Decaf: Ground Zero

Decaf Deconstructed – Different Methods of Decaffeination

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There are five ways to decaffeinate, which one works for you?

There is a problem with tea and coffee packaging. It is stricken with an unsightly rash of trademarks and logos erupting from every available surface like zits on a pizza-faced teenager. The blemishes speak of a virtuous product; Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, sustainable, green. Separate info boxes impart details such as strength, bean, roast, blend, grind, carbon footprint and, possibly, USB compatibility. It has made shopping for hot drinks as complex and nuanced as a conference on geopolitical ethics.

We call these little reassuring information panels LoV – Logos of Virtue. They make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This is one detail you should pay attention to, because how your tea or coffee is decaffeinated is arguably more important

There’s still room on the label – just – so why not add one more detail, the method of decaffeination? This is one detail you should pay attention to, because how your tea or coffee is decaffeinated is arguably more important than many of the other LoVs. For example, with the amount of decaf the world is consuming, how that caffeine is removed has measurable consequences for the environment. Differences in decaffeination can also affect taste and aroma. And the big one; effectiveness of decaffeination varies with each process and if you are buying decaf, it makes sense that you will want it to be as caffeine-free as possible.

The truth is that decaffeinated tea and coffee comes in a bewildering variety of forms but not all are created equal. With a decaf tea or coffee, a lot hinges on the method of its decaffeination. Which one should you choose and why does it matter?

Here comes the science bit

There are five known methods of decaffeination. The original method, which used salt water and benzene is no longer legal because of, well, benzene. In 1906, a chance discovery by German coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius resulted in the world’s first mass produced decaffeinated coffee. Although his coffee later turned out to be carcinogenic, Roselius made up for it all by his involvement in a 1943 plot to blow up Hitler. You win some, you lose some.

Which leaves us four ways of taking caffeine out of tea and coffee. 

1. Methylene Chloride Decaffeination 

Methylene chloride is bonded to caffeine molecule by molecule by soaking the tea leaves or green coffee beans. There are two methods of achieving this, directly on the beans or leaves in hot water and indirectly, where the beans or leaves are soaked in hot water to remove the caffeine and the solvent is added to the water after the beans are removed. Although ‘solvent’ and the names of most solvents sound quite scary, only the tiniest trace residue will remain on the decaf product and even that will evaporate completely over 38°C/100°F.

2. Ethyl Acetate Decaffeination 

Although ethyl acetate hardly sounds much better than the previous method, decaf produced using ethyl acetate as a solvent is sometimes touted as ‘naturally decaffeinated’ because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally not only in tea, but also in many fruits. The process is otherwise identical to the direct and indirect methods that use methylene chloride as a solvent. Sometimes, according to learned decafficionados, ethyl acetate decaf leaves a slight chemical taste

3. Swiss Water Decaffeination 

This non-solvent alternative decaf process extracts caffeine by a long soak in hot water, followed by filtering though activated carbon to remove the caffeine. The now-decaf water is added back to the drained beans or leaves so that they can reabsorb the oils and flavours. There are a few teas that use the Swiss Water decaf method, but it is most often used for coffee.

4. Carbon Dioxide (co2) Decaffeination 

This is the space age version of decaf. This was probably invented when boffins meant to be working on something very clever were momentarily appalled by the state of their decaf and filled whiteboards with obscure formulae and Greek symbols to come up with a solution to the second most important problem before them. We probably won’t have interstellar space travel because of this, but who cares when the decaf tastes this good?

Having said all that, it’s not that complicated. Beans or leaves are pressure cooked with carbon dioxide. In such pressure and temperature environments, carbon dioxide (co2) goes supercritical and becomes a solvent that attracts the small caffeine molecules, leaving the larger flavour molecules intact.

5. Mountain Water Method

Similar in many respects to the Swiss Water decaffeination method and widely regarded as a cut above all other decafs, the Mountain Water Process (MWP) is also sometimes called the Mexican Water Process as it uses water from that country’s highest mountain – Pico de Orizaba.

