CO2 Decaf Espresso

I normally go for medium roasts for espresso since I drink it straight, and the dark roasts tend to have a burnt undertone that can range from unpleasant to downright nasty. This roast from Coffee Bean Direct is the exception, however. The flavor is rich with smokey tones, but no (or very little) burned flavor. Excellent crema as well. While I can't say for sure since I don't like milk in my coffee, I imagine the flavor would stand up very well in a milk-based drink. I did try it as an Americano, and it was quite good. The flavors were toned down a bit as you would expect, but still came through nicely. I did have to fiddle with the grind level a bit to get a decent shot. The setting I use for medium roast beans nearly choked my espresso machine - took nearly 50 seconds for a double shot and, as you can imagine, was quite horrible. I had to go two full notches coarser on my Vario grinder to get a good shot. I expect this is due to the fact that the darker roast is much more oily than the medium roasts, and needs a coarser grind. I do wish it came in a smaller package so it would be easier to store and keep fresh. But, the five pound bag comes at an excellent per-pound price. Good beans at a good price. Highly recommend.

This coffee is an excellent buy. I only use it for making lattes with my Rancilio Silvia, so I cannot comment on whether the bean makes good drip coffee. As a point of comparison, the beans are way better than Starbucks decaf espresso, and somewhat better than the well-advertised Lavazza beans. The Coffee Bean Direct beans are not quite as good as Caffe Umbria Mezzanotte Decaf Blend. Nevertheless, considering the incredible price difference between Coffee Bean Direct and Caffe Umbria, Coffee Bean Direct is a great choice. To be clear, I am not saying that you have to settle on flavor - the coffee is fantastic. Most people who have tried the lattes I make with the Coffee Bean Direct beans with the Silvia and the Rocky grinder cannot believe how great the coffee is or that it is decaf. Like the other reviewers said, the grind is very important in order to get the great flavor and crema. So if you are initially disappointed, experiment with your grind, dose, tamp, etc. until you get a great shot. I freeze the beans in air-tight plastic bags, and only take out small amounts of beans at a time. I remove any air in the bag before returning the bag to the freezer. If I don't, then the coffee becomes bitter/sour. I average a couple of lattes a day, and a single bag lasts about 3 months.

For a while, I was ordering Kona decaf from a place in Hawaii. Recently, their decaffeination vendor went out of business, so they had to switch to a new one. After the switch, the quality of the decaf degraded significantly, and I had to find an alternative. I searched on Amazon and found a company in New Jersey called Direct Coffee Company. I ordered their decaf espresso, and it tastes really good. I prefer the CO2 decaffeination process, which this seems to be, and the flavor is great. I highly recommend it if you like a very dark, oily roast. I'm also going to try their other offerings, like the Colombian CO2 decaf light roast

I'm coming off of another decaf brand that I was trying which was pretty terrible. I'm glad I found this one because it's economical (or what passes for it these days) and a good flavor. It's very bobolddark, and maybe a little sweet. I grind it finely and use an espresso machine. I've only had a couple of cups but so far so good. 5 lb bag is huge, but I have hey food vacuum machine, so I divided them into five separate 1 lb bags and put before I'm not using in the freezer. Otherwise, I don't think my wife and I can go through the coffee fast enough before it goes stale.

I love the coffee this company roasts and have been ordering espresso from them a couple of years-always in the 5-lb bag. I always order the beans as I have my own coffee grinder which I also ordered from Amazon (Capresso 560.01 Burr Grinder) which I also love. The CO2 Decaf Espresso is quite good and a bit on the light side. It is a full flavored, low acid espresso and makes great iced & hot espresso. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Decaf Dark Sumatra they carry. It's strong, low acid and is great for iced espresso, which is what I make with it since I'm in a hot climate. I've also made hot espresso with it and it's just as good. I ONLY make decaf, low acid espresso-anything else, causes me to have heartburn, so this is perfect for me. What I really appreciate is the way they market & package the product. It's easy to see if each blend is high or low acid, full bodied or low... Really helps to know what you're getting.

I have been buying the CO2 espresso product for over a year now. I mix the decaf beans with regular beans to reduce my caffeine intake. I am on my 7th 5lb bag. I really loved the quality and the taste in the first 5 bags, unfortunately the last 2 shipments were hugely disappointing. The beans must have sat on the shelf for too long, and released oils on their surfaces as a result. Needless to say, the taste of my coffee from the most recent two bags weren’t anywhere as good as the earlier batches. I still purchased an additional bag after my previous disappointment because I hoped that it was a one off. In the end, I got very frustrated and I am too upset to give it another shot and risk wasting money. I am looking for alternative products.

If you drink decaf, you've usually got to give up some ( or most) coffee aroma and flavor. Not with this one. It's rich, smooth, low acid, smells like heaven and no deccaffeination chemicals dosing you up with every cup. The beans are dark and oily and the brew is so good, you won't know that you're drinking decaf. I've been buying these beans for years and have never found any other brand that's even close to this one.

The Coffee Bean Direct decaf is nearly acceptable and at the right price. I had hoped that given the spectacular reviews here that there was more than just hype. Sadly, I feel like shaking my head when I see all of the great reviews - but taste is individual and maybe I just don't get it. :( I was particularly excited for trying this due to the CO2 decaf method. I find the flavors muddy, even when when I am 100% positive that I got the espresso extraction shot perfectly. In order to get a perfect extraction, I find that I need a really fine grind. I think that I may try mixing it with a lighter roast, but I like a good dark roast. This just tastes muddy. :( Don't get me wrong, most decaf is terrible...usuallly undrinkable. This is not that bad. However, there are much better beans out there - though you will pay more for them.