Why coffee purists should rethink decaf and experience what Dekáf has created

Chicago Tribune

10-07-2025

Most seasoned coffee drinkers dismiss decaf with a shrug. They've tasted the flat finish, the hollow middle, and the lingering disappointment of a cup that feels like a ghost of its full-strength counterpart. The assumption runs deep: if it's decaf, it must be less. Less bold. Less respected. Less worth the grind. Dekáf Coffee Roasters hopes to break that cycle — and do so with an unapologetic focus on flavor, process and truth.
Built by two people who roast every bag with their own hands, Dekáf treats caffeine-conscious coffee with the rigor and artistry others may reserve only for their single-origin showpieces. Their mission is clear: If decaf is going to have a future, it has to earn its place at the table. It has to match — or outdo — what's expected. That bar has been set, and Dekáf want to clear it.
Most roasters offer one or two decaf options as an afterthought. They rarely talk about the roast level, processing method or equipment used. Some even outsource it. Dekáf saw an opening. Instead of following that path, Anil Mezini and Khanh Nguyen built a specialty operation from the ground up that does nothing else. Every coffee they sell is either decaf or low-caffeine. Nothing full-strength enters their production line.
They roast on machines dedicated solely to one caffeine classification. The Ghibli R15 is used for decaf. The Loring Kestrel is reserved for low-caf. The Ikawa Pro100 is for precision testing and curve development. That separation isn't marketing — it's methodology. Customers buying a Dekáf roast can trace its origin, its caffeine process, and its flavor profile, knowing it was handled with deliberate care at each step.
Mezini says, 'We treat every roast like it has something to prove, because it does. Coffee drinkers have been told for years that decaf is second-tier. We disagree, and we want our process to speak louder than those assumptions.'
Coffee culture is often defined by habits — morning rituals, mid-day breaks, late-night study sessions. For many, those rituals are tied to the stimulant, not the brew itself. Dekáf invites a different rhythm. Their growing customer base includes those sensitive to caffeine, people cutting back for health reasons and lifelong coffee lovers who just want to enjoy another cup in the evening without staring at the ceiling all night.
Nguyen describes the shift as practical. 'We are not trying to replace caffeine. We are making room for more people to enjoy coffee in ways that work for them.' That framing matters. Dekáf isn't moralizing or prescribing; they are expanding the choices on offer. Their branding avoids health fads or restrictive wellness language. It leans into quality, flavor and clarity.
With more than 15 decaf and low-caffeine options in rotation, along with cold brew concentrates built from their best-selling roasts, Dekáf doesn't ask customers to sacrifice taste for tolerance. It invites them to rethink how coffee fits into their day. That invitation has found traction with audiences who felt overlooked. Now, they have a brand that speaks directly to them.
Dekáf's tone is neither elite nor defensive; it's direct. They use their platform to answer questions others avoid: where their beans come from, how decaffeination methods differ, why chemical-free processes matter and what equipment is used to avoid contamination. Their social media and website content is blunt about what customers can expect. No fluff. No guesswork.
Their transparency builds confidence. Customers who once viewed decaf as weak now talk about roast levels, acidity and balance. Some say they wouldn't have known decaf could taste this layered without Dekáf. Others admit they kept their decaf drinking private because it felt taboo in certain circles. That is changing, one bag at a time.
Mezini and Nguyen want to keep that momentum going without diluting the mission. They are cautious about scaling too quickly or partnering with retailers that don't share their standards. Every product expansion in 2025 — from cold brew formats to broader wholesale availability — follows the same rule: if the quality dips, it doesn't launch. That rule has slowed them down, but it has also earned them the trust of a loyal following.