5 LB Don Pablo Colombian Decaf

I started drinking decaf (well, mostly decaf. I add a scoop and a half of regular to my half pot in the mornings) a year ago and it's been an endless waste of time to find an good yet economical decaf. I was using Starbucks Decaf Pike Place which is really good but expensive. After reading the reviews I decided to try Cafe Don Pablo Decaf. I have to admit I was a little leery because Colombian coffees usually fall short in delivering a well rounded smooth yet bold cup of decaf coffee. One of the reviews I read had a response from Don Pablo explaining "why" this bean is different i.e. altitude it's grown at, how it's decaffeinated etc...and I can say it is true, it is different. This Colombian is not the same as other Colombian roast and especially for a decaf. Another valuable tidbit of info. I discovered from reading the owner responses to customer comments that the temperature of the water you start out with makes a difference with decaf coffee. I've always heard that it's better to use cold water to get the freshest brew of coffee but I'm finding out that if it's too cold it actually weakens the coffee. I tested that theory and have included my personal findings below. I have a Hamilton Beach Flex Brew. I use the carafe, that I preset the prior evening, to be fully brewed when I wake up. After that I use the mesh filter basket (not a kcup style, rather the small mini basket) for single cups of coffee if I want more. I grind my beans fresh, enough for a few days at a time, storing the ground in an airtight mason jar and the unused beans in an airtight container in their original bag. My grinder is a Hamilton Beach Custom Grind and has 2 percolator; 1 drip and 2 espresso settings. I unintentionally ground the first round of beans at the 2nd espresso setting, the finest of the espresso settings. It was close to, if not, turkish grind, powdery. I made a single cup and the coffee using that extra fine grind and water that was cool but not like ice water. It had that weak and light roast cheap Colombian flavor, blach!. I decided to see if it, the extra fine grind, would taste different if made in the carafe rather than the single cup. It was better 1) because the water, having sat in the well of the coffee maker all night was now at room temp and 2) carafe coffee is always better than single cup. BUT, it still had that "off" taste from the grounds being too fine, but wasn't flavorless and weak due to the water being too cold. Next, I ground another batch using the grind I normally use which is the first of the two espresso grinds; so, not powdery but significantly finer than drip. Measured water to 8 on the carafe, added 1 1/2 scoops of regular (Starbucks Verona) and 4 scoops of Don Pablo Decaf. Set the timer, went to bed, and the morning carafe brew was GREAT! It was flavorful and not flat and had a very nice smooth yet well rounded and robust flavor. Later I tried it in the single cup mesh brew basket, 3 scoops of Don Pablo Decaf, cold water and it tasted a bit flat and weaker than the carafe brew. I made another single cup a few minutes ago using room temp water and 3 scoops of Don Pablo Decaf in the mesh brew basket and it was GREAT! I think that grinding it at drip grind would be too weak for me. I like a stronger cup of coffee so the espresso, not turkish, grind is good for that. I do like that this bean is "medium-dark" roast. If you're worried about it being too strong just use a more course grind. This "medium-dark" roast is not the same as Starbucks medium or dark roast. The beans are very dark and they are oily but not over roasted. I think some people who don't care for strong coffee will shy away when they see "medium-dark". You're missing out if you do. This is a really good coffee. I also love that it's not processed with chemicals. Starbucks is. I'm now paying half of what I was paying for decaf coffee. Just a note about creamer; I've read a lot of reviews for various single cup coffee makers, customers saying that they don't heat the water hot enough. I always warm my half and half for a few seconds to get the chill off so it doesn't cool the coffee off so fast. I've found this is effective whether I'm using the carafe brew or the single cup brew. **UPDATE: After writing this review I noticed that the bag says they recommend one well rounded tablespoon per 6 oz cup and their description of the grind they use matched the espresso grind I use. So, I measured my scoop against their description of a tablespoon and my scoop does make a well rounded tablespoon, not level but a nice rounded mound on top. I used the exact amount they recommended, 8 scoops to 8 6 oz. cups in my carafe (measured to the 8 line on the carafe) and it made a very robust and strong cup of coffee! I like it that way though. I mentioned above that I was using about 5 1/2 scoops and that made it a really good cup of coffee, smooth and full flavored but adding the extra 2 1/2 scoops really boosted the strength. I do use half and half so having a stronger cup of coffee is great for me.

