acetate/Direct
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Citrus, Roasty
Notes: Info from company

Don Pablo Decaf

This is another highly rated Swiss Water Process decaf, that most people really love. I found it to welcome you with a nice aroma of dark chocolate and sweet fruit like cherries. Tasting it revealed a smooth, earthy, mild coffee with lots of dark chocolate flavor. As an added bonus this comes in whole bean form allowing you to custom grind it to suit your favorite brewing method!

As well Don Pablo runs a sharing certified program to share profits with growers who meet labor and environmental benchmarks. This is also one of the best values of all the coffees I have tried and it is offered in whole bean form to grind to your liking! Not to mention their customer service was awesome, emailing me back in less than 10 minutes!

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Sharing Certified
Kosher: No
Flavors: Earth, Dark Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging and company

Volcanica Costa Rica Decaf Tarrazu Coffee

Definitely one of the most unique coffees on the list! This coffee originates in Costa Rica in the Tarrazu mountain regions grow in volcanic soil. This is a great coffee that I really enjoyed. I found it to be bright and citrus like with flavors of earth, leather, figs with a medium body. This is a Swiss Water Process decaf as well as Rainforest Certified and Fair trade!

Volcanica also has many great resources on their website like how to brew the perfect cup or the history of coffee growing in Costa Rica. As well they seem to be very dedicated to making coffee a sustainably and responsibly farmed product. I really liked to see that they donate 1% of their profits to Charity Water, an organization dedicated to bringing clean water to everyone in the world.

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Sharing Certified
Kosher: No
Flavors: Earth, Dark Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging and company

Koffee Kult

This is another of the highest rated decafs I’ve found. Most reviews I have read of this coffee describe it as smooth and very flavorful. When I sampled it I found it to have a heavy flavor of pipe tobacco and I found it overwhelming. I purchased another bag and formally sampled it alongside Community Cafe Special decaf adn the results were surprising!

I was so wrong in my first tasting of this coffee! I did still get aromas of pipe tobacco and bakers chocolate. It had a great flavor of fruit possibly either cherries or strawberry I couldn’t decide. It had a smooth body and was well balanced overall.

This is a Swiss Water processed decaf and has approximately 2 mg of caffeine per 8 oz cup. It also is an organic coffee, fair trade certified, and KV Check kosher. This is one of the most expensive decafs on my list though!

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Rain Forest, Organic, Fair Trade
Kosher: KV Check
Flavors:Pipe Tobacco, Berries
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Charleston SWP Decaf

This was definitely a dark horse of decafs for me. I picked this up at random and found it to be a really great dark roast decaf. The aroma of the grounds is reminiscent of pipe tobacco and dried fruit, exquisite! The flavors that hit you up front are tobacco, earth, smoke, cocoa, walnut and dark chocolate! Wow this one is packed with flavors and nuances! This is a Swiss Water Processed decaf as well.

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications:
Kosher:
Flavors: Tobacco, Smoke, Cocoa, Walnut
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Starbucks House Blend Decaf

Another personal favorite of mine. Flavors of earth, mushroom or dark chocolate but sweet and slightly floral make this a great coffee. This coffee is decaffeinated using the Methylene Chloride direct method. It does not carry any certifications like rainforest or fair trade. For more information read my full article on Starbucks and the decaf process here!

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride/Direct Method
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Earthy, Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging, Conservation International marking

Seattle’s Best Portside Decaf

This is probably my favorite everyday coffee. This is a very fine grind coffee and not the best for aeropress actually. It works but I find it usually clogs up and is really difficult to press.

This a great decaf for everyday use. It’s got a great flavor of complex dark chocolate with a syrupy body. This is a direct method Methylene Chloride decaf and does not carry any certifications such as Rainforest or Fair Trade.

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride/Direct Method
Certifications: None
Kosher: No
Flavors: Dark Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging and company

Mccafe Decaf

McDonalds is obviously a very big name but do they live up to it with big flavor? I brewed this as a back to back comparison for my Percolator taste test article here. Overall I found McCafe to have aromas of pipe tobacco and leather with sweet spices. It had an overall flavor of being roasty or burnt but with good balance of brown spices mainly clove. McCafe Decaf does carry the Circle U kosher markings.