The process starts with steaming the green coffee beans which are then soaked in a water solution, which removes the caffeine along with the flavour compounds. The water is removed from the seeds and run through a carbon filter that captures caffeine molecules to strain them from the solution. The green coffee is then soaked in all the flavour compounds and reabsorb them without the caffeine.

Can’t Find Decaf Coffee Beans in Tesco? Here Are Some Alternatives

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You’ve come to right place:

If you’re looking for decaf coffee beans in Tesco, you’re out of luck. Supermarkets don’t tend to stock good decaf coffee. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your caffeine-free dreams! I Love Decaf have a range of delicious decaf coffees that will make your taste buds happy.

1. Why you can’t find decaf coffee beans in Tesco

Supermarkets like Tesco don’t typically stock good decaf coffee beans. This is because there is a lower demand for decaf coffee, so it’s not as profitable for supermarkets to carry them. That’s not to say that you can’t find decaf coffee beans anywhere – you just might have to look a little harder. Specialty coffee shops and online retailers are more likely to carry a wider variety of decaf coffee beans. If you’re looking for a good cup of decaf coffee, your best bet is to search for a small, independent cafe or store that specializes in selling high-quality coffee beans.

2. What are your options when it comes to decaf in Tesco

Supermarket chains like Tesco do not stock good decaf coffee. If you are looking for a good cup of decaf, your best option is to go to a specialty coffee shop. These shops usually have a wider selection of decaf coffees, and they are roasted in-house, which means they will taste fresher. You can also order decaf coffee beans online. There are a number of online retailers that sell high-quality decaf beans, and many of them offer free shipping.

3. Where you can find decaf coffee online

If you’re looking for a good decaf coffee, your best bet is to go online. There are a lot of great websites that sell decaf coffee beans, and you’re sure to find a flavor that you love. Some of our favourites include I Love Decaf and… I Love Decaf. We have a lovely selection of decaf beans, and we offer great prices and quick shipping within the UK. So if you’re looking for a great cup of decaf coffee, be sure to check us out.

4. Flavoursome decaf and non-caff drinks

At I Love Decaf, we understand that not everyone wants to drink caffeinated drinks. That’s why we’ve created a range of superior decaffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks that are full of flavour. Whether you’re looking for a decaf coffee that tastes just like the real thing, or a non-caff tea that still has all the flavour of your favourite blend, we’ve got you covered. Our Mexican Holy Water Decaf Coffee is one of our most popular drinks, and it’s sure to become your new favourite too!

5. Why choosing decaf doesn’t mean sacrificing taste

Decaf coffee lovers, rejoice! You don’t have to sacrifice taste when choosing to cut down on caffeine. In fact, I Love Decaf offers a wide range of delicious decaf drinks that taste just as good as their caffeinated counterparts. From smooth Mexican Holy Water Decaf Coffee to our flagship Luxe Organic Honduran Decaf Coffee, there’s something for everyone. So don’t despair if you can’t find decaf beans in your local Tesco, here are some great alternatives that will make you feel right at home.

What Kind of Coffee Grind Do I Need?

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Ground decaf coffee comes in such a broad range of different forms, the labels display a hot barrow-load of information from decaf method to body, roast and origin. You’re willing to believe the coffee ‘does exactly what it says on the packet’, if only you could work out exactly what it does say on the packet. As well as body and roast, one of the most important bits of information is how fine or coarse the grind is. 

How does grind affect my coffee?

Grind is a measurement of how ground the coffee is. That wasn’t a surprise, was it? What might be new information is how much grind affects the taste of the coffee you drink. As well as the coffee you absolutely refuse to drink because it came out with notes of battery acid, warning claxons and flashing lights. If you’ve had one of those cups of decaf recently, you’ve either just come out of Costabucks, or you have got your brew all wrong and that may have something to do with putting the wrong grind in your coffee-making equipment.

Different coffee-making machines and makers make coffee in different ways and at different speeds. To work its magic, your chosen weapon of decaffeination needs a specific size and grade of ground coffee. 