We were at the Disney Food & Wine Festival last year where a local coffee producer in Florida had a seminar on using their coffee in a French press. We tasted it, and were sold on using a French press to make coffee in the morning. So, after we returned home from the Disney trip, we purchased a coffee grinder and a French press on Amazon so we could reproduce the great coffee we had at Disney World. We liked the coffee of this local maker, but can't get it back where we live in Illinois and shipping costs from Florida are expensive and do not make it worthwhile to order this on-line. So, we looked for alternate sources of coffee to go with our grinder and French press. Brands of coffee beans that we could find at our supermarkets here did not measure up to our experience in Florida, so, I looked on Amazon for a source for good roasted coffee beans and ran across this brand which had good reviews. We wanted to try a decaf, so picked this particular Columbian whole bean decaf coffee for a taste test. Sure glad we did. Nice packaging, and when we opened the top, the wonderful coffee aromas just wafted around the room. It smelled so good, we had to get the grinder out and make a carafe to drink. Grinding you own coffee and then using a French press to make your coffee is a lot of trouble but the taste experience is worth the trouble. Plus, you have to boil a pot of water to pour over the ground coffee in the French press. Then you have the cleanup afterwards that takes some time. But all this work is worth the great taste you get in the end. We will definitely be trying some of Don Pablo's other regular coffees down the road.

This is not my favorite coffee. But I say that as a coffee snob. I use this to make espresso, cappuccinos, drip coffee, aero press and nitro cold brew. It does a decent job with all of them. I cannot find a single decaf coffee bean that holds a candle to Lavazza's Super Crema when it comes to making a nice espresso, and no, Lavazza's Dek does not come close. But I'm comparing this to the the other decaf coffees that I buy, and it's definitely above average while being one of the cheapest per pound decaf coffees I can buy as I write this. If the price were the same, I'd personally take the 5LB Subtle Earth Organic Decaf over the 5LB Don Pablo Colombian Decaf, which is the same company. I also really like Organic Coffee Co.'s Gorilla Decaf and Hurricane Espresso if I'm looking for a medium-dark roast coffee bean. That said, this is an enjoyable variation in my coffee bean rotation. I like to start the day with a Super Crema Americano that there is no decaf equivalent for. My cold brew process involves sifting beans, so I use the sifted fines to make cappuccinos and Americanos. For cold brew, darker roasts tend to have a big advantage over medium-dark roasts, and that's true in this case. I still use these beans primarily in the espresso machine and Hario cold brew pots. They make fine drip coffee, but if I have the time, I'd prefer not to have drip coffee. They also make a good cup with an Aeropress. I actually haven't bothered to make a French Press batch with this coffee, so for all I know, I've yet to try them where they really shine. That said, I think "above-average Swiss Water process Columbian decaf" is a fair summary of these beans, and at the price they sell for, that's worth a five-star review from me.

After reading that many people received "very freshly" roasted products even when ordering from Amazon, I purchased a 2 pound bag via Amazon in late January 2017. It arrived very very promptly, but I was disappointed to find that the "fresh until" date was November 2017, not January 2018. My understanding is that the "fresh until" date is 12 months after the roasting date. If I am wrong - please correct me. Under this assumption, my beans were roasted between 2 and 3 months before my purchase. Perhaps confirming my impression about this, the coffee beans did NOT exhibit a shiny oilyness that I have experienced with other freshly roasted beans. Even so, this product makes a decently nice cup of coffee, but not anything I'd call great. I also find that I need to use more coffee per brewed cup than I would have expected, and I find that the instructions to grind the beans finely, finer than I otherwise would have done, is correct. (Bear in mind that I add a bit of whole milk and sugar, which one reason why I like to brew a strong cup.) I do not mind using the extra beans, as the price is very good to begin with, and it is worth using a bit extra to achieve a richer flavor. In order to receive fresher beans, I may contact the roaster directly and try ordering directly from them (as at least one other reviewer recommended). Shipping costs will be higher than via Amazon (Prime), but ok. My recommendation to the Amazon distributors would be to guarantee freshness by providing a roasting date, or at least a "guaranteed to be roasted after" date along with the conditions of sale. Otherwise I will not order coffee this way again - it is just not worth having 2 pounds of thse beans that I'm not entirely thrilled with. ********************* UPDATE 6 APRIL 2017 ************************ I added a star to my prior review -- now 4 stars. I've ordered directly from the manufacturer a few times and have been very satisfied with the freshness of the product received. The beans exhibit a more distinct oily sheen to them. I've struggled to find a DECAF coffee that I've really enjoyed and this has been a good discovery. I've been drinking this coffee almost exclusively now for the last few months - but note the caveats that follow. This bean/roast has a distinct flavor that is smooth, not burnt or smokey, and on the "floral" side of the taste spectrum (IMO). It is very pleasant, but despite the fact that I make a very strong brew (as I stated earlier, I grind it rather fine, and then I do add milk and sugar), I'm still left "wanting something with a bit more punch." So now I do three additional things to give it that extra punch: #1) I blend together 1 part Dark Roast Decaff (from another source) to 2 parts Don Pablo Columbian Decaff. #2) I add a pinch of salt to the grinds before brewing (one pinch per cup) #3) I have a Mr. Coffee Drip brewer (nothing fancy) and I let the hot water steep in the grinds for about 2 minutes before I let the water flow out of the brewer and into the carafe. It still does not quite achieve coffee nirvana (I miss the taste of a good caffeinated coffee) but its darn good to me. My wife likes a more mild coffee and doesn't really like this. So this is all very subjective. Comments welcome.

