Raw Bean Definitely Decaf: How to Brew Swiss Water Decaf

Raw Bean Definitely Decaf Ground Coffee: brewing decaf well, in summary: A medium-roast Colombian decaf, decaffeinated by the Swiss Water Process. Dose slightly heavier than usual, let the kettle settle, stop the cafetiere at four minutes, and it drinks like proper coffee rather than an apology.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Decaffeination happens to the green bean before it is ever roasted, and that explains nearly everything about brewing a decaf well. Raw Bean has built its name on decaf, and this Colombian ground coffee rewards a slightly different routine from the caffeinated bag beside it.

Swiss Water, Colombia and a medium roast

Definitely Decaf is Colombian coffee, roasted to a medium level and decaffeinated with the Swiss Water Process, which relies on water, temperature and time rather than chemical solvents. Raw Bean describes the cup as smooth and creamy, with big notes of dark cocoa and walnut. A medium roast is the sensible call for a decaf, because taking it darker would strip away what brightness the process leaves behind.

Decaf is Raw Bean's speciality rather than a sideline. The company began on a farmers' market stall in Winchester in 2012, is run by Alex and Anna-Leigh, and says it was the first company to put Swiss Water decaf on UK retail shelves. Its range also takes in single-origin decafs from Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Sumatra, and it has collected Great Taste Awards in several years since 2015.

Brewing decaf so it never turns papery

Because the process softens the bean before roasting, a decaf releases its flavour faster than untreated coffee, which shifts the margin for error towards bitterness rather than weakness. In a cafetiere, four minutes gives a full cup and five begins to taste papery, so set a timer. Let the kettle rest for about thirty seconds after boiling, roughly 94 degrees, because fiercely boiling water is harsher on decaf.

Dose a touch heavier than you would a caffeinated bag, around 8 to 9g per 200ml. The process takes a little body along with the caffeine, and the extra coffee restores most of it. At a level 8g, one 200g bag makes roughly 25 mugs. Decaf also shows its age sooner, having less aroma in reserve, so roll the bag down tightly after every scoop and use it briskly.

Milk, biscuits and the nine o'clock cup

This is a coffee for the evening, or for anyone who wants the habit of a proper cup without the caffeine. Decaffeinated is not the same as caffeine-free, though: the process removes most of the caffeine, not every trace, so if you must avoid it completely a herbal infusion is the safer choice. For everyone else, it means real coffee at an hour when a caffeinated one would be unwelcome.

Dark cocoa and walnut take well to milk, so brew it in a cafetiere and add a little hot milk at the end. For the plate, choose something sweet with a toasted or chocolate note that echoes the cup: a butterscotch biscuit, a chunky chocolate chip cookie, shortbread or a plain digestive. Avoid anything heavily spiced, which would bury the cocoa.

The packs we stock

Raw Bean Proper Coffee Definitely Decaf Ground Coffee, 200g (barcode 5060334480348)

What to eat with it

Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch against dark cocoa and walnut is a warm, toasty match for a milky after-supper cup.
Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chunky chocolate chips pick up the cocoa in the coffee and hold their own beside a cafetiere.
Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: A double chocolate cookie for the evening when the coffee is black and the biscuit does the sweet work.
Border Classic Biscuit Sharing Pack, 400g: A sharing pack of classic Border biscuits to pass round the table with a pot of decaf after dinner.

Elsewhere in the Raw Bean range

The full range is on the Raw Bean brand page.

FAQ

Is Raw Bean Definitely Decaf completely caffeine-free? No decaf is. The Swiss Water Process takes out most of the caffeine and a small trace remains, so choose a herbal infusion if you need to avoid it entirely.

What is the Swiss Water Process? A way of decaffeinating green coffee using water, temperature and time rather than chemical solvents. It happens before the beans are roasted.

Can I use it in an espresso machine? Raw Bean says it suits both espresso and the cafetiere. We think a cafetiere or filter shows it best, because a gentle brew is kinder to a decaf than water pushed through under pressure.

How much ground decaf should I use per cup? Around 8 to 9g per 200ml, slightly more than for a caffeinated coffee, to make up the body the process takes out.

What does Definitely Decaf taste like? Raw Bean describes it as smooth and creamy with notes of dark cocoa and walnut. Brewed to time, expect a rounded body, low bitterness and gentle acidity.

Curator's note: Weigh it, time it and take the kettle off a moment early. Give a decaf that little bit of care and it pays you back in the cup. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Raw Bean Definitely Decaf Ground Coffee: brewing decaf well

Field	Detail
Brand	Raw Bean
Packs we stock	200g
Category	Ground Coffee
Caffeine	decaffeinated
Brew method	Cafetiere or filter, four minutes
Best with	A splash of hot milk and a butterscotch biscuit
Occasion	After supper