A few weeks ago I was sick for a 24 hour period.  I could barely drink anything let alone eat anything.  Because I was in this woeful state I thought it could provide the perfect opportunityt o go ahead and break the potential addiction I may have acquired to caffeine?  I’m not saying I was addicted, but I can say that I couldn’t remember the last day I had gone without caffeine intake.  What’s worse, is that I couldn’t remember the last day that I hadn’t consumed multiple caffeinated beverages.

I enjoy tea.

I like Coke Zero.

Diet Dr. Pepper… yummm.

Oh yeah, I do like my coffee as well.

So, I went three days straight without a single ounce of caffeine.  I can honestly say that I only had a slight headache, cured by Tylenol on the 2nd of those three days, so whether or not I have an addiction or not, I am not sure, but I do know that as much caffeine as I had been consuming could not have been good for me.  So I broke the habit and am now being very conscientious of how caffeine I am taking in.

With all that said, I have experienced multiple decaffeinated coffee drinks over the last several weeks.  Some places you can really tell the difference between the drugged version and the non-addictive alternative (which still does contain some caffeine, by the way).  So, I decided to make this the subject of today’s Top 5.  The criteria, they have to be branded as “decaffeinated” coffee beverages.  They are not necessarily ones I have had just in the last 3 weeks (yes, I have had the occasional decaf before).

Without further ado, the list.

Five: Tully’s. Elisabeth and I had some Tully’s from Alki the other day, my iced decaf Americano was very good.  I am not normally a Tully’s fan, I have felt they over-sweeten with syrups and their regular brew has often felt weak to me, but the decaf espresso shots did the trick for me this time.

Four: Cutter’s Point. I know that I am influenced by the setting, I simply love the Cutter’s Point cafe settings, and I really like a place that keeps decaf for the majority of the day.  It is a fine coffee, nothing too distinct, but nothing to complain about either.

Three: Peets Coffee. We have their decaf at home, when the decaf beans are fresh I can tell little difference between this and the regular stuff.

Two: “67” at The Edgewater Hotel. We had breakfast there a couple weeks ago and I have always loved their strong brew there, well, there decaf is something to write home about as well.

One: Seattle’s Best Coffee.  Very smooth, yet still have a very full flavor.  I had to double check just to make sure they pulled it from the right brewing mechanism (what would you call those things anyway, “ginormous coffeemaker?”).  Sure enough the refill was just as good.  Nice work SBC!

Any other decaf fans out there?  Have any suggestions for a good one for me?

Oh, by the way, I wrote this from Starbucks, while enjoying a Venti Drip… FULLY CAFFEINATED, after all, it is early!

Grace,

Brian