9 Best Decaf Coffees in Canada: 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

Many coffee lovers also enjoy decaf as their drink of choice in the afternoon or evening. Unfortunately, decaf coffee does not always taste the same as caffeinated. The process of decaffeination often removes some of the flavours.

To help you find the tastiest decaf coffee options, here are reviews of the best options in Canada. Included are different roasts, price points, and types of coffee to help you find one that you like. The buyer’s guide goes over the decaffeination process so you can make better-informed shopping choices.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favourites (Updated in 2024)

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Kicking Horse Decaf Dark Roast Coffee	Certified organic Roasted in Canada Rich, flavourful coffee	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Seattle’s Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend	Inexpensive 100% Arabica beans	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Volcanica House Decaf Coffee Blend	Several different flavours Chemical-free decaffeination process Available in ground and whole-bean forms	CHECK PRICE
		Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend Decaf	Light flavour Available in all forms No chemical decaffeination processes	CHECK PRICE
		The Original Donut Shop Decaf K-Cup Pods	Full-bodied Tastes like normal coffee	CHECK PRICE

The 9 Best Decaf Coffees in Canada:

1. Kicking Horse Decaf Dark Roast Coffee — Best Overall

We recommend Kicking Horse Decaf Dark Roast Coffee as Canada’s best overall decaf coffee. If you’re looking for a decaf that tastes like the real thing, Kicking Horse Coffee meets the challenge. This dark roast option is robust, rich, and flavourful. It has subtle notes of milk chocolate and hazelnut.

All of Kicking Horse Coffee’s beans are certified organic and roasted right at home in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. While it’s slightly pricier than your average supermarket coffee, it’s easy to find. It’s also available in large bags or on auto-ship subscriptions.

2. Seattle’s Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend — Best Value

Seattle’s Best Decaf Portside Blend is the best decaf coffee in Canada for the money as a well-balanced, medium roast decaf. This brand sources 100% of its all-Arabica beans from Latin America. Seattle’s Best is owned by Seattle coffee giant Starbucks, but it’s much easier on your pocketbook. This blend is an everyday coffee that satisfies.

The biggest drawback of this brand is that it can only be purchased in 12-oz. bags of ground coffee. It’s not available in whole bean form for those who prefer to grind their own. Seattle’s Best uses a chemical process to decaffeinate their beans, rather than the chemical-free Swiss water decaffeination method.

3. Volcanica House Decaf Coffee Blend — Premium Choice

For a premium blend of decaf, we recommend Volcanica House Decaf Blend. This company sources its coffee beans only out of rich, volcanic soil at high elevations. While the beans come from around the world, they are blended in Atlanta, Georgia, using a chemical-free decaffeination process.

One thing that stands out about Volcanica coffee is that there are over a dozen decaf blends, giving you many options if you want to try out different flavours. The downside is that this coffee is quite expensive, so it’s not cost-effective for an everyday drink.

4. Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend Decaf Ground Light Roast

Green Mountain Breakfast Blend is worth stocking in your cupboard if you’ve switched to decaf for your morning coffee. A light, gentle flavour gives you a mellow wake-up instead of the bold flavour of darker roasts. This one has subtle hints of nuts with a smooth finish. Since it’s sold in ground, whole bean, and K-Cups, you can brew it any way that you like!

5. The Original Donut Shop Decaf Medium Roast K-Cup Pods

The Original Donut Shop is popular among Keurig owners because it provides top-grade coffee in several different flavours. This variety is the same coffee that The Original Donut Shop is famous for, only in decaf. The roast is extra bold and made with more Arabica beans than regular coffee. It has received a ton of praise for being just as full-bodied as normal coffee.

Unfortunately, this blend is only available in Keurig cups, which is disappointing for non-Keurig owners. It also tastes slightly bitter, which is a turn-off for some customers.

6. Mount Hagen Organic Freeze Dried Instant Decaf Coffee

Mount Hagen offers organic, fair-trade, decaf coffee in instant form. It’s a well-balanced medium-roast blend. It’s surprisingly strong but not overly acidic. The coffee can be purchased in a jar or in individually packaged servings that are great for on-the-go refills. However, if you like strong coffee, you’ll want the jar so you can adjust your cup as you wish.

This coffee doesn’t have a ton of flavour unless you use a large amount of it, which is disappointing. However, it’s a great option when you’re in a pinch, and the flavour improves with a couple of added scoops of grounds.

7. Don Pablo Decaf Colombian Gourmet Coffee

Don Pablo is a highly regarded coffee brand. This family-owned business has coffee farms in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Its blends include 100% Arabica beans and are all shade-grown at high altitudes to bring you the best quality ingredients. The company employs certified quality control specialists to ensure that lesser-grade beans don’t make it through the roasting process.

