I love drinkers of decaf! Here’s why: they aren’t just drinking it for the jolt. We can assume they are either looking for a special treat for themselves, or they’re interested in the camaraderie of drinking coffee with friends, or they just really like coffee but can’t do caffeine for whatever reason. These people are going out of their way to come to us for a totally different reason than many regular customers who come to feed an addiction (I’m ok with that by the way): They like coffee. Which means we’d better exceed expectations for flavor and preparation. We’d better do it right, because we’ve got to make up for the lack of after-effects with superior experience in every other way.

As a cafe, here’s how we have developed our decaf program:

First, we’ve got to understand the decaf concept. Coffee naturally contains caffeine, but can go through various processes to reduce it, even though it can never be removed 100%. There is an initiative right now in Brazil to develop a coffee varietal that is actually caffeine-free, called “Decafitto”, but it’s still in development. It’s very difficult to remove the caffeine without damaging the incredibly complex flavor compounds and oils in the beans, and once it’s done, decaf beans are typically harder to roast. This leads to a general “decaf tastes bad” impression. That’s what we have to beat!

Second, choose beans. For decaf, we’ve got to consider not only the flavor profile and body of the finished beverage, but the method of decaffeination. There are three main methods used.

  • first, and oldest, there’s the “direct” or “solvent” method. This involves steaming the unroasted coffee beans, then soaking them in an organic solvent (usually methylene chloride these days), which bonds to the caffeine molecule. The beans are steamed again, and the bonded molecules separate from the bean. The caffeine is then sold off to other companies to impart it to things like soda, energy drinks, etc. This method has been decried in recent years due to the scariness of certain chemicals, but research and practice suggests that most of these have little to no environmental impact in production and can’t survive the roasting process, so they aren’t ever ingested. This method is relatively good at preserving the flavor compounds, and is usually the least expensive.
  • next there’s the “water process” method, which is an “indirect” method. There are a couple processing plants around the world that do this, and it’s proprietary, so only they can use certain names, like Swiss Water Process and Mountain Water Process. This time, the beans are soaked in almost-boiling water which leads to saturating the water with the flavor compounds from the beans. The beans are removed, and the water is filtered and stirred up, removing the caffeine (which can again be sold off) but leaving the flavor compounds. The beans are then re-introduced to the water, where they re-absorb all the flavors and oils. This method is desirable due to the lack of chemicals used, but greatly disturbs the character and quality of the bean. It is capable of removing more caffeine from the beans, but the coffee tends to cup a little flat, or even contrary to its nature, possibly due to leftover flavor compounds from the last batch.
  • lastly, the newer CO2 process. This involves dumping the beans into pure water, and saturating them to the point where their pores open up and the caffeine molecules become available. Carbon dioxide is added to the water at a very high pressure and those molecules adhere to it. It’s very selective, and doesn’t adhere to the carbohydrates or proteins of the bean, which contain the flavor compounds. Then the carbon dioxide is removed, and the caffeine with it. By-products are 100% natural, and the flavor is supposedly left intact. It should be said that this is a newer process, and is used on a very large scale, so smaller batch, higher-quality beans haven’t had a lot of play with this method. The jury is still out on this method, but it’s promising, and could be the future of decaffeination. It’s also pretty expensive so far.

There are pros and cons to weigh when choosing the beans: price, possible environmental or health concerns, and most importantly, flavor. Be sure to cup your roaster’s decaf options when choosing your cafe’s selections. Find one you like that has good flavor and works well as a drip coffee, and an espresso, and possibly with whatever manual methods you serve.

Third, baristas should be able to make informed suggestions to people wanting decaf or caffeine-free options.

  • recognize that there’s a difference between “decaffeinated” and “caffeine-free”. The latter means the product never had caffeine- it’s naturally occurring without that molecule, like vegetables in your garden, or certain herbal teas. Things that are “decaffeinated” will always have a little bit still in there. Be sure to understand the difference, as you will have customers who, for health or religious reasons, can’t have caffeine at all. Decaf doesn’t cut it in those situations.

  • have a good attitude towards people who order decaf, or who do the “can I switch that to decaf” thing.  No shoulder-slumping or eye-rolling! Instead, be gracious, even if you have to restart the drink, and be proud of your decaf, as it’s hopefully been selected with as much care as any other bean in your shop. A little patter (within your personality, of course) goes a long way in making the person who probably feels awkward or bad for doing that to you anyway, feel at ease

  • just like with the rest of your beans, know what brewing methods best showcase it, and get good at extracting the best flavor and body that you can. If it works really well as an espresso and drip but not in a french press, consider not offering it that way. Decaf will always, by its nature, brew a little differently than regular beans, and will usually lack a “bottom” in its flavor profile, but do the best you can in these regards. You don’t need to brew large pots of it if you’re not a very high-volume shop. Brewing by the cup is a great way to reduce waste and craft a fresh, special drink for these extra-dedicated coffee drinkers.

  • Here’s a side note on a customer demographic that you will daily encounter: pregnant ladies. Just because they’re drinking for two doesn’t mean they all of the sudden don’t like coffee and don’t care what they get when they pay for it. (I just just just had a baby, so this is on my brain. I’m the same person I was before pregnancy, but perhaps a little more tired and hormonally emotional, so be nice!)

Here are things pregnant ladies can and can’t consume at coffee shops, and you can help guide them. Just don’t argue with them. You can’t win it.

Regular coffee- doctors recommend a max daily allowance of 200 milligrams of caffeine a day during pregnancy, which is kind of a lot. That’s around 24 ounces of coffee a day, so she shouldn’t feel guilty for having some even every day (and she wants to, so reassure her. pregnant ladies and young parents are subjected to unceasing judgement, both real and imagined, so help a sister out) If she’s concerned, suggest a single-shot espresso-based drink- that’s closer to 68 milligrams of caffeine (assuming she didn’t NEED it to be a mocha).

You can also offer decaffeinated or caffeine-free teas, but it gets trickier here because the scary blogs and websites and lists seem to outlaw EVERYTHING. Here’s my list, based on what you might carry in your shop, and based on what’s really bad and what’s just rumored by blogs:

Most herbs are on the actual scary list, so teas should generally not be blended or flavored (you can’t have lavender, lemongrass, raspberry leaf or chamomile because they can induce pre-term labor). Many rooibos teas are blended with lemongrass, but rooibos by itself is perfect for pregos. Peppermint is fine and straight ginger or white ginger with no added herbs is highly beneficial. Pretty much any unblended, non-herbal tea, in moderation, will be fine. Yerba Mate is out during pregnancy and nursing, unfortunately, due to a certain chemical that’s great for adults but bad for babies. Obviously, decaf coffee is a great option for us. That decaf americano is my night-time go-to. So don’t skimp on my decaf!

You don’t have to read “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”, but having a basic knowledge will go a long way in serving a very large chunk of your clientele: moms.

So what’s to be taken away from this? Decaf matters to a large portion of our clientele, so we need to give it more than an afterthought. Choose your beans wisely, ensure that they are carefully roasted, prepare them with the same care as your regular coffee and treat decaf drinkers with the same respect you give regular drinkers: they are dedicated coffee-lovers!