Does decaf coffee have caffeine? How it's made, and whether it's safe
How much caffeine is really in decaf, how it gets taken out, whether it's safe, and how to find one that actually tastes good.
Decaf, without the folkloreDecaf has a reputation problem, and most of it is out of date. People tend to assume it's either completely caffeine free or a watered-down version of real coffee. Neither is quite right.
We send out a decaf from a different independent Adelaide roaster every release, so we read a lot of decaf spec sheets. Here's what's actually going on, in plain English.
- ✓ Decaf has less caffeine than a cup of tea. Usually 2 to 15mg a cup, about what's in a couple of squares of dark chocolate. A regular coffee has 80 to 100mg.
- ✓ The caffeine comes out before roasting, while the beans are still green. The decafs in our recent releases used the sugarcane process or a water-only process.
- ✓ It's approved as safe to drink by food regulators, including FSANZ here in Australia.
- ✓ Good decaf tastes like coffee. Most decaf that disappoints started as lower-grade beans and then sat on a shelf too long. Ours doesn't.
Does decaf coffee have caffeine?
The range is wide because it depends on the bean, the decaf method, the dose and how you brew it. A University of Florida study of coffee shop decaf found espresso shots ranging from about 3mg to 16mg each.
To put it another way, you'd need to drink somewhere between five and thirty decafs to get the caffeine in one regular coffee. If you've been given a daily caffeine limit, it's worth counting, but it's a very small number.
How much caffeine is in decaf vs regular?
| Drink | Roughly how much caffeine |
|---|---|
| Regular brewed coffee, one cup | 80 to 100mg |
| Decaf brewed coffee, one cup | 2 to 15mg |
| Decaf espresso, one shot | about 3 to 16mg |
| Black tea, one cup | about 20 to 50mg |
| Dark chocolate, two squares | about 7mg |
Ballpark figures. Your actual cup depends on the coffee, the dose and the brew.
How is decaf coffee made?
Every method is trying to do the same thing: get the caffeine out and leave the flavour behind. They just go about it differently.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Sugarcane (EA) | Uses ethyl acetate, often shortened to EA. It occurs naturally in ripe fruit, and for decaf it's usually derived from fermented sugarcane. The beans are rinsed and dried afterwards. Common on Colombian coffee, where the sugarcane grows nearby. |
| Swiss Water | Water only. Beans soak in a "green coffee extract" already full of coffee flavour compounds, so mostly the caffeine moves out. A carbon filter catches it. Takes around 8 to 10 hours. |
| Mountain Water | A similar water-based approach, done in Mexico. |
| CO₂ | Pressurised carbon dioxide binds to the caffeine. Mostly used for big commercial volumes. |
| Methylene chloride | A synthetic compound, sometimes called the "European method", used for some large-scale commercial decaf. It's the one behind recent headlines. None of the decafs in our recent releases used it. |
What Adelaide roasters actually use
Here's the bit we can say from our own records rather than a textbook. Across eight releases from eight different Adelaide roasters, six decafs were sugarcane process outright, Mountain Water turned up twice, and Swiss Water didn't appear once. Seven of the eight were Colombian, and three separate roasters landed on a decaf from the same town, Apía in Risaralda. We go through that properly on our decaf coffee beans page.
So if a site tells you Swiss Water is the only decaf worth drinking, it's a good process, but it's not what most of the local specialty scene is roasting right now.
Is decaf coffee bad for you?
That debate is mostly happening in the US, where some groups have asked the FDA to stop allowing methylene chloride in decaf. It's still permitted, with strict limits on any residue, and testing has generally found levels well under those limits.
If you'd simply rather avoid it, that's easy. Specialty roasters mostly use sugarcane or water-based methods, the process is usually printed on the bag, and ours is named in every release write-up.
Decaf and pregnancy
Lots of people switch to decaf during pregnancy. The one thing to know is that decaf is low caffeine, not zero, so if you've been given a daily caffeine limit, it counts towards it. Your GP or midwife is the right person to ask about your own situation.
General information only, not medical advice.
Why does decaf have a bad reputation?
Ours comes from named farms and towns, the same way the rest of our coffee does: Apía in Risaralda, Inza in Cauca, Montalvo in Tolima. Nobody traces leftovers back to a town.
The process does change the bean a bit. After decaffeination the bean's structure is more open, and roasters handle it differently in the roaster because of it. But the big flavour killers are the same ones that ruin regular coffee: stale beans, cheap green coffee, and roasting dark enough that everything tastes like charcoal.
A few things that help:
- Look for a roast date, not just a best before. If there isn't one, assume it's been around a while.
- Buy whole bean if you have a grinder. Ground decaf fades fast.
- Re-dial your grinder. Decaf often doesn't behave like your regular beans, so don't assume your usual setting carries over.
- Read the origin and process. A roaster who tells you both usually cares about the rest too.
Fresh decaf from Adelaide roasters
Every release we feature a different independent Adelaide roaster, and their decaf goes out to decaf subscribers. Roasted fresh, shipped straight from the roaster, ground for how you brew. Free shipping Australia-wide.
A different roaster's decaf each release, every 2, 4 or 6 weeks. Pause, skip or change your grind whenever you like.
From $30 for 225g · free shipping See the decaf subscription →Want to try it before committing? One bag of fresh decaf, no ongoing anything.
$33 for 250g · free shipping See the one-off bag →Common questions
Is decaf coffee 100% caffeine free?
No. Decaf is caffeine reduced, not caffeine free. In Australia it can contain up to 0.1% caffeine by dry weight, which usually means about 2 to 15mg per cup.
How much caffeine is in a decaf coffee?
Usually around 2 to 15mg per cup, depending on the bean, the decaf method and how it's brewed. That's less than a cup of tea. A regular coffee has roughly 80 to 100mg.
Will decaf keep me awake?
Very unlikely. A decaf has less caffeine than a cup of tea, about the same as a couple of squares of dark chocolate. If you're very sensitive to caffeine, several late at night can add up.
What is the sugarcane decaf process?
It uses ethyl acetate (EA), a natural compound usually derived from fermented sugarcane, to draw caffeine out of green coffee beans before roasting. The beans are rinsed and dried, then roasted like any other coffee. It's common on Colombian coffee and is the method most Adelaide specialty roasters in our rotation have used.
Is Swiss Water decaf better?
It's a good water-only method and a popular choice. It isn't automatically better tasting than sugarcane or Mountain Water decaf. Bean quality and freshness matter more than the process name.
Is decaf coffee bad for you?
Decaf is approved as safe by food regulators, including FSANZ. If you'd rather avoid the methylene chloride method specifically, choose decaf made with the sugarcane, Swiss Water or Mountain Water methods.
Can I drink decaf when pregnant?
Many people do. Decaf is low in caffeine but not caffeine free, so if you've been given a daily caffeine limit, include it. Check with your GP or midwife for advice on your own situation.
Try a fresh decaf from an Adelaide roaster
A different independent roaster each release, roasted fresh and ground for how you brew. Free shipping anywhere in Australia.
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