But why was decaf so nasty?

Here at Rising Ground we managed to stop making fun of decaf coffee drinkers just long enough to give it a go. It turns out if you get the right coffee and have a little skill you get a lovely drink. We still make fun of a lot of the decaf drinkers but only the ones still buying the rubbish stuff that makes our eyes twitch.

But why was decaf so nasty until we (and possible a couple others) came along?

In the bad old days, decaf coffee wasn’t the best way of avoiding caffeine, avoiding coffee was the best way of avoiding caffeine. The coffee chosen for the process would have been decidedly average, why waste good coffee on people who don’t like coffee?

The decaffeination process also involved some fairly brutal chemical solvents, most famously Dichloromethane which is mildly carcinogenic. The roasting process made certain that not a trace of it was left in the coffee, but that didn’t stop the internet scaring people. 

Thankfully things have moved on and now good coffee can be decaffeinated using nothing harsher than Carbon Dioxide. It’s harmless, leaves no trace of itself and removes just the caffeine. 

Our decaf coffee is both organic and decaffeinate, so 2 gold stars for every cup.