Espresso fine grind

Espresso machines, for example, extract all of that yummy super quick – in usually less than 30 seconds. The same goes for pods and capsules. The hot water is in contact with the coffee for such a short time, it needs to extract flavour quickly. A fine grind presents more surface area than a coarse grind and the high-pressure water squeezes more of the flavour out. Using a coarse ground in an espresso machine will lead to a sour cup of under-extracted decaf.

French press coarse grind

A French press, by comparison has minutes to work its magic as you steep the grounds for much longer. Brewing fine grounds in a cafetière for minutes on end will over-extract flavour and lead to a bitter brew.

Between the two extremes, you’ll find that medium ground works best with auto-drip filter machines or pour-over coffee makers, like those that come with a jug or carafe.

Match your machine with grind

It is very important to match the decaf grind you buy with the coffee-making gear you already have. If you suffer from disappointing cups of home-brewed decaf, it could be something as simple as buying the right coffee for your machine.

We try to make this as straightforward as possible at I Love Decaf. Our coffees come in different grinds for different methods of coffee-making. Rather than tell you on the bag the grind is medium-fine, we state what kind of machine the grind is suitable for. Sometimes, to save label space, we use a letter instead.

B Beans (not ground at all)

These are unground beans – perfect if you own a bean-to-cup coffee machine or you grind your own beans separately (perhaps you have a Moka pot and a French press and want to control the grind for optimum results in each piece of equipment). 

C Cafetiere/French Press

A cafetiere or French press is a tall jug with a plunger that holds back the grounds from your brewed coffee. You fill it with very hot (not boiling) water and let it steep. When the brew is done you push the plunger slowly down to compress all the grounds out of suspension behind a metal screen.

E Espresso

Espresso machines in the barista-style have become more popular over time, but espresso was originally brewed in Moka pots – stove-top percolators in which you boil water under pressure forcing steam and water through coffee grinds. When the grinds are saturated, the pressure forces brewed coffee up a funnel through a filter to the top chamber. When you hear the characteristic gurgling your coffee is ready. Whatever kind of espresso making equipment you have, this grind is the optimum for brewing your coffee.

P Pods/Capsules

Some modern coffee machines use a sealed pod system to make your coffee. The idea is you throw away each pod after you have used it once and the environmental cost gets picked up in a third world country steadily filling up with aluminium and plastic capsules. Not good enough. Fortunately, you can get refillable pods and systems for most of the proprietary coffee makers. We sell one of these on ilovedecaf, but others are available elsewhere.

F Filter/Aeropress

The simplest method of making coffee is to drip feed or pour very hot water over ground coffee which sits in a cone of filter paper held over a large jug. There are many variations of this technique from pour-over to the new Aeropress machine which can even make espresso-like coffee on the go.

Why the Best Supermarket Decaf Coffee is not as Good as Ours (I Love Decaf)

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You know how it is; every time you go to the supermarket, you look at the decaf coffee on offer and feel enthusiasm being sucked from your soul. If that sounds like you, then you have tried most of the own-brand decafs already and have come to the conclusion, as we have, that really good decaf is really hard to find in a supermarket. 

Many people – cofficianados and consumers alike – criticize own-brand decaf coffee for its lack of flavour, but the real problem is that it has lots of flavours, just not necessarily any pleasant ones. Even the packets remind us of that bloated feeling you get after bad coffee with its flavour notes of cat piddle and warm tyres. 

There isn’t a superstore decaf that doesn’t call to mind a warm evening in a fertiliser silo – not one that we’ve discovered yet, anyway.

In fact, if we were supermarket coffee buyers, we wouldn’t go to extreme lengths to preserve the taste. We wouldn’t stick it in foiled bags with re-sealable strips. Why bother maintaining a vacuum when leaving it on the porch in an open jar would at least let the fumes escape?

Our decaf is best

We started I Love Decaf to make the best decaf coffee you can’t buy in a supermarket. We believe that some kinds of decaffeinated coffee are less like a pleasing drink and more like a punishment and we wanted to do something to set it straight. It’s not just the supermarket own-brands either; many major brand coffees miss the mark on their decaffeinated spin-offs.

