Why Decaf used to Suck (and doesn’t have to anymore)

Decaf coffee. For years it’s been the punchline of coffee culture—a last resort for those who don't appreciate good coffee at all. Do a search for decaf memes, see what we mean and have a little chuckle. So why does decaf have such a lame reputation? It turns out the disdain is not unjustified. Decaf’s story is riddled with bad beans, compromised processes, and understandably disappointing results.

We've been deconstructing the decaf story for a while now, and we see seven reasons decaf used to suck—fortunately there are also good reasons why it’s finally getting the rethink it deserves.

1. Chemical Baths

For decades, coffee beans were decaffeinated using chemical solvents like Methylene Chloride (DCM) or Ethyl Acetate (EA), also known somewhat euphemistically as the Sugar Cane or Natural method. While these solvents technically don’t leave any residue, the association with paint-stripping chemicals didn’t inspire confidence, and there's been increasing speculation about the suitability of these solvents for food processing.  

2. Flavour Stripped Away

Removing caffeine from coffee beans isn’t actually easy, and these chemical processes often extracted more than just caffeine—they stripped away a lot of the flavour too. Decaf earned a reputation for being flat and unremarkable, with little of the depth or complexity that makes coffee worth savouring.

The flavour, or lack thereof, spoke for itself. Coffee lovers stayed away. 

3. Over-roasted to Oblivion

To squeeze as much flavour as possible from these chemically processed and flavour-denuded beans, producers often overcompensated by roasting them within an inch of their lives. The result? A burnt, bitter, and charred flavour which unfortunately became one the hallmarks of decaf coffee.

This heavy-handed roasting approach might have had the best intention, but it also buried any hope of nuance or balance in the coffee's taste.

4. Serving Second-Rate Beans

Knowing that decaf would struggle to shine, many producers wouldn't bother using their higher quality beans. Instead, decaf became a dumping ground for lower-grade beans that wouldn’t make the cut for regular coffee.

This created something of a vicious cycle: heavily processed and over-roasted bad beans unsurprisingly made bad decaf, which reinforced its bad reputation.

5. Always the Afterthought

In most coffee lineups, decaf was the afterthought. While caffeinated options got exciting blends and innovative roasting techniques, decaf languished as a reluctantly necessary aside. 

6. Bland, Weak, and Thin

While regular coffee boasts a kaleidoscope of flavour profiles, decaf was stuck with a universal descriptor: boring. Flat, bland, weak, thin—these words became synonymous with decaf.

For many, decaf wasn’t just a lesser version of coffee—it wasn’t coffee at all. 

7. Serving the Stereotypes

For years, decaf drinkers were pigeonholed into unflattering stereotypes: the elderly, the pregnant or the cautious. Decaf became associated with dullness and lack of sophistication—a choice for those who couldn’t appreciate real coffee. Even those who liked decaf would order it in a whisper. No one drank decaf proudly. 

 

A New Era for Decaf

It’s clear why decaf earned its bad rap. But things have moved on. Modern decaffeination methods, like the Swiss Water Process, remove caffeine without harsh chemicals or sacrificing flavour. Higher quality beans are now being reserved for decaf, and lighter, more thoughtful roasts allow the true character of the coffee to shine through.

In addition to the improvements in how decaf is made, culture has shifted - with increasing prevalence of anxiety, and greater awareness of the downsides of drinking too much caffeine, more people are making a conscious choice to limit or even stop their caffeine intake. 

Decaf isn’t the fallback anymore. It’s increasingly a deliberate choice for people who want a full flavoured coffee experience just without the caffeine buzz.

 

Where Nolo Fits In & Moves the Game On

At Nolo we’re proud to be decaf. We've engineered the whole decaf process so it's focused on delivering great taste: using only select premium Arabica beans, employing an innovative decaffeination process with water instead of chemicals, golden roasting and slowly cold brewing our coffee to release a richer more intense flavour. The result is a taste that’s deep, smooth, complex and satisfying. In a decaf.  

On our decaf learning journey we also picked up that coffee is a surprisingly good carrier for prebiotics, and joining the dots from our tastings and consumer research we realised how much sense it made to include them in our formulation. Coffee is a favourite ritual for so many people, and now that ritual can contribute to gut health by adding over 15% of your daily fibre requirement. 

We're excited that not only have we made great tasting decaf, we've evolved coffee into a much more healthy beverage with functional benefits. And one that can be enjoyed by many more people at many more occasions. 

So, if you’ve been skeptical about decaf before, not that surprising. But maybe it’s time to give it another try. Decaf absolutely doesn’t suck anymore.

The Nolo Team