Criddle Me This Blog Review of Decadent Decaf

You never realise you’re an addict until you try to give up.

My realisation came during a night shift. I work 10pm till 9am, and it was around 5am when a colleague offered me a cup of coffee. I looked around my desk and there were already seven mugs piled up… So, I reluctantly declined and decided it might be time to cut the caffeine.

Coffee is the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and it has been since my parents decided I was old enough to drink it. It’s a way to socialise, to be more productive and it tastes DELICIOUS.

But it suddenly struck me that coffee could be the source of something dangerous. I had been suffering from heart palpitations, things I put down to stress, anxiety and a lack of sleep. You know what solved it? Quitting coffee.

Okay, I haven’t totally given up… I tried going cold turkey and honestly, it was impossible. I was tired, grumpy and a completely nonfunctioning adult without it. Plus, everyone thought I was insane. We are a nation of coffee drinkers, 80% of us drink it and the UK consumes around 55 million cups a day

Aside from my peers judging me, my body completely shut down. I’d wake up bleary eyed with a banging headache – it felt like I had been on a night out, without any of the fun. So I decided to distract myself with herbal teas or a decaf placebo… as well as one cup of glorious caffeine a day.

I am a snob with my coffee. Sure, I’ll take an instant if I’m desperate but otherwise I’m about strong, ground goodness – served in a caffetiere and my favourite mug. There aren’t many quality decaf coffees, unfortunately. All the brands I found were instant, bitter and completely redundant as a substitute.

That’s where Decadent Decaf comes in… It uses a process called the Swiss Water method, which means it is less toxic than some brands. Basically, the coffee beans are soaked in water and then the caffeine is filtered out repeatedly until the beans are 99.9% caffeine free.

I wasn’t convinced that the coffee could match up to my usual Columbian blend but I tried out three types: Kenya AA, Columbia Medellin and Indonesia Sumatra Mandehling (the latter, a stronger brew). The smell alone was enough to bring me back to the good old days.

The first two were deliciously well-balanced and medium-bodied – perfect if you’re having more than one cup. The Indonesia Sumatra is deep, dark and rich – lovely if you want a slow, warming drink. I couldn’t believe it had no caffeine in it, so I decided to perform a blind test it on my friends. They were none the wiser!

So I’ve found my solution – great quality, low caffeine coffee (that’s a mouthful). Plus, those Starbucks caramel lattes are sugary, fattening and expensive – I’m better off without.

Decadent Decaf coffee can be bought on their website and prices start at £4.75 for 227g.

I RECEIVED COMPLIMENTARY SAMPLES FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS POST, BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.