Unfortunately, Don Pablo coffee beans aren’t fair trade, but the company does work closely with farmers and operates its own Sharing Certified program. It’s also certified for organic production.

While this variety is labeled as a medium-dark roast, most users say that it is more reminiscent of a dark roast that is bitter and strong. The beans also have an oily finish, which can make them stick to the insides of your grinder.

8. Eight O’Clock Whole Bean Coffee, The Original Decaf

Eight O’Clock Coffee is one of most affordable items on this list and the oldest operating coffee company. Eight O’Clock was originally founded as The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company in 1859, with the name changing in 1919. This is a safe bet if you are looking for a no-frills, everyday decaf brew. A business that is still standing after 150 years must be doing something right! If you’re a fan of the company’s original brew, you’ll like this one, as it tastes much the same (but without the caffeine).

Chemical processes are used to decaffeinate Eight O’Clock’s brew, which is why it can be sold at a lower price.

9. Waka Decaffeinated Instant Coffee

While most coffee connoisseurs aren’t fans of instant coffee, we still think that Waka Decaf is worth a try. The company’s founder became frustrated with the price of take-out coffee. At the time, he was an undergraduate student and found it too difficult to make home-brewed coffee in his tiny kitchen. While his journey to good-tasting instant coffee took a while, it’s safe to say that he’s made one worth stocking in your home.

This brand uses freeze-drying to make its instant grounds, which preserves the original depth of flavour and aroma. This variety is smooth bodied and contains notes of citrus. It also dissolves well in cold and hot water, making it a great addition for mixing into shakes and making a good cup of coffee.

Some customers complain about this coffee tasting bland. While it isn’t as good as a whole-bean or ground coffee, it’s decent enough for instant coffee.

Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Decaf Coffee in Canada

Finding a decaf coffee that tastes and smells like the real thing is tough. Here, we will provide you with a few tips to help you find the best beans in Canada.

What to Look For in a Decaf Coffee

Decaffeination Method

Not all decaf is created equal. There are several different methods of decaffeination, and each one leads to subtle differences in the end product.

• Direct-Solvent Process — The direct-solvent method of decaffeinating coffee beans involves first soaking them in water, then flushing them with a chemical solvent. Methylene chloride is the most commonly used solvent, which draws the caffeine out of raw coffee beans. The beans are rinsed with water before roasting.
• Indirect-Solvent Process — This method of decaffeination is similar to the direct-solvent method in that it uses chemicals to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Green coffee beans are soaked in hot water, then treated with ethyl acetate. The water is added back to the beans to soak and dry; then, the beans are rinsed to remove any residue.
• Swiss Water Process — This is the only chemical-free decaffeinating process, and it is also the one that removes the most caffeine. While both solvent methods remove 97%–99% of caffeine, Swiss Water Decaffeination consistently removes 99%. It is also the only method that can be used on certified organic coffees. The patented process involves special equipment and relies on the principles of equilibrium to naturally draw caffeine out of coffee beans.
• CO₂ Process — This is the newest decaffeination method available. Liquid carbon dioxide is pressurized into green coffee beans to remove caffeine.

Taste

Knowing what type of roast you like your coffee to be can significantly narrow down your options for the perfect decaf. You should also look for the tasting notes. These can add flavours of fruit, nuts, chocolate, or smokiness.

Price

The price difference between regular coffee and decaf isn’t usually significant, but prices can vary greatly between different brands. How much coffee you drink each day will also play a role in how much you’re willing to spend. You may not want a pricy premium brand if you drink several cups each day.

Benefits of Decaf Coffee Beans

In most cases, the pros of drinking coffee in moderation outweigh the cons, but not everyone can tolerate high levels of caffeine. There are also several reasons to limit your intake, including sleep disturbances, high blood pressure, anxiety, or stomach discomfort.

Pregnant people are also advised to limit their caffeine intake, and decaf coffee can help them do this without having to give it up altogether. Since it also has lower acidity than caffeinated coffee, it can also relieve stomach pain or heartburn that some people experience.

Conclusion

We recommend Kicking Horse Decaf Dark Roast Coffee as Canada’s best overall decaf coffee. It’s brewed right at home to bring you a quality decaf roast that is virtually indistinguishable from the original version. Seattle’s Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend is the best decaf coffee for the money. This Starbucks subsidiary brings you a budget version of its high-quality coffee, but without the luxury price tag. Volcanica is our premium choice. With over a dozen different decaf flavour options, we’re sure that you will find the taste of this coffee worth the extra money.

Featured Image Credit: I love coffee, Shutterstock