There are nights when you really crave some coffee but all that caffeinated drinks would ruin your sleep and then you start questioning your drink choices, and wondering if there are any instant decaf coffee that could fix this.
Instant coffee tends to get a bad rap due to its flavour profile and smell, since they can’t really replace the fresh brew of coffee. But what if there are really good instant decaf coffee options in the market.
To help you narrow down your choice, we have searched for the best decaf coffee brands that are perfect for their signature taste and aroma.
Note: This site uses affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. I only provide unbiased reviews.
10 Of The Best Instant Decaf Coffee Brands
Instant coffee has a poor reputation due to how manufacturers process it. This, along with decaf coffee, both their flavour and aroma gets affected once they undergo the manufacturing process.
But what if I tell you that you can find the best instant decaf coffee brands online?
You read it right! There are delicious instant decaffeinated coffee brands that you should try.
1. Mount Hagen Organic Freeze-Dried Instant Decaf Coffee
The process of freeze-drying allows manufacturers to retain the taste of coffee beans. For this reason, Mount Hagen’s organic instant decaf coffee is one of the best instant decaf coffee brands that you can find.
This decaf coffee is certified organic, making it an excellent choice for people who are trying to stay away from caffeine.
Unlike other decaf coffee, Mount Hagen claims that its decaf coffee is totally caffeine-free. The brand says that its decaffeination method takes away 99.99% of caffeine from coffee beans.
People who are particularly sensitive to caffeine can safely drink this instant coffee.
2. Starbucks Via Italian Roast Instant Decaf Coffee
Starbucks is an extremely popular brand as we all know, so you can sorta expect no less from their instant coffee.
The brand’s instant decaf coffee is made from an Italian dark roast with a multi-region blend of Arabica beans. This blend provides the coffee with rich, smooth, and deep flavour, along with sweet and sugary notes.
If you love Starbucks, this instant coffee will probably be the best instant decaf coffee to suit your taste. It is also easy to find, as it is available online and in grocery stores.
However, you may not like this coffee if you are not a fan of bitter brews. The reason is that Italian roast is the darkest roast that you can find, so it tastes bold and burnt than regular instant coffee.
3. Waka Quality Instant Decaffeinated Coffee
If you are a fan of Arabica coffee beans, you will find the Waka Quality Instant Decaffeinated Coffee smooth-bodied and well-balanced.
This instant decaf coffee consists of 100% Colombian Arabica beans, giving it rich and a classic coffee taste. Despite the coffee beans being freeze-dried, the aroma and flavours are still there.
The coffee beans are medium roasted, boasting a well-balanced taste and citrusy notes. All this greatness combined, you’ll have instant coffee that tastes like fresh brew.
4. Hills Bros. Instant Decaf – Cappuccino Mix
Cream and coffee are a perfect combination for me, so this one is my personal favourite.
The Hills Bros. Instant Decaf Cappuccino Mix has a French vanilla flavour, which is perfect for those who do not like the intense flavours of coffee. It also allows you to enjoy coffee without increasing your caffeine intake.
If you want your coffee cold, this instant decaf coffee is perfect as the rich flavours make the best-iced coffee.
5. Douwe Egberts Decaf Instant Coffee
The Douwe Egberts Decaf Instant Coffee consists of medium roasted coffee beans. It has a fantastic aroma that complements its smoothness.
This instant coffee also has a full-bodied taste since the beans are freeze-dried. So, every cup of this instant coffee that you will make will taste almost the same as freshly-brewed coffee beans.
Douwe Egberts has been in the coffee industry for more than 260 years. So, you can expect that this coffee will give you nothing less than the best.
6. Nescafe Taster’s Choice Decaf House Blend Instant Coffee
Nescafe is extremely popular for its instant coffees. But it seems like the brand has taken a step ahead for this particular instant coffee.
The Nescafe Taster’s Choice Decaf House Blend Instant Coffee came from 100% premium, mildly roasted coffee beans. As a result, it has a full, well-rounded taste that can satisfy your coffee cravings.
Nescafe was also able to maintain the flavour and aroma of this instant coffee despite undergoing the decaffeination process. That said, the House Blend Instant Coffee is bottled to perfection.
7. Four Sigmatic Instant Mushroom Coffee With Lion’s Mane
People who look for 100% caffeine-free coffee will love the Four Sigmatic Instant Coffee. Made with mushrooms rather than coffee beans, this coffee is organic, caffeine-free, and healthy.
The brand is famous for its nutrient-dense products, including this mushroom-based instant coffee. It uses top-quality Chaga mushrooms to manufacture this coffee.
To maintain the organic properties of this coffee, Four Sigmatic uses third-party tests to ensure that the mushrooms are free of mycotoxins and pesticides.
If you want a drink that boosts your health, this mushroom coffee is the best instant decaf coffee that you can have.
8. Cusa Tea & Coffee Cold Brew
Cold-brew coffee takes 12 hours to a day to steep. So, I seldom make one, no matter how much I love cold coffee.
Fortunately, Cusa Tea & Coffee has an instant decaf cold brew that lets me make cold coffee in a matter of seconds.
This coffee has a smooth and milder flavour than other instant coffee brands. It comes individually packed, with each pack containing enough coffee for a cup of water.
So, if you want bolder-tasting coffee, you may either use less water or two packs of coffee.
Even better, Cusa offers different flavours for this coffee, making it one of the best instant decaf coffee brands out there.
