What is your favorite decaf espresso blend?

[JonR10]

OK - I just had a few shots of Luna Nuova decaf espresso blend from Caffe Fresco and I am very impressed. Very impressed. (Did I mention that I like the blend?)

The blend makes good straight shots (within the limits of my "barista" skills) with a nice creamy texture and decent body (not heavy or thick, but still very pleasant). Most decaf blends I have tried seem to have a sharp twinge but that is very muted in this blend.

Oh, and it is divine in milk. I made a 6 ounce cappa and it was so freakin' good I had to make another. This espresso seems to lend itself well to milk drinks...


So - does anyone else have any good decaf espresso experiences to share?

[Abe Carmeli]

I find most decaf offensive to my palate but Schomer's Decaf Blend comes as close as I've seen to a respectable cup.

[HB]

Sometimes I get requests for decaffeinated espresso from my wife's cappuccino-loving friends. If she's planning a get-together, I'll have Intelligentsia's Black Cat decaffeinated on hand. Once I was lamenting the sharp twinge Jon mentioned to Jim Schulman; he suggested grinder much finer and pulling a very tight ristretto (3/4 ounce double). That helped and I'll add my own suggestion for HX owners: Flush a couple extra seconds longer than for the regular of the same blend. The water sits in the heat exchanger longer during a slow pull and decaffeinated coffees don't appreciate the temperature boost. If pulled correctly and served in slightly less milk than usual, it's darn near indistinguishable from hi-test.

[IMAWriter]

Continuing 1 step further if I may...I'm considering an order of a "green" decaf espresso blend for home roasting..., has anyone tried the decaf green espresso from Metropolis, Paradise, SM's Donkey?....any others would be welcome....sorry for the left turn, Jon!

[JonR10]

....sorry for the left turn, Jon!

No problem! You might try the SM's Mokha Kadir blend (it's lovely).
Oh, and the decaf Brasil something-or-other was nice too.

[IMAWriter]

No problem! You might try the SM's Mokha Kadir blend (it's lovely).
Oh, and the decaf Brasil something-or-other was nice too.

Kadir is actualy full caffeine, Jon...

[JonR10]

Kadir is actualy full caffeine, Jon...

Oops. I meant the Komodo Blend...
Also, I was able to make decent espresso using Decaf Colombian SO and Decaf Sumatra SO from Mitalena.

[zak42]

OK - I just had a few shots of Luna Nuova decaf espresso blend from Caffe Fresco and I am very impressed. Very impressed. (Did I mention that I like the blend?)

Hmmm, i tried that blend a couple of months ago and wasn't that impressed, it seemed to suffer from the same bitter/chemically taste that a lot of decafs have, perhaps i was pulling at the wrong temp (i would of been in the 201-203 range), Jon, any idea what temp you'd be running at ?

I drink probably 60/40 caff/decaf, so am always on the lookout for good decaf, my 2 favorites so far would be
Zoka Quatro decaf - lots of caramel / chocolate flavors (pull @ 199-201).
Metropolis redline decaf - almost as good as the regular redline, but needs pulling at a lower temp that the regular, i go for somewhere in the 197-199 range, any hotter than that and it gets very bright very quick.

I have some deco decaf (and streamline) on the way from Victrola which i'm looking forward to trying out later this week

[HB]

I'm not at all the decaf fan, but my wife's friends come over for Friday scrapbooking parties and they've come to expect it chez HB. I accede to their requests reluctantly, not only because decafs don't measure up to regular, but also because they're usually fussier in terms of grind.

Today before leaving our regular Friday morning rendez-vous at Counter Culture Coffee, Peter shared a bag of CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico with me. Tonight's very first pulls were unbelievably rich, crema-laden, dark, chocolatey full doubles. Worth drinking straight up, and undoubtedly will be killer as a machiatto... I'm outta here!

PS: My apologies to those far from North Carolina who would like to try it, Counter Culture is a local wholesale coffee roaster. The good news is that they have plans to seriously beef up their Internet presence in 2006.

