#deathbeforedecaf is a hashtag that has been going around in the industry for YEARS now, but why is there such a stigma around decaf coffee? Especially still while more people are being educated on how good decaf coffee can taste when its dialled in or brewed correctly. Why do people have such a hate towards decaf?
I'm not going to lie and say that there wasn't a time I was like "well what's the point of drinking decaf, you might as well just not have coffee" because lets be real, take me back 2 or so years ago and I was THAT person.
So what's changed? What's made me educate myself more about decaf coffee and actually going out of my way to buy and start enjoying it?
It's no secret that I have ongoing health issues right now, and one of the things that I was told at the hospital is that if I didn't cut down on my coffee consumption (by a shed load) I was just going to make myself worse.
So what did I do (or in this case, didn't do) I didn't listen, I kept going about my days drinking 4-5 coffees a day, until I couldn't anymore, I was so sick that my body was basically just like "nope, cant do this anymore" I was basically forced out of my lifestyle of drinking 4-5 cups a day, to drinking 1 at the most.
Now let me tell you that when you go from 4-5 coffees a day, to 1 at the most, your body does not react well. It gets used to the caffeine, and I now know the experience of detoxing from coffee. It was horrendous.
So, I had a thought to try and trick my brain into thinking it was getting coffee without having the caffeine. I started digging and educating myself on decaf.
And you know what? It worked.
I started trying more decafs, experimenting more, and educating myself with decaf and the processes used, and what I've learnt is amazing.
As much as I love coffee, and my health is at a point where I can handle caffeine a lot better again, I still will ALWAYS make at least 2 of my coffees a day decaf, whether it be a filter, or espresso.
When done correctly, it can be just as good as regular caffeinated loveliness.
I started trying more decafs, experimenting more, and educating myself with decaf and the processes used, and what I've learnt is amazing.
As much as I love coffee, and my health is at a point where I can handle caffeine a lot better again, I still will ALWAYS make at least 2 of my coffees a day decaf, whether it be a filter, or espresso.
When done correctly, it can be just as good as regular caffeinated loveliness.
So why are people so against decaf?
"what's the point"
"it's just fake coffee"
"you might as well just have a tea"
"if you hear me ordering decaf coffee, assume I've been kidnapped"
"decaf coffee is like a hooker that just wants to cuddle"
"do you want fake milk with your fake coffee?"
"there's a time and a place for decaf coffee, never and in the trash"
I mean you get the point, people are heavily against decaf, and I definitely see both sides of the spectrum.
Barista's are always trained on how to dial in coffee, but never how to dial in decaf. It's always *chuck it in a separate grinder, grind it, put it in a portafilter, tamp, hope for the best*
Never once have I gone to a cafe and watched a single person weigh out decaf, take the same care as they do when they're grinding caffeinated espresso. Why?
Why is there no training on how to properly take care and make decaf coffee taste good in a cafe? Why is it such a taboo thing to not add that into training sessions?
Decaf can be amazing, and the stigma needs to be stopped.
I got given a coffee not long ago from a friend, and they didn't tell me it was decaf until I had finished it, I would never of known - if it's made correctly and with the same care that usual espresso is, YOU WONT KNOW IT'S DECAF.
As an industry we need to put more care into training more about decaf, educating ourselves on the benefits of decaf, and give decaf coffee a bloody chance.
I know this post seems kind of rant-y but I feel like as an industry, we need to not be such big babies when people order decaf, especially as someone who sometimes needs to order decaf in a cafe only to get begrudged looks, with ultimate sighs as the baristas place my decaf americano on the table. It's not cool. Decaf is cool.
I'd love to know, what are your views on decaf coffee?
I also have some reviews coming out on decaf coffee soon (one of them is tomorrow!!!) hence why I wanted to get this rant-y post about decaf out of the way.
Let's make decaf cool again.
The Coffee Life
head over to my social media page on where to find me