Cafe Don Pablo has to be one of the best decaf coffees if not the best. The flavour and roast are fantastic. It has a classic medium roast flavour with a soft finish. It is always good and is as close to the taste of caffeine as you can get. Full and rich with out being acidic or strong. You can brew it strong or mild and it still tastes great. We like slightly strong. We've had many good decafs but this one really stands out. If you haven't tried it, you must. It will really surprise you how good it tastes. Having said that, serious coffee drinkers are a lot like wine aficionados. We all have different tastes and that should be taken into consideration. If you want a super high quality or just a simple good rich flavour, Don Pablo will impress. Yes, it's worth it, and it's not expensive at that. There is no way you can go wrong. Fresh ground, whole bean is always a better choice. If you get a ground version or prefer to grind it all, be sure to use it in a timely manner as ground coffee can get stale within a month. The whole bean coffee stays fresh for a good long time. Other reviewers were also very helpful. We've been through tons of pre ground and fresh ground so this is one of the best out there. You'll enjoy it.

This is the best coffee I have ever made at home. The coffee was delivered by Amazon in less than two days wrapped in sealed and secure packaging. It was leaning on my front door having been dropped off while we were home. Before I even opened the door the aromatic smell of freshly roasted coffee was already inside our home, I could literally smell this delicious coffee as it was still setting outside our front door. I have used nearly all of my two pound bag of whole bean coffee now, and the aroma and consistently delicious cup of coffee has remained excellent to the bottom of the bag. I use a French press process grinding my beans by hand to a slightly course consistency. I never boil the distilled water I always use, but rather heat it to just the right temperature to easily sip the coffee after letting it 'brew' for at least three minutes. I love good coffee and never put anything in a worthy cup. The only time I add anything to a cup of coffee is when it has failed to be what it should be, or if I want something sweet and just want to add a coffee flavor. It would be an insult in my mind to add anything that diminishes the consistently excellent flavor of a straight-up cup Café Don Pablo coffees. I have six grandchildren now and have lived long enough to have tried more than a few coffees, this is good coffee. I must use only decaf coffee now, but having discovered this product I feel as if I am back to enjoying a good cup of coffee at anytime that I want one. Thank you for an excellent product.

First note: I am not associated with, employed by, or anyway affiliated with the Don Pablo coffee company. The real honest truth. Been drinking Verona most every morning for more than 8+ years. Tried other blends and flavors including Verona type coffees. Some serious health problems forced me to look to decaf coffee. After researching and reviewing reviews from all over the internet (not just amazon) I narrowed the scope to two decaf coffees and a brand new expensive grinder. (we already have the expensive coffee maker :) ) No matter how I ground and brewed 1 of the two coffees, the taste was less than par. I did all the water tricks, brew tricks, and grind tricks. It just didn't matter. The coffee just tasted washed out. Interestingly, that same failed decaf coffee also raised both my blood pressure and blood sugar almost as much as the Verona. I then tested Cafe Don Pablo Decaf. At first, uh oh. Same less than coffee taste but I remembered reading a couple of reviews suggesting a finer grind to get the coffee flavor. Took two small pots of coffee and "bingo!". I not only found the sweet spot, I also decided this was better than my favorite Verona and I got the bonus features I was looking for. Contrary to 1 or 2 comments that stated their blood pressure increased, after now finishing my 3rd bag of coffee, this "decaf" coffee proved absolutely no increase in my blood pressure. In addition my blood sugar only went up a few single digits.I almost decided to stop drinking coffee till I found this coffee. The taste is excellent. I grind mine to a fine grind. Going from a light medium grind to a fine grind made all the difference in the world for flavor and taste. My Cafe Don Pablo Decaf recipe. 6 level tbs fine grind coffee. 34 oz of room temperature filtered water (sits overnight) Bottom line: This coffee is excellent all around and if one loves coffee but needs to go decaf for health reasons or just to eliminate the caffeine. As the subject title says: Look no further. This is your coffee.

