Coffee Review Tasting Report on Decafs: The Splendid, The Strange and the Listless

Excitement in the decaf world!  Coffee Review, a renowned and well-respected organization for rating coffees on taste, just published another review of decafs. The last one was in 2010. Ken Davids is not only right on target with his comments, he is such an eloquent writer, you will enjoy reading every word. Congrats to the fine roasters who are applying their skills, knowledge and abilities -- even for the decaf!

http://www.coffeereview.com/

Great decafs profiled in Sept/Oct. issue of Roast

Have you checked out the Sept/Oct issue of Roast magazine? Page 76-78 you'll find the reprint of Coffee Review's evaluation of "signature decaf blends." I especially like the "roaster's notes" on each of the top 3 coffees: Nelson Valverde on his Decaf South American Blend; Patrick Grzelewski on his Decaf Redline and Terry Patano on his Organic Decaf Jackie Oh (gotta love that name).

The nice thing about these three coffees is the range of processes and certifications. Two use the water processes, and one uses the direct solvent method (sometimes called the precision method). I think this shows that no one process has a monopoly on "great tasting decaf" -- it all depends on the quality of the bean from origin. Also, one of the top 3 is organic and at least is trying to be fair-trade (see notes in the article about that), showing that one does not have to give up taste in order to achieve the other requirements of these certifications.

I've bought and brewed all three of them now. Good stuff in the cup with each one.