[Abe Carmeli]

Today before leaving our regular Friday morning rendez-vous at Counter Culture Coffee, Peter shared a bag of CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico with me

I had it last night, oh my, what a fantastic decaf! I never drink decaf, as a straight shot I find them all offensive, like bad wine. But that one tastes like regular non decaffeinated coffee. I am not sure if it is the CO2 process that made the difference, but bottom line it is a wonderful straight shot, rich in flavor and sweet. A perfect after dinner SO shot. CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico

[onemoreshot]

Continuing 1 step further if I may...I'm considering an order of a "green" decaf espresso blend for home roasting..., has anyone tried the decaf green espresso from Metropolis, Paradise, SM's Donkey?....any others would be welcome....sorry for the left turn, Jon!

IMAWriter, did you have any luck finding something?

Thx

[cpl593h]

Jon, I tried the Luna Nuova decaf on your recommendation and I'm glad I did. It's exceptional. Very chocolatey, very classic coffee, easy to work with. I liked it best as a tight ristretto.

[Grant]

Continuing 1 step further if I may...I'm considering an order of a "green" decaf espresso blend for home roasting..., has anyone tried the decaf green espresso from Metropolis, Paradise, SM's Donkey?....any others would be welcome....sorry for the left turn, Jon!

I have roasted about 1# of Donkey so far (150g at a time in an iRoast), and I have to say I am quite pleased with it - as long as it is roasted a bit darker, with oils just starting to show on the surface. This may be a failing of the iRoast temperature profiles, but I find that anything lighter seems to result in a woody/grassy taste to the espresso. While I am sure the blend loses something to the darker roast, it makes for a very smooth chocolately cappa....it has become our later in the evening standard.

Grant

[onemoreshot]

Hey Grant,

I am down in Calgary. I have recently been roasting some batches of Paradise Roasters decaf espresso on my iroast2 and am quite happy with it. Its tough getting product to Canada at a reasonable price especially after brokerage and customs. Paradise Roasters works out well for me as I get USPS Global Shipping flat rate envelopes shipped for around $8.00 and the envelope holds three pounds. PR have been awesome to work with!

[pfieber]

...merged with similar topic by moderator...



I am looking for a good decaf espresso, preferably organic.

Paul

[PaniniGuy]

I had it last night, oh my, what a fantastic decaf! I never drink decaf, as a straight shot I find them all offensive, like bad wine. But that one tastes like regular non decaffeinated coffee. I am not sure if it is the CO2 process that made the difference, but bottom line it is a wonderful straight shot, rich in flavor and sweet. A perfect after dinner SO shot. CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico

Abe,
How would you compare the CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico it to decaf Black Cat (assuming you remember the taste)? I had posted over on a pro forum as I'm looking for good decaf because of a temporarily medical issue. I've never pulled a blend (or is it an SO) of strictly Mexican.

Btw, wouldn't recommend the following as an SO, but if anyone likes Sumatran, I'm of the opinion that Intelly's recent decaf organic Sumatran would pass itself off as full-caffeinated at many cupping tables. I've been pressing and Aeropressing it daily... and I don't really like Sumatrans. But it actually tastes like.... coffee!

[Abe Carmeli]

Abe,
How would you compare the CO2 Decaf Organic Mexico it to decaf Black Cat (assuming you remember the taste)?

I believe Dan may be a better judge of that, as he drinks Black Cat regularly. I've never had their decaf blend.

[HB]

Sorry, it's been years since I tried the decaf Black Cat. It worked well in milk, but I struggled to pull an acceptable shot without bitterness.

[JR_Germantown]

I have roasted about 1# of Donkey so far (150g at a time in an iRoast), and I have to say I am quite pleased with it - as long as it is roasted a bit darker, with oils just starting to show on the surface. This may be a failing of the iRoast temperature profiles, but I find that anything lighter seems to result in a woody/grassy taste to the espresso. While I am sure the blend loses something to the darker roast, it makes for a very smooth chocolately cappa....it has become our later in the evening standard.

Grant

Ditto for me. I accidentally roasted it dark, it sneaked up on me. Since it starts out dark anyway, and the cracks are not as pronounced as with "regular", and I'm using my "new" UFO/GG, I almost went too far with it. It came out rather oily, but it seems to produce a decent shot. We don't drink it straight, but it makes a nice capp.

Jack

[cannonfodder]

I have been looking at some decaf options. I just tore through a half pound of espresso in two days, by myself, doing some testing. I noticed that Paradise Roasters has a Decaffeinated Espresso. I may give it a try.