The convenience and simplicity of K cups keep them at the top of customer preferences. The range of available options simply makes it convenient for everyone. In practically all circumstances, you can get the best of coffee in whatever style you choose.
We take a look at the best decaf K cups available in the market. A key component is to pick the coffee where the flavor has remained intact through the decaf process. After all, it’s not just the convenience we want from the Keurig, taste is a top priority too.
Top Decaf K Cups For 2020
- McCafé Decaf K Cups Premium Roast Single Serve Pods
- Barista Prima Decaf Coffee, Italian Roast
- Dunkin’ Donuts Decaf K Cups Medium Roast Coffee
- Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Swiss Water Decaf Colombian Coffee Pods
- Folgers Decaf K Cups 100% Colombian Coffee
- Green Mountain Decaf K Cups Dark Magic Decaf
- Starbucks Decaf K Cups Pike Place Roast
Editor’s Choice: Barista Prima Decaf Coffee, Italian Roast
Barista Prima Italian Roast Decaf is our top choice as the best decaf K cup. It’s also the most remarkable dark roast decaf k cup available. The coffee is made from high-quality arabica beans and packs quite a punch of taste and flavor.
Better still, the decaf process doesn’t seem to have changed the taste. Often, weird flavors creep into coffee with the decaf process. No such troubles here.
Reviews: The Best Decaf K Cups For You
1. McCafé Decaf K Cups Premium Roast Single Serve Pods
McCafé Decaf K Cups Premium Roast Single Serve Pods are deliciously decaf. They taste like “real” coffee and have an excellent symphony for taste going on. If it weren’t for knowing this was decaf, we probably would never be able to tell the difference.
These decaf coffee pods taste pretty much the same as their caffeinated counterparts. And that’s something that really makes the cut to the best decaf coffee. McCafé roast is a wondrous blend that works with practically all Keurig brewers and compatible systems.
The coffee is made using 100% arabica beans and the medium roast manages to show off an extra bit of flavor.
K Cup Highlights
- Blend of 100% arabica coffee
- Excellent taste, flavor, and aroma
- A very smooth and balanced brew
- Medium roast coffee
2. Barista Prima Decaf Coffee, Italian Roast
The editor’s pick for this category, Barista Prima Decaf Coffee, Italian Roast is a bold, full-bodied decaf. It’s a dark roast coffee made from top quality arabica beans sourced from around the world. It’s also a remarkably fine example of Italian roast coffee.
There are no unpleasant flavorings left behind by the decaf process. Instead, you get the joys of a dark roast that’s full of flavor. There is a touch of smokiness with a hint of ripe fruits, and it’s all capped by a clean finish.
Barista Prima Decaf Coffee is pleasantly full-bodied and quite enjoyable. We’ve had enough of coffee-flavored swill that’s served in the name of decaf. So it’s all the more gratifying to see a decaf K cup that’s worthy of being called a coffee. And it’s a pretty good coffee at that!
K Cup Highlights
- Blend of 100% arabica beans
- Full-bodied coffee with a clean finish
- Flavor notes of smokiness and ripe fruits
- Remarkable aroma
- Dark roast/Italian roast coffee
3. Dunkin’ Donuts Decaf K Cups Medium Roast Coffee
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee has been fairly popular for a long time now. While they do need to work on their in-store decaf, they seem to have hit it right with the K cups. Dunkin’ Donuts Decaf K Cups Medium Roast Coffee has a good taste and flavor. The coffee is rich and smooth, something quite like the original blend, though decaf.
The company recommends using these K cups on the 6 oz setting to avoid a watery flavor for your coffee. This is a medium roast coffee that shows off its flavors fairly well. To be fair, it isn’t a flavor that’ll knock your socks off and get you hooked, but it is a pretty good taste nonetheless. Yup, this isn’t gourmet coffee, it never was supposed to be.
This is also a problem since these K cups are priced high enough to compete with gourmet coffee. If you’re going the mass-produced factory coffee route, why not price it the same way? It’s a good decaf K cup, but with questionable value for money.
