Best Decaf Coffee Roasters
Modern decaf is finally good. These roasters carry decaf coffees that hold up against their flagship lineups, using Swiss Water Process, mountain water decaf, or ethyl acetate (EA) sugarcane-derived decaffeination.
Black Coffee Roastery
Black Coffee Roastery is a Black-owned online specialty coffee roasting business and pop-up shop based in Sacramento, CA, founded in 2020. They provide fresh-roasted specialty coffee to customers around the city, operating as a small, community-focused operation. Their mission goes beyond the typical wake-up cup, emphasizing quality and connection through locally roasted beans.
Coffee Works
Coffee Works is Sacramento's original specialty coffee roaster, family-owned and operating since 1982. They are the first and only certified organic artisan roaster in Sacramento, sourcing and roasting fair trade and organic coffees biweekly to ensure optimal freshness. In addition to their roastery specialties, they offer rotating single-origin and estate-grown coffees, and are committed to supporting local nonprofit community institutions.
Mast Coffee Company
Mast Coffee Company is a specialty coffee roaster based in Sacramento, California. They offer a range of beautifully roasted and curated coffees, subscriptions, brewing equipment, and merchandise. Customers can browse products online or visit their cafes in Northern California.
What's the best decaffeination process?
Swiss Water Process (SWP) is the most popular chemical-free option among specialty roasters. Mountain Water Process from Mexico is similar. Sugarcane EA (also chemical-free in the food-additive sense) preserves more origin character. Avoid methylene chloride if you have the choice.
Does decaf taste worse than regular coffee?
Modern specialty decaf is roughly 95% as flavorful as the same coffee caffeinated. The gap that existed two decades ago has closed dramatically as Swiss Water and similar processes preserve volatile aromatics that older solvent methods stripped away.
Is decaf coffee actually caffeine-free?
No. Decaffeinated coffee retains 1-3% of its original caffeine content. A typical 8oz cup has 2-12mg of caffeine compared to 80-120mg in regular coffee.
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