BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Coffee Caff, non-caff?

I've met some folks who swear they can tell the difference between caff coffee and non-caff, just by drinking. Is that true for any Bella folks? If so, what is it that tells you 'Yuk, this is caff!' :rolling:

My hubby says that he can tell the difference between caff and de-caf coffee. He says that caff coffee has a stronger taste. I cannot tell the difference. However, he used to drink 15 cups of coffee a day! That was a long time ago. Now he drinks about 7 cup of coffee a day, the regular stuff! He has no trouble falling asleep either! sincerely, moose

I absolutely can not tell the difference by taste. Same applies to tea and coke.

I can't tell the difference in coffe or tea, and I have a pretty sensitive palate! (But caffeine free Coke and Pepsi do seem a little weaker tasting that the other stuff...)

I can tell the difference between caf and de-caf coffee. To me, the de-caf has a "flatter" taste.
So I guess, for me, it's "Yuk, this is de-caf!" <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I can Definitely tell the difference and it does not matter if it is flavored or french roast or espresso although decaf espresso may be the ultimate oxymoron...and Yes, it would be: "Yuck! Decaf!" Drinking a pot of regular before bed has no affect on me and I must admit caffeine is my personal drug of choice....AND I am a purist, by that I mean I went thru the "flavored coffee" experiment some years ago when I purchased my first coffee grinder. Now I just want it strong to the point of tasting burnt with real cream or black...nothing turns me away from an eating establishment faster than someone presenting me with nondairy creamer and arguing with me about what creamer and cream mean. If it is cream it came from a cow... Nondairy does indicate it is not from any living creature where I come from even if it does appear to be in mystical code to most restaurant personnel....

My husband had to give up his 10-a-day Pyramid PG Tips tea habit as it was giving him heartburn. But then he found they did a decaff version - problem solved!

My husband had to give up his 10-a-day mug of tea habit as it was giving him heartburn. But then he found they did a decaff version - problem solved!

I can taste the difference between caff and decaf coffee, but I think the reason is that good roasting companies tend to put their strongest efforts in "the real stuff", many of the finer roasting companies don't even offer decaf, and if they do, they'll only have one or two types and they're usually blends.

Same goes for tea. The highest quality leaves are used in the "real" stuff, and the scraps are used to make decaf. There's a trick for tea, though. The caffeine in tea leaves is EXTREMELY soluble. If you pour boiling water over your tea bag or tea leaves and let it sit for about 30 seconds, and then dump the water and pour new boiling water in, you'll rid the tea of something like 90% of the caffeine and you won't compromise flavor.

It's sort of like if you order a steak well-done at a restaurant, the chef will give you an unattractive or poorly marbled steak, knowing full well that the types who want their steaks cooked to death are the types who don't know the difference between different quality cuts (a ribeye's a ribeye, right? WRONG). If you genuinely like your steak well-done and really want it to be the highest quality, order your steak medium and then send it back.

I drink only decaf, whether it be coffee, tea, or cola drinks. I do it for health reasons...doctors orders! Once in awhile I may have cup of regular...usually at the Starbucks at B&N...but then I suffer for it. To me there is no difference in the taste. I think that once you start drinking decaf and keep drinking it over a period of time, you won't notice a difference. It's all about what you get used to having.