That’s why asking for the best supermarket decaf coffee is like asking for the most comfortable barbed wire shirt. Just because it’s the only shirt on offer doesn’t mean you should buy it.

Why the Best Supermarket Decaf Coffee is not as Good as Ours
Our decaf is best. We started I Love Decaf to make the best decaf coffee you can’t buy in a supermarket.

You can’t get I Love Decaf in the supermarket

To be honest, we can’t imagine even having a meeting at any of the big supermarket chains, and that’s not just because our MD Mr Roy Bosch (he is also a part-time alligator wrestler and balloon entertainer of some note) has anger management issues with idiots, it’s because we don’t want to sit in their soulless offices drinking their horrible supermarket decaf. It’s best for all concerned if we don’t. That’s not the kind of publicity we need.

Check out these superior decafs from the I Love Decaf range.

Decaf, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

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By The First Lady of I Love Decaf

Should pregnant mums-to-be go decaf with their tea and coffee drinking? 

This isn’t medical advice – you should discuss that with your doctor – but don’t be surprised if you find they think you should at least cut down on your caffeine intake while you are pregnant, as well as when you are breast-feeding.

We already give up so much stuff when we are pregnant; alcohol, all of our free time, like, forever and the ability to lift anything heavier than a bag full of cake. I know, I tried. Of course, cross-fingers, it all turns out great and we get to become a mum, but there are often sacrifices to be made – some are enthusiastically embraced, others, less so.

Then there are the cravings (mine was wasabi peas with custard slices) Mums-to-be cravings range from biscuits and cakes, through to chalk (quite common, it seems) and the smell of tyres. One poor soul reported she had an overwhelming, powerful and relentless craving for something. She didn’t know what, but she did know she really, really wanted it. Fortunately, that passed after a week.

Decaf tea and coffee in pregnancy

Some cravings are less easy to make sense of. For instance, decaffeinated tea and coffee weren’t a bother for me, I could not even face a cup of coffee or tea, decaf or regular, from almost as soon as I got pregnant. It was visceral, almost like it was an anti-craving. 

The only hot drink I could enjoy was completely caffeine-free herbal teas. The kitchen smelled like a wildflower meadow at times.

Decaf coffee during first trimester

Caffeine raises blood pressure and pulse and because the first trimester (week 1 to 13) is when the majority of miscarriages happen, you should give caffeine as wide a berth as possible. The generally accepted level of caffeine for pregnancy is around 200mg a day. You’d easily burn through this with just a few cups, but if you still savour the taste of coffee or tea, decaf is the way to go with at least 97% of the caffeine taken out by the various processes of decaffeination. 

Another caffeine consideration is that it makes you pee and you risk dehydration from drinking too much regular tea or coffee. Apart from keeping hydrated, you’ll be glad you cut down or quit later on, because if there’s one thing I remember from pregnancy after the first trimester it was a more or less constant march to the bathroom. Nearly all women experience this more as baby grows and the uterus pushes on the bladder.

If you read that and are adamant that you want no caffeine, do what I did and discover the huge range of delicious fruit and herbal teas that have no caffeine in them at all. Some of them may even help with some of the less-pleasant sides of pregnancy like sore tummies or difficulty getting comfortable for sleep. 

Try decaf when you try for a baby

If you are trying to get pregnant, it might be worth easing off on the caffeine beforehand, because there are a few temporary withdrawal effects of a sudden cut in caffeine. Mostly, the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal are headaches, fatigue, and irritability. It may be hard to separate some of these symptoms from some of non-caffeine-related side-effects of pregnancy itself, so you might find that herbal tea is the way forward and kill two birds with one stone.

Breast feeding and decaf

The first thing I saw after I enjoyed some skin-to-skin with my eldest, was a steaming cup of tea which I drank while my partner held her. After a few weeks, it was clear she was having trouble sleeping and, of course, that meant I was too. The health visitor advised me to drink less tea and coffee as caffeine finds its way into breast milk and some infants are affected by it. If that sounds like your new family’s situation, you should try what I tried and go decaf. It helped putting her down for sleeps – I was much less ‘wired’ and baby was the same.Caffeine is the world’s most common and popular mind-altering drug. It’s relatively mild and often does no harm in moderation for those who can tolerate it. Your baby, however, is likely to be much more sensitive to its effects than you are. Fortunately there are many options for reducing your caffeine intake by a huge amount and even cutting it out altogether.

