There is a never-ending debate among coffee overs about decaf vs regular coffee. While each has its advantages and disadvantages, the main issue between the two is the taste. Whenever you sit down to drink hot coffee or cold brew, you want a flavorful drink.
Some people switch to decaffeinated coffee due to the health issues associated with caffeine. Regardless of your reasons to drink coffee or decaf, you want a tasty drink. But can you taste the difference between decaf and regular coffee? Keep reading to find out.
Why Do Some People Drink Decaf Coffee?
Many people who drink decaffeinated coffee do so to avoid the health issues that come with consuming excessive amounts of caffeine. Generally, many coffee lovers drink it in the morning to help them wake up.
Also, coffee can boost your energy levels to keep you going throughout the day. However, if you experience caffeine sensitivity or you want to avoid dealing with the effects that coffee has on the body, your best alternative is decaf coffee.
A standard cup of coffee contains about 80 to 100 mg of caffeine. If you want to avoid high caffeine intake, then you should drink up to 4 cups of coffee or about 400 mg of caffeine per day. However, if you want to enjoy drinking coffee without caffeine, your best bet is to drink decaf coffee.
Decaf coffee beans have much of their caffeine content removed. Thus, their caffeine content is insignificant. For instance, a cup of decaf contains about 7 mg of caffeine. If you compare its caffeine content with that of regular coffee, you will notice that the difference is significant.
Decaf coffee makes it possible to enjoy coffee all day without worrying about jitters, anxiety, insomnia, and other side effects of excessive caffeine. Thus, if you want to enjoy coffee late in the day or at night without staying awake till late, decaf is your best alternative.
What Determines Taste in Regular Coffee and Decaf?
Many people have never tried decaf coffee. Even when offered a chance to drink decaf, most coffee lovers turn down the offer. Decaf faces a lot of stigmas. Many people assume that it tastes bad and not as tasty as regular coffee. But is this true? Well, the taste of brewed coffee comes from coffee beans.
The type of coffee beans you use to brew and how they were processed largely influences their flavor and taste. Coffee beans are harvested, processed to remove the out skin layers, roasted, and finally ground before brewing coffee. Decaf coffee undergoes an extra processing stage known as decaffeination to remove caffeine. Decaffeination is done on green beans to remove much of their caffeine. Thereafter, the decaf beans are roasted and ground.
Can You Taste the Difference between Decaf and Regular Coffee?
Coffee is typically graded based on the roast level. The roast levels include light, medium, and dark. Each grade of coffee has its unique flavor and taste. Generally, darker roasts taste richer. But does decaf coffee taste different? It is quite hard to note any difference in taste. Decaf coffee tastes like regular coffee so long as you are comparing brews made from the same type of coffee beans.
If you have considered switching to decaf or just trying it out but are not sure whether to proceed due to the rumors that decaf tastes bad, you can now drink it with confidence. Just ensure the type and origin of coffee beans you choose suit your taste preferences. Since the difference in taste is hardly noticeable, switching to decaf will allow you to continue enjoying the rich taste of coffee without worrying about the side effects of caffeine.
