TeaGinner said

Best decaffeinated loose leaf tea?

I have to stop drinking caffeine sadly, so I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations for any decaf tea? It can be black, white, green, or anything! Thanks guys!! :)

41 Replies

Rooibos is naturally caffeine free. And delicious.

TeaGinner said

Thank you!!! :) I actually have a few blends of Rooibos that I’ll have to pull out!

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Dr Jim said

I’m still looking for a really good decaf, but to date I’ve had the best luck with Darjeeling for black tea (enjoying tea) and sencha (Harney & Sons)for green. Harney’s Assam is also OK but I don’t like it as well as the Darjeelings. This may just reflect my personal tastes.

Flavored teas can be OK but I find that the flavoring usually overpowers the tea. I haven’t found anything on-line that I like significantly better than the Bigelow’s that I bought in the supermarket (try the constant comment and vanilla).

I’m afraid that you may be disappointed. The best decafs are about as good as average caffeinated teas. I’m awaiting an order from Upton so may be able give you an update in a few days.

TeaGinner said

You’re awesome! Thanks for the great reply!! :) I currently have a few hundred dollars worth of tea in my tea basket along with a nice cake of pu-erh that I have to almost completely stop drinking because it’s caffeinated which is SUCH a bummer! I’ll definitely be looking into those teas you mentioned!

Dustin said

That IS a bummer! Do you have to stop drinking it forever or just for now? You could list your teas for trade here requesting decaf tea in exchange. That would at least put your stash to use for you. :/

Honeybush is another decaf option, similar to rooibos. 52tea has a several flavored honeybush options and has a sale going this weekend.

can you do low caff options like genmai? I have a few of those I could suggest.

TeaGinner said

HOPEFULLY just for now Dustin! I love my caffeine! UGH! I can still drink a little bit of caffeine per day, but not the 6 or so cups of a strong black tea I’d drink per day. So pretty much I’m limited to maybe 1 cup of black a day or possibly a few greens and whites per day, but I SHOULD be cutting out ALL caffeine even though I’m just cutting back a great deal for now. Also thanks for mentioning Honeybush! I forgot that I have Cinnamon Roll Honeybush from 52teas! :)

@Kasumi – I’d love to hear your genmaicha suggestions!! I could probably drink 1 cup or so of a LOW caff tea a day. Bring ’em on!! :)

awesome, I’ll gather ideas and get back to you on this.

Jude said

TeaGinner, since you don’t have to be absolutist about it, you could still enjoy your favorites if you don’t mind tossing a long first steep — 5 minutes removes about 70% of the caffeine. There are a lot of sources online for this info, and this one has some quite interesting information, as well: http://elmwoodinn.com/about/caffeine.html

TeaGinner said

Thanks Jude that’s a fantastic idea! I’ll give that method a try!! :)

besides genmai, kukicha and houjicha also are lower in caffeine. you might consider trying these.

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Maria said

Harney and Sons Vanilla Comoro is decaf, and very yummy in my opinion. However, for some reasons they only self it in pyramid bags.

TeaGinner said

Thank you so much! I bookmarked that blend for future buying!! :)

Serenity said

Yes, I was going to mention that H&S has a good reputation for decaf blends; I’ve tried Paris decaf and it was amazing. I’ve been there with needing to reduce caffeine TeaGinner, PM me if you want extra commiseration/support!

TeaGinner said

Aw, thank you so much Serenity!! :)

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ashmanra said

Actually, you can get Vanilla Comoro loose leaf by the pound from the website or by ounces from the Millerton store if you call and order! Harney’s Decaffeinated is also excellent, the one that is a Ceylon. Also, A Southern Season sells a decaf Ceylon Orange Pekoe that is quite good. They also ship.

Maria said

ah! Good to know!

Uniquity said

+1 for vanilla comoro. I find it gets bitter easily so I steep it for 2.5 or 3 minutes max but it is pretty tasty.

Dr Jim said

I just went to the southernseason.com website and they don’t have decaf

TeaGinner said

Thank you thank you! I appreciate the recommendations!! :)
I went on the Southern Season website and I didn’t find the Orange Pekoe. Could you link me please? Thanks!

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Oh man, that does not sound like fun. We do custom blends and would be happy to do any blends of flavors that you have a difficult time finding decaf versions of.

TeaGinner said

Wow you are AWESOME!! Thank you!! Is it possible for you to de-caffeinate Lapsang Souchong? Or like a decaf Lapsang Souchong blend? I’ve been searching the web for a decaf version of it but can’t find it anywhere! I wouldn’t be able to purchase it right now as I’m low on funds, but I’d love to see if you could de-caffeinate it in for a future purchase!

I don’t have the ability to decaffeinate, but I could certainly look for decaffeinated Lapsang Souchong for you. I know I can acquire a smoke powder and possibly a smoke flavoring, to make a tea smokier. By the way, if you are looking for quality decafinated teas, look for ones that have been decafinated by CO2, since those preserve the tea the best and impact the flavor the least. We do have access to a number of decaffeinated teas and we can create virtually any flavor you can think of.

TeaGinner said

I sent you an email!! :)

Got it :)

Serenity said

Oh my gosh, how awesome is this??

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We have a selection of decaf teas at www.teabar.com!
Black Decaf teas: http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/black-tea/decaffeinated
Green Decaf teas: http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/green-tea/decaffeinated
As Lariel pointed out, rooibos is caffeine free—our selection of rooibos: http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/herbal-tea/roobios
If you have any questions or need any suggestions, just let us know!

TeaGinner said

Thank you!!! :)

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I’ve never found a really satisfying decaf tea. But the closest is Harney’s Decaf Ceylon.

TeaGinner said

Have you tried there Assam or Darjeeling decaf? If you did, how was it?? Thanks!! :)

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have not tried any of these but Lupricia has a decaf/low caf section

http://www.lupiciausa.com/Non_Low_Caffeine_Tea_s/66.htm

TeaGinner said

Thanks Kasumi! Looking at them now!!

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may i suggest you our Virgo tea : Rooibos, Cherry and Rose

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BEXHQNQ

TeaGinner said

Thanks, looks interesting!! :)

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I just placed an order with Tea Haus (http://teahaus-annarbor.com/our-black-teas/#blackdecaf) and they have decaf versions of some of their black and green teas as well as a decent rooibos, fruit, and herbal tisanes, which are naturally caffeine free.

Ironically, I’m finding myself having minor allergic reactions to the NON-caffeinated blends (honeybush and rooibos) so I’m having the opposite problem of you. Thankfully I’m pretty caffeine-insensitive.

TeaGinner said

Some of those look delicious!! Thanks so much! :)
That stinks you’re allergic to rooibos and honeybush, but I’d rather be allergic to those two than have problems with caffeine like I do!! :P

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