Rooibos or Red Bush: Tea or Not Tea?

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That is the Question

Rooibos or Red Bush tea is not, strictly speaking, a tea at all. True teas – from Breakfast to Earl Grey, Typhoo to Tetley and many more besides are all variations on a theme based on a type of camelia, the tea plant. The ‘tea’ leaves of Rooibos (Afrikaans for ‘Red Bush’) are the leaves of a Southern African shrub – Aspalathus linearis – that have been fermented and sun-dried to an autumnal red.

Red Bush Teatime

South Africans have been drinking Red Bush tea for over 300 years, since Europeans settled the Cederberg area of the Western Cape. 

There are no records of pre-colonial Rooibos use, but someone must have shown that picking leaves, thrashing them against a rock and leaving them out in the sun to dry was a fantastic idea and not, as logic would suggest, a spectacular waste of everyone’s time.

Green and black tea from India and China were expensive to import for European settlers, so Rooibos taken with milk and sugar (or honey) was adopted as the next best thing. I Love Decaf sells a classic South African Rooibos that has bags of character, is naturally sweet and slightly nutty but – like all red bush teas – contains no caffeine and very little tannin.

White with one lump or two isn’t the only way to drink Rooibos. The sweet, malty notes of red bush blend very well with all kinds of fruits and spices for an exceptional, often sublime, cup of un-caffeinated tea.

2 Birds in a Red Bush Tea

A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush, right? If it’s a Red Bush and the bird is the notoriously demented South African Ostrich, things can get out of hand fairly pronto. On the other hand, a cup of this sweet and slightly nutty Rooibos tea is worth more than all the barking mad ostriches you can carry. Stay grounded and smooth, with an earthy caffeine-free drink that makes you unflappable.

The Red Bush Melting (Tea) Pot

As if South Africa isn’t already a global crossroads, Red Bush has some inspirational cross-cultural blending going on. While the colonial powers were moving tea from east to west, Europeans were spreading vanilla – slowly – in the opposite direction from Aztec Mesoamerica to Asia and Africa. Nowadays, vanilla is grown in Madagascar off the east coast of continental Africa, but in the settlers’ time red bush and vanilla was nothing but a wild and fragrant dream. Wake up and smell the vanilla.

Vanilla Flavoured Rooibos Infusion

A gorgeous and subtle mix of sweet orange and light clove notes make for a naturally caffeine free, delicious and bright infusion with excellent antioxidant properties.

Meanwhile, mixing cool peppermint – often used in North African cuisine – with Rooibos tea grown in the Cederberg area of the Western Cape unites two Mediterranean climates half a world away from each other.

Minty Rooibos Tea

Make sure your everyday is as good as it can be with this delicious tea. Adding a sweet minty flavour to the malty, earthy Red Bush, this tea is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or a relaxing evening drink. Get your hands on our 1kg bag of Minty Rooibos tea and enjoy a cup whenever you want.

From pick-me-up to put-me-down, Rooibos is the perfect calming blend. After a hard day shouting at ostriches on the veldt, the Red Bush drinker wants nothing more than to relax into the evening, rejuvenate and wind down for the next day’s ostrich intimidation. Fortunately, Rooibos is versatile enough to mix beautifully with aromatic herbs, fruits and flowers for a soothing cuppa.

Aromatic Luxe Red Bush Tea

Find your perfect night-time tea. This delicious infusion is the perfect partner to help you relax and rejuvenate after a hard day. Blended with soothing Rooibos and aromatic lavender, apple and orange, it’s a wonderfully warming tea that will help you to both relax and rejuvenate. Our Tea Masters add just enough apples to complement the earthy notes of the rooibos, making for a deliciously clean but comforting cuppa with warming aromas.

