The Art of Brewing Decaf, from the Experts

Brewing delicious coffee without caffeine is—of course!—much like brewing coffee with caffeine. The chemical composition of decaf is slightly different though, so we’ve come up with some adjustments to take your chemical-free Swiss Water® Decaf to the next level.

pour over

Basic Coffee Brewing Principles

  • Did you know a cup of coffee is actually about 98.5% water, and only about 1.5% actual coffee? When hot water comes into contact with coffee grounds, that hot water dissolves some coffee out of the grounds and into your cup. This process is called extraction or, in plain English, coffee brewing. To brew great decaf, we must maximize extraction to make up for the slightly different chemical composition of decaf versus regular.

  • In brewing decaf, we generally recommend using a little bit more coffee than when brewing regular, or a slightly finer grind—and sometimes both.

  • Why is this? First, we take into consideration Strength (how much of the coffee solids make it into your cup versus water) and then Extraction Yield (how much coffee is extracted from the grounds themselves).

Brewing Variables

  • Strength and Extraction Yield can be affected by the following variables

    • Brew Ratio (how much coffee is used per volume of water, e.g., 55 grams of coffee per liter of water)
    • Grind Size (coarse, medium, or fine)
    • Brew Time (one minute vs. four minutes)
    • Water Temperature (we recommend 200° F ± 5° (93.0°C ±3°))

  • Brew Ratio

    When you change your brew ratio, you change the strength of your coffee. If you use more coffee, your coffee will taste stronger. If you use less coffee, your coffee will taste weaker.

  • Other Variables

    When you change other variables like grind, time, or water temperature, you change how much coffee is extracted. If you use a finer grind, brew for longer, or use hotter water, then you extract more from your coffee. If you do the opposite, you extract less. Extract too much, and coffee will taste bitter. Extract too little, and coffee will taste sour.

We’ve made a handy table for you to make the most of your Swiss Water® decaf, across popular brew methods.

French Press Pour Over Chemex AeroPress Auto Drip Coffee Maker Auto Drip Coffee Maker
Grind Coarse Medium Coarse Medium Coarse Medium Fine Medium Medium
Coffee (g) 61 22 47 15 40 75
Water (g/ml) 850 330 700 200 850 1700
Yield 2-4 cups 2-4 cups 2-4 cups 1 cup 6 cups 12 cups

A Note About Measuring

Generally, 5 grams of coffee = 1 level tablespoon, but we suggest using a scale to weigh your ground coffee to ensure consistency.

Finely ground coffee will take up less space than coarsely ground coffee, so it’s best practice to weigh your coffee and measure your water accurately for the best brew.