Calling all decaf lovers. I am looking for suggestions from recent experiences. I have been seriously wow'd by Intelligentsia's latest offerings (their Guatemalan and Mexican SOD).

I have also had good experiences with Camber's Zambia (despite not having good experiences with their non-decaf), Counter Culture (can't remember which I had from them but I think it was a Colombian).

I had mixed experiences with Kuma's SO Ethiopian decaf, but very good experiences with their regular offerings.

I wish there were more non Colombian and Mexican decafs. The Guatemalan decaf I had from Intelligentsia rocked my world. I was very sad to finish that coffee. I have had mixed experiences with African decafs, so I'm generally open to experimenting more with them and Central American decafs, which are hard to find.

I also go through decaf very slowly so I try to pick them carefully since I will likely drink them over 1 or 2 months.

Great topic!
I have some Paradise Coffee Decaf but won't be opening it until next week. The Paradise Nuevo is excellent so I have high hopes. Will report back once I open it.
I tend to love Guatemalan coffees so will add the Intelligentisia version to my list.

In my experience, the Heart decafs are among the very few you cannot tell are decafs. Here is the current one. Note that all decafs stale much more quickly than regular beans, because all decaffeination methods I'm aware of physically compromise the bean, so I would keep them in the freezer as George Howell suggests (look at issue number 2).

Best,
David

I've been enjoying Los Idolos Colombian from George Howell most evenings as a filter brew. I realize you were looking for non Colombian offerings, but I heard Scott Rao recommend this in an interview as a decaf that could fool most decaf haters.

I've been happy with Noble's World Tour Decaf. Better than the others I've tried.
https://noblecoffeeroasting.com/coffee/decaf-world-tour

PT had A decaf I really liked that I tried as drip coffee but never pulled it as espresso. Can't remember which blend it was.
https://www.ptscoffee.com

Iowa_Boy wrote:Great topic!
I have some Paradise Coffee Decaf but won't be opening it until next week. The Paradise Nuevo is excellent so I have high hopes. Will report back once I open it.

Please do. I have enjoyed their regular offerings and would be curious to hear about their decaf.

DavidMLewis wrote:In my experience, the Heart decafs are among the very few you cannot tell are decafs. Here is the current one. Note that all decafs stale much more quickly than regular beans, because all decaffeination methods I'm aware of physically compromise the bean, so I would keep them in the freezer as George Howell suggests (look at issue number 2).

Okccraft wrote:I've been enjoying Los Idolos Colombian from George Howell most evenings as a filter brew. I realize you were looking for non Colombian offerings, but I heard Scott Rao recommend this in an interview as a decaf that could fool most decaf haters.

Heart and George Howell were next on my list actually. I am leaning on GH's since it sounds a bit brighter and fruitier like I prefer, and really hard to find in a decaf. I think I will try Heart when they rotate their decaf. Thanks for the confirmation on both of these.

daveR1 wrote:I've been happy with Noble's World Tour Decaf. Better than the others I've tried.
https://noblecoffeeroasting.com/coffee/decaf-world-tour

PT had A decaf I really liked that I tried as drip coffee but never pulled it as espresso. Can't remember which blend it was.
https://www.ptscoffee.com

I'm a big fan of PT's and their sister company Bird Rock. I'll have to give them a try. I haven't tried Noble but I'll add them to my list.

Thanks for the suggestions all. Keep 'em coming!

Just a follow-up: The Paradise Decaf was a miss for me. Greatly prefer the regular Paradise coffees.

Thanks for the follow up. What was a miss for you? Which decafs have you enjoyed?

I have some new follow-ups to share as well. I tried Intelligentsia's latest revision to their El Mago blend (which was previously the Guatemalan that I enjoyed so much). Now it's a blend of Mexican coffees. Overall I was happy with it but I think I may have gotten a slightly off roast. It was a little smokey and some of the beans were scorched. I still recommend it because it was good and I think if they nail the roast it's probably very close to the Guatemalan blend.

I also received George Howell's Los Idolos Colombia last night. My grind was a little too tight because it drained a little slow. I ended up pulling my dripper at 4 minutes even and making up the difference with my water kettle. It was quite good. I'm looking forward to what happens when I dial in the grind and brew it at full strength. Thanks Okccraft for the recommendation.

Apologies if this is an utterly conventional and boring suggestion, but lately I've been enjoying Counter Culture's Slow Motion decaf.

https://counterculturecoffee.com/shop/c ... low-motion

If you can find it fresh, it's a quite nice comfort blend. Easy to pull on a Robot for affogatos at night.

Have a couple bags of Velton's Three Raven's Blend decaf incoming to try. Will report back next week.