Rooibos Tea Cosy Blend

This winter blend of red bush tea, cinnamon orange, almond cloves and cornflowers is a tea cosy for your mind. An inspiring brew to battle the cold with confidence, so you can go about your day.

We have yet more delicious blends of Rooibos tea on the way, from a pirate-inspired blend of spiciness to a liquid gold infusion as lavish as watching the sun set over the Great Karoo.

Spiced Pirate’s Rooibos Tea

A Rooibos pirate blend that it is one-part ahhh and one-part arrrr! With cinnamon, blackberry leaves, orange blossom, safflower petals, clove buds, cardamom and ginger extract, this treasure chest of Rooibos and spice is a pirate’s punch of flavour where X marks – but T hits – the spot.

All Seasons Luxe Red Bush Tea

A deluxe wrap-around warming blend of Rooibos, with the added spicy tang of cinnamon orange, the sweet, smooth textures of almond cloves and cornflowers. A comforting, tranquil cup for all seasons.

Another Mother Nutty Rooibos 

Still naturally caffeine-free, Another Mother is a nuttier alternative to our flagship South African Rooibos infusion. With excellent antioxidant properties and a delicious, sweet orange and light clove character, Another Mother pours as a liquor as bright and rich as a South African sunset.

The Best Instant Decaf Coffee is the One You Don’t Have to Drink

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Approximately half of the coffee grown in the world is produced to make instant coffee. It’s tempting to believe that this fact may be at the root of all the world’s misery, not least because instant coffee, decaf and caffeinated, is both an abomination and an affront to the senses. 

An early version of instant, known as Essence of Coffee, was produced briefly for soldiers during the American Civil War and was said to have had the consistency of axle grease. As the French – who can tell you a thing or two about coffee, often without being asked – would say plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more that things change, the more they stay the same. Essence of Coffee was rapidly discontinued, owing to popular demand. It probably helped that its customers were heavily armed.

Less than a century later, during the Second World War, instant coffee had become ever-so-slightly less revolting, and it was American GIs who popularised it wherever they were stationed. The upshot is that, in Britain, instant accounts for three quarters of all coffee sold. That compares to 10% in the US and France and just 1% in Italy.

Fast forward another 80 years and you would think that, with all the advances in drinks tech over the decades, the best decaf instant coffee would at least be passable, but no.

Best Decaf Instant I Love Decaf

Instant decaffeinated is best avoided

When you consider the pains that the growers, the roasters and blenders go to in selecting varieties of beans to grow and methods of roasting, fine-balancing tastes and textures along the way, it does seem absurd to then throw all of that into an industrial process that values quantity over quality. The best instant decaf is bound to be a shadow of its former self. 

Another thing to consider is that instant coffee production is more carbon intensive than simple ground coffee, a fact that the multinational food companies that control almost all the instant coffee market, conveniently omit from their green-wash eco-babble. Ignore all the Aztec and Mayan imagery and sustainability messages printed on plasticized labels and just drink better coffee instead.

Kick the instant habit

In a world where everything seems to be on-demand and instant, we have got used to streaming music and entertainment almost instantly. We’ve gained a lot of convenience but lost some of what makes music and film so special. In the case of coffee, deferred gratification is always better. Serious academic papers have felled a few trees to conclude that the ability to delay gratification can improve a host of other positive outcomes, including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence. It turns out that patience is a virtue, after all. In other words, a simple cafetiere or pour-over reusable filter is not only easy to use but gets you the best decaf coffee and gets it quick. It may not be instant, but considering the care, craft and ability of the growers, roasters and blenders, three minutes of brewing in your kitchen is not only more sustainable, better for your wellbeing and tastier, but also pretty damn quick.

Can Kids Drink Decaffeinated Tea or Coffee?

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We should start this article with the advice that there is absolutely zero nutritional benefit in caffeine for children or adults alike. You already know that, and it hardly bears repetition but, at some point, your mini-mes are going to notice you clutching your tea or morning coffee and perhaps be curious about it. They might ask you for a sip and your mind might turn to the emotional wasteland every parent knows as ‘bedtime’.

