Shanti said

Decaf vs. Regular Teas, Flavor-wise

Do you think there is a difference in flavor between decaf teas and their normal counterparts? For example, is the decaf version of a tea more or less bitter than the normal version? I’m asking because I purchased some decaf teas from Adagio for my mother and I’m wondering how the flavor of the regular version might be different. I wonder if the decaffeination process alters the taste of the tea, as caffeine is bitter.

11 Replies

i own the “regular” strawberry flavored black tea from adagio and also their “decaf” strawberry flavored black tea. the decaf tasted a bit sweeter thats about it. it was almost unnoticeable i could only pick it up because i had a cup of each side by side. but adagio’s decaf strawberry is the only decaffeinated tea ive ever had.

Shanti said

Okay, this is really strange, but that was exactly the tea I was thinking about! I bought my mom the decaf version and I liked it, but I was wondering if the regular version was more bitter.

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Cofftea said

Although I’m not sure if it’s true or not, that assumption is the very reason I’ve stayed away from decaf teas, that along w/ the fear that the health benefits are reduced. There unfortunately is no caffinated counter part, but I did find the black tea base in the Decaf Chai Agni very light.

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denisend said

IDK, but what I do know is that there is still some caffiene in even “decaf” teas, so when I want a tea without caffiene I generally go for an herbal or tisane (I’m particularly fond of Teavana’s strawberry lemonade or Adagio’s sour apple).

Random, I know.

Cofftea said

Yeah it’s ~5mg. You’d have to be really sensitive for that to bother you I’d think.

denisend said

Depends on how much you drink.

Cofftea said

Good point. I reuse my leaves anyway so I don’t have a lot of 1st infusions in one day.

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jennlea said

I often get an odd cardboard aftertaste from decaffeinated teas so I tend to stick with herbals and infusions that I know don’t have caffeine. Though I would love to find a really good decaffeinated black tea (flavored or not) to drink in the evenings.

Shanti said

I’m not much of a fruit-flavored tea person, but I tried Adagio’s decaf Strawberry black and mango black, and both were pretty good. As Kitch3ntools mentioned above, the strawberry was slightly sweet, very little bitterness. But, I’ve never noticed a cardboard taste before so who knows :)

jennlea said

I’ll have to try Adagio’s decaf Strawberry. I have the regular and really like it.

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gmathis said

Generally, if I don’t need the caffeine I go straight to a green or herbal. Seems like most decaf blacks are just a shade shy of having any real flavor. Harney & Sons has a decaf darjeeling that’s passable, and Adagio’s Decaf Ceylon is OK.

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