K Cup Highlights
- Blend of 100% arabica coffee
- Good body and taste
- Questionable value for money (expensive)
- Medium roast coffee
4. Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Swiss Water Decaf Colombian Coffee Pods
This decaf is made from gourmet coffee straight from the Huila region of Colombia. Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Swiss Water Decaf Colombian Coffee Pods get great taste, flavor, and body. While Huila isn’t the top of Colombian beans, the region still produces remarkable coffee that’s ahead of several other famed coffee-producing areas.
Fresh Roasted Coffee uses the well-regarded Swiss Water Decaf process. The idea is to keep the flavor locked while the coffee beans go through the decaf process. The attention to detail and effort shows off well in this coffee that manages to keep the wonderful gourmet taste even after undergoing the decaf process.
The single-source coffee has a bold body and an inviting aroma. As a medium roast, it shows off the flavors that make Colombian coffee so prized. Each cup has the enthralling taste notes of honey and walnut. These sweet, nutty notes make every cup brewed with this coffee more enjoyable.
K Cup Highlights
- Gourmet single-source Colombian beans from the Huila region
- Decaf using the Swiss Water Process
- Excellent body and taste
- Flavor notes of honey and walnut
- Good value for money
- Medium roast coffee
See pricing and buying options
5. Folgers Decaf K Cups 100% Colombian Coffee
Folgers is generally regarded for its good, dependable coffee. Well, it’s not exactly gourmet coffee known for its finer taste notes, but it’s pretty dependable as a mass-produced coffee. The interesting part, however, is that Folgers seems to hit all the right spots for decaf coffee. They’ve got some of the most dependable decaf variants and also make one of the best half caff K cups.
Colombian coffee decaf K cups from Folgers have an excellent taste and flavor. The coffee is delicious and doesn’t feel like the swill many companies serve in the name of decaf.
Something to remember here is that while it is all Colombian coffee and has excellent characteristics, it’s not exactly the top of the line gourmet Colombia has to offer. And that’s absolutely fine – it isn’t supposed to be expensive coffee. Folgers Decaf K Cups 100% Colombian Coffee is a remarkable pick that’s a joy to drink.
K Cup Highlights
- Made from 100% Colombian coffee
- Good body, flavor, and aroma
- Excellent value for money
- Medium-dark roast
6. Green Mountain Decaf K Cups Dark Magic Decaf
Green Mountain Decaf K Cups Dark Magic Decaf comes with a solid body and flavor. Dark Magic line from Green Mountain is already well-regarded for its bold brew and a strong dark roast. The K cup has managed to keep those qualities intact in the decaf variant as well.
The dark roast is deep and intense “as the night itself” and carries a wonderfully strong aroma. I’ll say this great-tasting decaf is the best Keurig decaf k cup from the company’s in-house brands.
Green Mountain Dark Magic Decaf K Cups keep taste notes on high. Chocolaty undertones and a hint of dried fruits couple pretty well with the subtle sweet finish. The bold taste actually makes you wonder if you’re having some very strong coffee, rather than decaf. And that’s all the reason we need to enjoy this decaf.
K Cup Highlights
- Made from 100% arabica coffee
- Certified Kosher
- Taste notes of chocolate and dried nuts
- Bold flavor and a sweet finish
- Dark roast coffee
7. Starbucks Decaf K Cups Pike Place Roast
A medium roast with a rich body, Starbucks Decaf K Cups Pike Place Roast is beloved by many patrons. The decaf is rich in flavor and taste and makes quite an impression. A remarkable quality here is that Starbucks has managed to maintain the quality of the original Pike Place Roast even as the coffee has gone decaf.
The well-rounded roast with subtle notes of cocoa and toasted nuts is a welcome decaf K cup. Starbucks Decaf Pike Place Roast is a medium roast that brews a balanced and satisfying cup.
K Cup Highlights
- Starbucks’ well-known Pike Place roast with decaf coffee
- Good taste and flavor
- Certified Kosher
- Medium roast coffee
Honorable Mentions: Decaf K Cups That Didn’t Make The ‘Best’ List
In our journey to pick the best decaf K cups, there were a few that made a great impression but didn’t make the cut to our list of the best. Here are the honorable mentions.
1. Donut Shop Decaf K Cups
Donut Shop Decaf K Cups have an extra-bold brew thanks to the additional amount of coffee added to each K cup. The coffee tastes good and is an enjoyable medium roast. However, the taste can be a bit inconsistent between various batches, and the subtle notes don’t really come out well.
