Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

Sumatra Coffee Farmers See Gains Through Agroforestry and Organic Fertilizer

Farmers in Indonesia’s Lampung province are making their own organic fertilizer in order to lessen reliance on volatile external supply chains. They’ve also diversified the number of crops they grow,…


Understanding the Process: Anaerobic Processing

We continue our series on fermentation with a look at the anaerobic process, which has quickly become a favorite in cafés worldwide. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Bram de Hoog for Ally Coffee A simple cup of well-brewed coffee can have endless variations of flavors and aromas. These are closely linked to […]


Hawaiian Legislators Introduce Bills for Stricter Coffee Labeling

Legislators representing the Kona district of Hawaii have introduced a series of bills that would require more strict labeling requirements for single-origin coffees and blends containing Hawaiian-grown coffees. Some Kona…


Ukraine’s Soloway Coffee Opens First US Shop in Chicago

A specialty coffee roasting company based in western Ukraine called Soloway Coffee (Instagram link) this week opened its first location in the United States. Beans roasted in Ternopil, Ukraine, using…

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]


Medium-sized farms play an important role in specialty coffee

For many consumers and industry professionals, specialty coffee and direct trade are inextricably linked. Building strong and mutually beneficial working relationships between producers and roasters is often seen as a cornerstone of establishing a truly sustainable supply chain. So with this association between specialty coffee and direct trade, there can be a narrative of smaller-sized […]


Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to […]


Test Drive: Update Your Grinding With More Comandante Grinder Accessories

The popular hand grinder has more to offer with a new line of tools and accessories now available. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo by Tanya Nanetti To brew the perfect cup of coffee, it’s important to choose the right coffee equipment. One essential is a reliable coffee grinder. Most coffee lovers start with a […]

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

The Slingshot Chalice Puts a New Spin on Espresso Dosing

Hong Kong and Australia-based coffee equipment maker Slingshot Technology recently launched the Chalice Distributor Cup, a multipurpose espresso preparation tool for baristas. Displayed in its…


5 Cool Cafés Worth a Try in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most fascinating cities, is home to a vibrant specialty-coffee scene, with many cafés and roasteriess often offering locally grown coffee. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Tim Durgan via Unsplash With a population of 3 million, Chiang Mai is a little (by Asian standards) gem in northern […]


Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to […]


An Unfiltered History of Vietnamese Coffee

We explore the history of coffee in Vietnam and how the industry’s perception of Vietnamese coffee is evolving.  BY EMILY MENESES BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by frank mckenna via Unsplash What do you think of when you hear the term “Vietnamese coffee”? For Kim Dam, founder of Portland Cà Phê, it extends far beyond […]

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

Ready to build your seasonal menu? Don’t forget caffeine-free options! Here are some fun and easy ways to spice things up, sans caffeine.

BY EMILY MENESES
SENIOR ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR

Cover photo by lisa870 via Pixabay 

Anyone who has worked at a coffee establishment knows the familiar question: Do you have any caffeine-free options? Though there’s sometimes a stigma against decaf in the specialty-coffee world (ever heard the phrase “Death before decaf”?), having caffeine-free drinks is essential. Whether it’s a child, someone with a medical condition, or a person who just prefers to go without caffeine, they matter too. Today, we’ll look at how you can create a seasonal menu that considers their needs.

When it comes to holiday drinks, our minds naturally gravitate toward pumpkin spice lattes, mochas, and the other typical luxurious seasonal bevs. When faced with the challenge of avoiding caffeine, though, it becomes a little more complicated. Never fear—besides the simple solution of using decaf espresso, there are tons of ways to create caffeine-free café drinks. Check out our top tips: 

Work with seasonal ingredients.

When creating caffeine-free beverages for your holiday menu, start by making a list of your favorite seasonal ingredients. What comes to mind when you think of the holidays? Peppermint, apples, pomegranate, cinnamon, pumpkin, chocolate, ginger … the list goes on and on. All of these ingredients are great recipe starters—and a lot of them make great garnishes, too. Reflect on your own holiday traditions, and see your recipes as opportunities to tell your personal story. 

A festive red and green seasonal display of drinks on a wood table with cranberries, flowers, greenery, apple slices on skewers, rosemary sprigs and pomegranate. Adorning the table is a decorative cardinal figurine, fake snow, flowers, and ribbon.
What ingredients come to mind when you think of the holidays? Use those as starting points for your recipes and garnishes. Photo by Brooke Lark via Unsplash.

Get creative with herbal tea.

Herbal tea is an underused asset in the café world! Don’t limit yourself to the usual suspects like chamomile or mint; try playing around with other festive types of tea such as cinnamon, clove, star anise, or even citrus tea with a hint of spice. When it comes to herbal tea, the possibilities are endless. 

Play with texture.

Make any non-caffeinated beverage a little more luxurious by adding some texture; whipped cream, cold foam, or unique garnishes will do the trick. Another great way to make a drink more festive is to incorporate something bubbly. Try making a tonic with your favorite seasonal syrups and herbs, or even a house-made sparkling cider. 

Play around with spices like star anise, cinnamon, clove, and even cayenne. A little goes a long way when dressing up typical holiday drinks like hot chocolate. Photo by Blandine Joannic via Pixabay.

Embrace spice.

Don’t be afraid to make things a little spicy! A simple hot chocolate becomes so much more exciting with a hint of spice. Try adding a little sea salt and cayenne to your usual recipe to create a little bit of dimension and heat.  

Don’t forget presentation!

Just because a drink doesn’t have caffeine or coffee in it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t get equal attention when it comes to presentation. We love this tea setup by Los Angeles’ Constellation Coffee for their hot ginger and guava tea. 

Los Angeles-based Constellation Coffee serves up hot ginger and guava tea. Photo courtesy of Kevin Kim of Constellation Coffee.

Why no caffeine?

Beyond catering to the needs of those who can’t have caffeine, offering caffeine-free drinks is also great for business. It provides an option for those who stop in during the afternoon or late evening. It can also entice customers who are staying in the shop for a few hours and want a second drink. Don’t let the thought of being caffeine-free restrict you. Get creative and have fun with it! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Based in Los Angeles, Emily Joy Meneses (she/her) is a writer and musician passionate about culture and collective care. You can regularly find her at Echo Park Lake, drinking a cortado and journaling about astrology, art, Animal Crossing, and her dreams. Explore her poetry, short stories, and soundscapes on her website.

The post Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Creating Caffeine-Free Options for Your Seasonal Menu

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