Last night, bedtime in your house meant that the sweet and adorable kids in your life had turned into junior ASBOIDS, running rings around you. The apples of your eye you previously knew as ‘your children’ were bouncing off the walls like unstable electrons in a reactor core. The mum/dad bomb had already gone critical, and you felt like you could kaboom into next week.

Why would you feed caffeine, even the smidgen left over in decaf, into that chain reaction? 

You wouldn’t let them eat a box of chocolate or drink a bathtub of cola before nighty-night-night, so why would you introduce hot drink caffeine at any point in the day?

It is helpful get a sense of proportion. Caffeine is a stimulant that some adults tolerate, and others don’t. It is not morphine or laudanum in that cafetiere or teapot, but a fairly mild, moderately addictive drug. If you’re brewing decaf, it will contain only 1-3% of what a conventional tea or coffee would. Exercising parental care, you might want to allow older children – say over 11 or 12 years old (draw your own line, that’s the point of being a parent) – a few sips of decaf from your mug, provided you feel like sharing a cup of our excellent decaf coffee and decaffeinated tea. But, how about a whole mug of their own?

There’s Not a Problem When it Comes to Decaf Tea and Coffee for Kids

What does this mean in practical terms? An 8-ounce cup of decaf coffee or decaf tea contains around 2 mg of caffeine – about the same concentration that a ready-to-drink chocolate milk might contain. Compare that with a regular cup of black filter coffee, which contains as much as 95 mg and with a cup of black tea that comes in at approximately 25-49 mg of caffeine. A 330 ml can of regular or diet Pepsi, regular diet or zero Coke contains around 34-36 mg of caffeine. A few sips of decaf pales by comparison even to a bar of chocolate which could easily contain the equivalent of ten cups of decaf.

For larger portions – like a mug of decaf, it’s less to do with your child’s age and more to do with their size. The reason why your bottle of Calpol has dosage described in terms of age is because that’s the best safe-side metric of the size of your child relative to a full adult, and dose is always about microgram applied per kilo of human. The same goes for caffeine.

Out there in Greater Parentville, thousands of mums and dads are dealing with bedtimes and bad times and, indeed, it has always been like this, in varying degrees since the year dot. If you are worried about caffeine intake making your little darlings into an unspeakable rabble at the top of the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, you might be surprised that it was the cup of hot chocolate or the bar of Cadbury’s they snaffled on their way home from school that is more likely the culprit. Or the sugar, the e-numbers, or the blue-tinged wakefulness-rays beamed at them from the screen of an iDevice. 

What is Bubble Tea?

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And do you have the tapioca balls for Boba? 

Bubble Tea, or Boba, shops have become the High Street’s latest fashionable infestation and the kids – not forgetting men-children with messenger bags and grown-gurls – are loving it too. Here at I Love Decaf, we support the wilder edges of tea drinking where our broad selection of decaf and no-caf can bring something extra to the mix.

What is Bubble Tea or Boba?

Bubble tea is evolved from iced white tea – a popular drink in East Asia – but also contains a measure of tapioca. Before Boba, tapioca was a common ingredient of hot desserts in Asia, but sometime in the mid to late 1980s a dessert merchant in a Taiwanese night market added it instead to chilled milk tea – a local favourite often made with condensed, evaporated, whole or soya milk. The new drink quickly became popular and spread rapidly to other Asian countries. 

It’s a craze that has taken quite a long time to get to the west. While the first bubble tea was brewed in Taiwan in the mid to late 1980s, it took until 2003 for London’s Chinatown to get its first Boba shop. The most recent spread now sees Boba bubbling up in every city in Europe and North America. And that just means it’s time to bring it to the decaf mainstream right now.

Flexi-bubble tea

One of the best things about bubble tea is that it is very flexible. Those first brews of Boba were made using black, green and oolong tea varieties. But there’s nothing stopping you from trying almost any tea or infusion in your own bubble tea. In Boba culture, creativity and experimentation is encouraged – it’s how the entire world of bubble tea came into being, after all.

Bubble tea with tea oil

One option is to flavour your bubble tea with tea oils. I Love Decaf has dozens of flavours of tea oil with many organic choices. You should use a single drop per pot – tea oil is super concentrated – but it’s one of many ways to put your own stamp on bubble tea.