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle K
Flavors: Pipe Tobacco, Leather, Sweet Spice
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Bulletproof Decaf

It’s not a coffee it’s a lifestyle 😉 OK seriously though! BUllet coffee is a little different because its markets as a health drink, when combined with grass fed butter and Bullets Octane oil for a coffee smoothie. The beans are tested for approximately 27 different toxins to make sure the coffee is clean. I didn’t know there were 27 toxins to worry about in my coffee!

This is a unique coffee on the list as it is certified mold/toxin free as well as being Swiss water processed, and Rainforest certified. A blend of Guatemala and Colombia beans.

The aroma was of dried fruit and figs. Tasting it you are welcomed with a high bitterness leathery but sweet and sugary coffee almost like a marshmallow. It has a nice medium body like 2% milk.

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Rain Forest
Kosher: No
Flavors: Leather, Marshmallow
Notes: Info from website/packaging, tested for 27 mold toxins

Community Special Dark Decaf

Mint explosion!! Holy mint-a-roo!! I formally cupped this coffee alongside Koffee Kult and was I surprised. Just to be clear the mint isn’t a bad flavor, I really like mint. I did also think perhaps a bit of cedar at one point as well. It was just surprising how big and noticeable it was. I found the aromas to also be of mint and perhaps cocoa powder, as well it had a syrupy or 2% milk body.

I have used this as an everyday coffee a number of times and never noticed it. As you sample more coffee and refine your tastes you start to notice things differently and can describe them more. This is a prime example of that.

Community coffee uses the methylene chloride direct method decaf process on their beans. Also they do not carry any certifications for their coffee. Finally the website listed the caffeine content at approximately 3mg/6 oz cup.

Decaf Process: Methylene Chloride/Direct Method
Certifications: None
Kosher: No
Flavors: Mint, Cedar
Notes: Info from website/packaging, caffeine <3mg/6 oz cup

Gevalia Decaf

Gevalia coffee is a light to medium roast coffee that has great flavor. This was also one of the few coffees I found that is certified Kosher for passover.

The decaf process seems to be using the supercritical CO2 method which is the only example of this I could find. A very interesting process that promises big flavors with little caffeine but not many companies have gone this direction.

They also offer a Hazelnut and Breakfast blend decaf as well!

Decaf Process: Super critical CO2
Certifications: None
Kosher: Circle K P
Flavors:
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Caribou Decaf

Caribou coffee lists it as a syrupy body with flavors of sweet spice and berries with a cocoa or cedar finish! I found that very accurate wIth flavors of brown spices like nutmeg with mild bitterness and a creamy body. THis is a great decaf that is an everyday drinker.

This is a “naturally decaffeinated” coffee from Indonesia. Also this coffee carries the Rainforest Certified seal and is certified Kosher.

Decaf Process: Natural Water Process
Certifications: Rain Forest
Kosher: Certified Kosher Parve
Flavors: Sweet Spice, Cedar, Berries
Notes: Info from website/packaging and company

Newman’s Own Special Decaf

Ok I’ll be honest I have had this coffee many times before but didn’t get a chance to sample it formally again. I will and update this section with my findings!

That said this is an organic coffee, fair trade certified and Kosher coffee. Based on my research any coffee that carries the organic logo should be processed by the Swiss water process method (due to organic labeling laws in the US). I was unable to find out of the Supercritical CO2 method counts as that uses CO2 and should not count as a chemical to process the beans.

A medium roast blend of Indonesian and central American beans this is bound to be a really tasty pick!

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: Organic, Fair Trade
Kosher: Circle U
Flavors: Earthy, Chocolate
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Fresh Roasted Colombian Decaf

Ok, you can buy the green beans but I can’t be your personal coffee roaster (not yet anyway). Self roasted by me using the cast iron pan method! Obviously your mileage will vary having to self roast this coffee. I found my roast to be a light medium with very mild roast flavor. I probably need to roast this one longer next time, I prefer a darker roast. I found these beans to be amazingly fresh and roasted really nicely overall. These beans were processed using the Swiss water process.

Decaf Process: Swiss Water Process (SWP)
Certifications: No
Kosher: No
Flavors: However you roast it!
Notes: Info from website/packaging

Wrap Up

Hope this helps your coffee buying decision. As I learned from researching this article, coffee is more than just where the beans are grown or by who. It’s a giant process that has many aspects, like being bird friendly or Fair trade, that become inseparable in the final product. It almost becomes an ideology about where and who to buy from. Hopefully this article helps with that decision. Check out my resources page for a handy table of all these coffees summarized for you.

Decaf Mobius