There are light, medium, and dark roasts. If you want extra-flavourful coffee, there are also Mocha, Lemon Dark Roast, and Dirty Chai flavours.
9. Steeped Coffee Eventide Blend Swiss Water Decaf
The best instant decaf coffee should be consistent with its water-to-coffee ratio. Such is something that the Swiss Blend Water Decaf Instant Coffee is popular for.
This instant coffee is manufactured using entirely the swiss water process, so it is free of any chemical. It has balanced low-toned flavours and some fruity notes.
The Steeped Coffee Eventide Blend is also perfect for those who love adding milk to their coffee. By adding cream and sugar to this coffee, there are slight hints of molasses, graham, and blackberry.
10. Colcafé Instant Decaf Coffee
What makes this coffee the best instant decaf coffee is that it tastes like a fresh coffee blend.
If you are in a rush, you just have to mix this coffee with hot water, sugar, and cream if you prefer. You’ll have your coffee in a matter of seconds!
The coffee beans used in this instant decaf coffee are dried manually. So, they keep their natural flavour.
The Colcafé Instant Decaf Coffee is also cholesterol-free for all the health-conscious coffee drinkers out there.
It also has a balanced taste and is lactose-free, so you do not have to worry even if you are sensitive to high acidity coffee.
Is Decaf Coffee Actually Caffeine-Free?
The best instant decaf coffee has a smooth and full-bodied flavour despite the manufacturing processes it undergoes.
Many people drink coffee to increase their energy and alertness, thanks to its caffeine content. However, there are others who want to avoid or reduce caffeine intake.
In this case, decaffeinated coffee becomes a good option. However, is decaf actually caffeine-free?
News flash! It isn’t. Decaffeinated coffee still has caffeine content.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), decaf should only have a maximum of 0.10 percent caffeine.
That said, instant decaf coffee has approximately 3 percent caffeine. For comparison, a 12oz cup of coffee contains about 180mg of caffeine, while decaf only has 5.4mg.
True enough, the decaffeination process affects the taste of instant coffee, making it milder. But the type of roasted coffee used to make your instant coffee contributes to the flavour more than the decaffeination method.
In addition, the process of decaffeinating coffee beans and turning them into instant coffee does affect the aroma.
How Is Caffeine Removed From Coffee?
The best instant decaf coffee contains antioxidants and minuscule traces of caffeine.
The process of decaffeination involves the use of chemical solvents. These chemicals are usually methylene acetate or ethyl acetate.
Moreover, the coffee industry uses five decaffeination processes:
Ethyl Acetate
Decaffeination using ethyl acetate involves steaming chemicals at low pressure before soaking them in EA. The EA then bonds to the caffeine particles, allowing the chemical to draw it out.
Using ethyl acetate for decaffeination makes instant coffee slightly sweeter than freshly brewed coffee.
Methylene Chloride Process
Coffee beans are always decaffeinated while they are not roasted yet. When using methylene chloride, the coffee beans are soaked in hot water before adding the said chemical.
This way, the MC draws out the caffeine from the beans.
CO2 Process
The CO2 decaffeination process does not leave chemical residues in the coffee beans. But while it makes the best instant decaf coffee, this process makes instant coffee products expensive.
During the process, manufacturers force liquid carbon dioxide into a chamber where the unroasted coffee beans are. The high pressure draws out the caffeine from the coffee beans, causing them to mix with the liquid CO2.
When using CO2 to decaffeinate coffee, the flavour compound remains. For this reason, the flavour and aroma of coffee beans remain untouched, allowing instant coffee to taste almost the same as freshly brewed one.
Swiss Water Process
The Swiss water process does not use chemicals to reduce coffee’s caffeine content. Instead, the coffee beans are soaked into the water to displace the caffeine particles.
The coffee beans then undergo carbon filters to trap the caffeine, so the flavour compounds remain in the coffee beans.
Mountain Water Process
This decaffeination process is similar to the Swiss water process. The only difference is that the mountain water process uses pure freshwater from the highest mountain in Mexico — the Pico de Orizaba.
Best Instant Decaf Coffee: FAQs
Which brand of decaf coffee has the least caffeine?
Apart from mushroom-based instant coffee brands, the Swiss Water Decaf has the least caffeine content. Its decaffeination process removes 99.99 percent of caffeine.
This instant coffee is also chemical-free since the company only uses water to dissolve the caffeine content of the coffee beans.
Does all instant coffee have acrylamide?
Coffee beans produce acrylamide once they go through the roasting process. Since instant coffees contain roasted beans, they contain acrylamide.
In fact, a 2013 study shows that instant coffee contains 100% more acrylamide than freshly roasted coffee beans.
What are the side effects of decaffeinated coffee?
Too much caffeine consumption is known to cause confusion, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. But since decaffeinated coffee only has small traces of caffeine, it does not have any side effects when taken moderately.
Brewing Things Up
Indeed, coffee is popular for its ability to increase people’s alertness. However, there are certain times when caffeine may not be beneficial, especially during the night.
So, instead of preventing yourself from drinking coffee, there are instant decaffeinated coffees that you can enjoy.
While decaf coffee is not entirely free of caffeine, the amount of caffeine left in it is not enough to keep you awake. With the best instant decaf coffee, you get to enjoy the flavours and aromas of coffee and have a beverage that doesn’t mess up your routine.