They also seem overpriced for the quality on offer. Perhaps we’re paying for the brand name more than the coffee itself.
2. Peet’s Decaf K Cups House Blend
Peet’s House Blend could very well be the stuff of legend. The remarkable blend has given us great coffee for a very long time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have translated as well into the decaf K cups. These dark roast decaf K cups are good, but they leave something to be desired.
I should point out, Peet’s Decaf K Cups House Blend is not an inferior or bad K cup or coffee. They weren’t just good enough to make it to the list of our top priority decaf K cups.
3. Maxwell House Decaf K Cups House Blend
Maxwell House Decaf K Cups House Blend is another remarkable pick that didn’t quite make it to our top list. The medium roast offers excellent value and is enjoyable. I just wish the flavor was deeper and more enticing.
A Buying Guide To Great Decaf K Cups
Types Of Coffee Beans And Roast
The coffee beans and the roast used are as important to decaf K cups as with regular coffee. Most roasters and brands put their trust in arabica coffee. It’s milder and more flavorful than other varieties of the coffee plant.
Roasts are another important aspect. On a broad level, you can consider roasts as light, medium, and dark. This depends on how long the beans have been roasted, the temperature, and the process. While the three mentioned above are broad categorizations, roasters often play with these levels to get the taste they prefer.
Medium roast arabica works pretty well for many coffee options, though dark roast is as popular for the bold and strong flavor.
Decaf K cups don’t have to be different than conventional K cups. They can have the same varieties and options as regular coffee K cups. This includes decaffeinated flavored K cups and decaf espresso K cups.
The Decaf Process And Swiss Water Decaf K Cups
Several methods are used for decaffeinating coffee beans. Methods include using ethyl acetate and methylene chloride to remove caffeine from the beans. Another popular method is the Swiss Water Decaf. The Swiss here implies the region where the technique was developed and doesn’t mean that “Swiss water” is used in the process.
This method involves flowing water which removes caffeine from the beans. It’s fairly effective and results in minimal loss or change in flavor. It’s popular with a large section of consumers because the process largely depends on water and there are no “chemicals” used.
It’s worth mentioning here that none of the modern decaf processes are known to have any health risk on consumers.
FAQs For Decaf K Cups
Is Decaf Coffee Full Of Chemicals?
Modern processors use safe methods to remove caffeine from coffee beans. There are several decaf processes in use, and none of them are known to have a negative health impact on the consumer.
Processes like those using ethyl acetate and methylene chloride may leave trace amounts behind, but not enough to harm users. Besides, ethyl acetate is often sourced from organic components for use in this process.
An increasingly popular decaf process is the Swiss Water Process where hot water and special beans are used to remove caffeine from target beans. If you’re still concerned about chemicals, consider using decaf coffee processed using this method.
Is Decaf Worse Than Regular Coffee?
No. Most modern decaf is very similar to flavor and taste as its original coffee counterparts. A bad-tasting decaf is probably just a terrible coffee or urban legend that refuses to die down.
This is not to say that decaf has no impact on the taste of the coffee. However, in most cases, the average consumer won’t quite be able to tell the difference between regular and decaf coffee.
Coffee is considered decaf when at least 97% of the caffeine has been removed from the beans. Some processes can take the number to 99% and higher. Modern processes are quite careful and usually don’t result in a loss of flavor for their decaf variants.
Is It Ok To Drink Decaf Coffee At Night?
Yes, it is okay to drink decaf at night. It is often suggested to avoid coffee at night because the caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake. Decaf coffee doesn’t have enough caffeine to affect your sleep pattern, since most caffeine has been stripped from the beans.
Decaf coffee does have trace amounts of caffeine. However, most processes are efficient enough to remove most of the caffeine, which is enough not to disturb your sleep.
Buying The Decaf K Cup For You
There’s a healthy and large variety of decaf K cups available to modern consumers. Flavors and aroma of the quality decaf are comparably similar to the regular coffee and K cup variants available. The roast and the quality of coffee make a big effect in choosing the best decaf K cups, but it all comes down to the perception of flavor and quality.
Our top pick for decaf K Cups is the Barista Prima Decaf Coffee, Italian Roast. If you want something more on the gourmet side, Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Swiss Water Decaf Colombian Coffee Pods are a great pick.