Decaf

For much of the 20th century, removing caffeine from coffee meant soaking beans in chemical solvents—typically methylene chloride. While this decaffeination method worked, it was widely known to mute flavors and left conscientious coffee lovers uneasy.

Alternatively, chemical-free decaf coffees undergo more modern methods of decaffeination that rely on water and carbon filtration to remove caffeine while preserving the bean's original flavor profile. The result is a decaf that tastes like the coffee it came from, with a fraction of the environmental footprint of conventional decaffeination methods.

You may sometimes hear this referred to as the “water process” of decaffeination or the Swiss Water® Process, the latter of which is a specific decaffeination operation in Canada. 

At Equator, our decaf coffee collection is composed of exclusively chemical-free decaf. That’s why you’ll see a little “Chemical-Free Decaf” badge on the coffee labels.

Yes, we partner with the talented team at Swiss Water® to source limited-run single origin decaf coffees from Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru, Rwanda, and more.

We’ve been thrilled to see the burst in popularity and demand for Swiss Water Decaf specifically, as more coffee consumers gravitate towards flavorful decaffeinated selections from premium producers. They are truly raising the bar for decaf quality nationwide—many customers that try a Swiss Water decaf pourover at our cafes are shocked to find out that they’re drinking a decaf.

We now offer a Swiss Water Decaf coffee subscription for customers interested in trying each of the coffees that we select and roast from this beloved partner.

Sometimes you have a craving for the perfect latte without the buzz of caffeine. That’s where our decaf espresso blends come in!

Decaf Eye of the Tiger and Decaf Espresso are Equator’s two decaf espresso blends, decaffeinated via a 100% chemical-free process. While our Decaf Espresso offers a classic & rich profile with distinctly chocolaty notes, Eye of the Tiger caters to fans of a lighter and brighter espresso shot with more fruit-forward flavors.

Decaf espresso blends are blends of fully decaffeinated coffee that our roasting team designs to excel when brewed as espresso, the backbone of any tasty latte or cappuccino. But at the end of the day, any coffee can be brewed as espresso, just as any “espresso blend” can also be brewed in a coffee machine or as a pourover. Experimentation with brew methods is all part of the fun!

For those looking to brew some decaffeinated espresso at home, we always recommend grinding your coffee fresh and grinding it quite fine (rather than the coarse grind required for cold brew, for example). Follow our espresso brew guide for more details on how to pull the perfect espresso shot at home.

Our roasting team has created what we humbly believe to be the most delicious half caff blend that you will ever try: 50/50 Blend. At least, that’s what our cafe customers have always told us!

As its name suggests, our 50/50 Blend is created by combining one of our most popular caffeinated blends with one of our most popular decaffeinated blends: 50% Mocha Java, 50% Decaf Shakeout Blend, and 100% delicious. It’s a sweet and balanced medium dark roast that makes for the perfect afternoon cup.

Half caff (or half caffeine) or “low caffeine” coffee typically consists of combining caffeinated coffee beans with decaffeinated beans to find that sweet spot of buzz and flavor. At Equator, we do that work so that you don’t have to.