These beans make a very nice cup of coffee. No bitterness at all, no "ash" taste that comes from burnt beans, no oily sheen on the top of the coffee. I make the coffee in a Keurig and am still working on finding the optimal grind (Don Pablo recommends a medium grind, but as I'm a coffee-grinding neophyte, I'm still working that out). When I use a drip coffee maker with adjustable strength settings, I use the "bold" (medium) setting, to get a bit stronger taste. Even when I ground the coffee too much, causing the Keurig to only brew a half cup (which is twice as strong as normal), these beans produced a smooth, satisfying cup of coffee, without a hint of bitterness. The beans are packaged in what appears to be a foil-lined bag with a "ziplock" type closure (the kind where you squeeze the two strips between your thumb and forefinger, and slide them across the bag). This does a great job of maintaining the beans' freshness. I have to admit, I am not a coffee aficionado (or coffee snob, depending on your point of view); I can't speak to whether the coffee has earthy undertones or hints of early morning, springtime dew-crusted citrus, or whatever :-) I can say it makes a smooth, mild-medium boldness cup of coffee. I highly recommend it.

Ever since I visited the country seven years ago I became hooked on Columbian coffee, and have drank it, actually too much of it, for many years. I have used it in De Longhi coffee machines, but now have a Melitta T-Smart which I'd thoroughly reecommend. I take my coffee white with frothed milk, no sugar, but I like it strong. We all have different tastes so lets not criticise other reviews or coffees. I say this because I've tried many coffees with excellent reviews, which have - lets say - not been to my taste. So as a benchmark, I prefer Costa to Starbucks, and usually have an extra shot of coffee in a large cappacino or even a white Americano. My favourite full caff was Costco (not Costa) Columbian, and Absolute star at only £9 per 2lb bag. This year I was told by my doctor to switch to decaff. But for me all the Colombian decaffs I try lack intensity and many taste weak or even a bit strange. Best so far are Coffee Direct, (weak) Coffee Masters (better), I also tried Costco San Francisco Decaff (which at half the price), I found to be best of all. But no sooner had I used it, than they deleted it from their catalogue! My wife bought me an expensive Peruvian decaff which was excellent from a local roaster. But he has supply problems! So its back to Amazon and continue my search for the Holy Grail , (or even just a decent coffee to put in it.). Don Pablo. A little bit more expensive than the others (double the price of Costco) but wow. By that I mean WOW. This is excellent stuff. Its the first coffee ive tasted that has that lovely deep intense Columbian richness. Smooth, sweet, (without sugar), not bitter at all. A beutifil lingering aftertaste that just cries out - make another cofffee! I love it. I can't believe it is decaff. Gracias Don Pablo Update - it seems if you say nice thngs about Don Pablo the reward is a 40% price hike. Its gone from £15.99 to £21.99 for a bag. Sorry Mr pablo, your coffee is good but not that good looking at alternatives again

délicieux mais malheureusement plus en vente pourquoi ?????????

No tengo claro que sea de Colombia (si lo es, de los de peor calidad de allí) y tampoco si está descafeinado con el método Swiss Water. Desde luego lo que me parece es torrefacto, tanto por el sabor (amargo, amargo) como por el brillo (ya al abrir el paquete me mosqueó ese brillo). Añado una foto: el de la izquierda es este café y el de la derecha otro descafeinado que suelo usar. Aunque la foto no es muy buena, creo que se puede ver la diferencia en el brillo (este brillante y el otro mate) e incluso en el tamaño del grano (este es bastante más pequeño).

Thought it’s powder later realised it’s coffee beans :)

This is an amazing coffee, probably the best I've ever drunk, let alone the best I've tried at home. Over the 8 years or so that I've been using a coffee machine, I"ve tried various regular and decaf beans - a selection of Lavazza, Taylors, Costa, Rave and supermarkets' own brands but none have been as good as these Don Pablo. The added bonus is that they're decaf, too so I csn drink them in the evening too. I like my coffee with a strong taste but do not enjoy bitterness. This coffee can be made strong without the usual bitterness. I'm sure it's equally delicious if made weaker. There is only one downside and that is the price but I guess its the same old story...you get what you pay for. I can see this replacing my Costa. regular beans AND Lavazza decaf.