Decaf... for ever?

[glowfrog]

I've had to stop drinking coffee to see if it improved a stomach issue. Im on my 3rd week of no caffeine and I've done mostly ok without it so wondering if I should stick to it as, let's face it, caffeine doesn't exactly add anything to your health (although am aware coffee is meant to have some health benefits).

Has anyone here given up caffeine for good and seen long term benefits?

And can anyone recommend good decaf coffee? Because I still miss the taste of coffee with just a tiny bit of sugar in... I've started drinking decaf and it's not been great. Funnily enough I drank decaf for ages when I was breastfeeding and I remembered it tasting better.

DH is decaf only and likes Illy. He thinks Caffè Nero is the best of the chains.

Decaf forever thanks to perimenopause. M&S decaff coffee in the silver bag with the monkeys on the front is the best ground decaf I have found.

Did you see this thread?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4996045-whats-the-best-instant-coffee-normal-and-decaf?reply=132633120

I buy Tescos decaff for cafetieres. Blue foil packet.

A slightly heaped dessert spoon of ground coffee in a one person cafetiere works for me. I'd drunk normal coffee since a teenager, switched last year at 59. Now I don't notice any difference but my resting heart rate is back to 62 🙂

I’m not sure if you’re after instant or ground decaf, but the best ground one I’ve found is the Waitrose own brand one in the gold packet.

If you want to get into a coffee rabbit hole, James Hoffmann (who runs a YouTube coffee channel). He goes through the main methods of decaffeination and differences in decaf coffee. The one main thing to note is that decaf coffee stales much faster than caffeinated coffee, so buy your beans in smaller quantities and more often so your coffee is as fresh as possible.

The best decaf instant coffee is Percol, but I've had to give up decaf as well now 😪

A decent coffee shop will sell bags of their beans or ground. Do that as its much better than supermarket stuff

I gave up caffeine about a year ago for health reasons.
I always make cafetière coffee and tried all the expensive recommendations, but have settled on Lidl’s ground decaf.

I can't tolerate caffeine in tea, coffee or fizzy drinks. I've tried lots of decaf coffee over the years and like the Nescafé Azera the best.

Me. I gave up about 10 years ago because caffeine was reacting badly with some regular meds. We had a Nespresso machine, so I switched to the decaf pods which were fine. We now have a bean to cup machine (Delonghi), and use Lavazza decaf beans, with the strength setting up to the highest. I serve it to visitors, all of whom comment on the lovely coffee, and can't believe it's decaf. When out, I always ask for an extra shot, as coffee places don't always have the best decaf beans. Tea not so easy, but Sainsbury's own brand decaf tea bags are ok (ish).

I've been on decaf for about 6 months. I drink decaf Yorkshire tea and decaf ground coffee made in Aeropress. Decaf instant such as Azera as a last resort. I think you need a good strong taste to compensate. Anything else just tastes weak and unsatisfactory.

Another decaf only person here! I gave up because I thought it was giving me headaches. As it happens, it wasn't the caffeine, but by the time I found that out, I was caffeine free and saw no reason to go back to it. Now if I have a normal coffee, I know about it - heart racing, feeling generally a bit yuk... I'd probably be OK with a normal tea, but I've got used to the taste of decaf, so don't want to mix and match.

I prefer Yorkshire Tea (or some of the own label ones are good - Tetley and PG Tips are VILE). For coffee, I don't drink instant, but we get beans from our local roaster and have them ground for the coffee machine. They make a very nice coffee indeed.

Decaf still contains caffeine, just lots less. Might be enough to help you though.

I like the M&S ground decaf.

I gave up caffeine probably over 15 years ago and wouldn’t be able to touch it now. I suffer from heart palpitations which were terrible before giving up.
I’ve never had coffee though, only tea - now only drink decaf Earle Grey. Whatever your decaf alternative, you will get used to it and eventually won’t be able to tell. If ever someone makes me a caffeinated drink by mistake, my face and mouth instantly know about it - I guess because it’s a drug.

I don't drink instant coffee so can't recommend any, but if you like espresso or filter coffee, I really rate the decaf from a Scottish company called Unorthodox Roasters. It's genuinely delicious and the best I have found. I have a subscription so get a bag of beans every month.

Good that some people have been able to find something they can tolerate. Personally, I have never found anything that doesn't taste simultaneously disgusting and of nothing more than dingy water.

The reason I'm saying this is because for some people, the only realistic choice is to not have it at all. And if there's no actual health requirement that means you must stop having caffeine (which also eliminates all chocolate) and you aren't a lapsed Mormon wanting to return to being a fully observant member of the LDS, why put yourself through it?

I like the way you think 😂

Thank you everyone for the recommendations and sharing your experience. I've never liked instant so very grateful for the M&S and Illy recommendations. In the past I've really liked Lavazza coffee so maybe I'll try their decaf as well.

I switched to decaf a few years ago.

I drink the smooth decaf from the tins. Aldi has a good own brand or I buy 2 for £7 tins from farm foods.