There are no rules to decaf bubble tea

There are no rules, there are infinite recipes, but there are some guidelines. The bubbles in bubble tea aren’t really bubbles as you probably imagine them. For one thing, they are slightly chewy and that’s because they are made of black tapioca pearls. You can get these from any Asian supermarket, or they are also readily available online. They need to be lightly boiled for 5 minutes to get that perfect slightly chewy texture – sometimes known as ‘QQ’. 

Generally, the process is as follows.

  1. Bring the tapioca pearls to boil and simmer for five minutes
  2. Steep the tea at the same time
  3. Sieve the tapioca and sweeten it in a bowl (or leave as is)
  4. Let everything cool to ambient room temperature.
  5. Add a spoonful of tapioca pearl mix to the bottom of a cup or glass
  6. Add a single drop of tea oil to a full pot
  7. Pour in the tea over the tapioca, leaving room for milk, coconut, soya or regular milk
  8. Add a few cubes of ice 
  9. Add milk, cream, condensed or evaporated, nut milk, soya milk, whatever floats your boat.

What milk, how you sweeten the drink and what tea you use are all up to you. You could try a red berry fruit tea or bubble-up an odd cuppa of lemon and apple. Or stick with standard black, oolong or green decaf, it’s entirely up to you.

The Art of Making Tea in a Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas

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Japanese cast iron teapots and dragon’s breath:

Japanese cast iron teapots are known for their beauty and quality. But what many people don’t know is that they are also hand-forged by ancient ninja warriors. That’s right, these pots are so tough they can withstand the heat of a dragon’s breath. Not only do they make excellent tea, but they also come with a lot of personality. If you’re looking for a teapot that will make you stand out from the crowd, a Japanese cast iron teapot is a great option.

How to brew mystical decaf tea in a Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas

The perfect cup of tea is all about taking your time and enjoying the moment. Whether you’re enjoying a soothing cup of decaf tea or a reviving cup of coffee, let the Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas help you create a mystical brew that is just perfect for you. To start, fill the teapot with hot water and let it steep for a few minutes. Add your desired amount of tea leaves and steep for an additional few minutes. Finally, pour your tea into a cup and enjoy!

Why to use a Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas

There are a few reasons why you might want to use a Japanese cast iron teapot hand forged by ancient ninjas. First, cast iron is a very sturdy material that will last for many years. Second, the metal retains heat well, so your tea will stay hot for a longer period of time. Third, the metal distributes heat evenly, so your tea will taste the same from beginning to end. Finally, the pot has a very unique and cool aesthetic that will make you stand out from the crowd.

How to clean a Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas

To clean your Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas, first make sure it is completely dry. You can then use a soft cloth to wipe it down. Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasives, as they may damage the pot’s surface. If you need to remove any stubborn stains or marks, you can use a diluted bleach solution or gentle cleanser. Be sure to rinse the pot thoroughly after cleaning to remove any traces of the cleaning solution.

Should Ancient Ninjas be Forging Teapots?

So, the big question is—should ancient ninjas be forging teapots? The answer is, of course, yes! They’re skilled ninjas, so they’re perfectly suited for the task. Plus, they’re known for their attention to detail, so you can be sure that each and every teapot they create is of the highest quality. Not to mention, they have a flair for the dramatic, so your tea-drinking experience will be all the more enjoyable. If you’re looking for a unique and special teapot to drink your tea out of, then be sure to check out our Japanese Cast Iron Teapot Hand Forged by Ancient Ninjas. You won’t be disappointed!

Why drink non-caffeinated or decaf tea

Many people don’t realise that there are many different types of tea that don’t contain caffeine. In fact, many people enjoy drinking decaffeinated tea because it still has all the flavor of regular tea, but without the caffeine. So if you’re looking for an afternoon pick-me-up that doesn’t involve caffeine, why not try a delicious cup of decaffeinated tea? I Love Decaf has a wide variety of delicious decaffeinated teas to choose from, so you’re sure to find one you love.