Try a local specialty roaster, most will have decaf. There are different processes as you mentioned, the one I see a lot is called Swiss Water process, that’s generally going to be the muddiest in terms of flavour. I’d steer away from that, and focus on other options. I’ve found Sugarcane/EA/ethyl acetate to be the best from my experience and it’s probably the second most common. It’s got a few names so I mentioned them all but they’re all the same process. Aside from that, go for flavour notes you know you’ll enjoy. Do you have much experience buying specialty coffee? If not I could try and give you a guide for decoding flavour profiles on bags to try and find what you’ll enjoy.

Seconding the advice to just check local roasters.

If you're looking for cheaper it'll be challenging. Wegmans carries a couple whole bean decaf varieties (espresso and something medium roast). Trader Joe's always seems to have whole bean French roast. And there's some bulk ones on Amazon probably worth a shot - used to get SF Bay decaf there.

I have enjoyed these beans:

https://georgehowellcoffee.com/collections/decaf

They are not as good as a good caffeinated bean but better than a mediocre caffeinated bean. I use them for my 2nd cup of the day to limit my caffeine intake.

Let us know whatever you try and enjoy!

I had to give up cafine as well. I’m out in the middle of nowhere so roasters is not a great option. I like kicking horse coffee pretty well. Their decaf tastes like regular coffee to me.

There was a good decaf thread here a little while back:

https://lemmy.world/post/50560744

George Howell is a very good roaster, though I’ve only had their full strength bens.

Some other advice that I follow for decaf that I got from this sub: Lower brew temp, less brew time. Reposting a comment I made on a different decaf thread.

https://leminal.space/post/25816847/18169145

I get that ‘decaf’ taste if I over extract. Too hot of a brew or too much time. Just last night I did decaf in an aeropress, 30 seconds at around 90°C (I let the kettle go longer than usual and was too lazy to cool the water down to ideal temp) and it brought out that undesirable flavor.

Whereas brewing the same beans at 75-80°C for 1-2 mins I don’t get that flavor profile at all.

https://leminal.space/post/15819975/13626305

"If you are new to brewing decaf I recommend under extracting it. Generally all decaf are much easier to extract. So this usually means lower temps, coarser grinds or less water. I didn’t believe it until I tried it and now I love decaf even more"

Ever since I read that comment, I gave decaf another go and have been very pleased. Been drinking one cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of decaf each night.

Ive had the best and most consistent experience with Illy decaf espresso ground coffee (in the round blue and silver aluminum cans) and roasted to order decaf green beans from my local roaster, also espresso grind. Brewing in an aeropress for around 30 seconds and 75-80 °C

I haven’t had any good experiences with pourover decaf in those single serve pourover packets, tried maybe 20 different brands from specialty gourmet decaf to cheap 7 eleven finds.

I also tried taking the ground decaf out of those single serve pourover packets, and brewing in the aeropress but that didnt improve the flavor. So the beans and decaf process has to be a factor, and not just the brewing process.

If you like flavored coffees, the cans of Don Francisco are good. They have a good assortment of flavors.

I recommend it because you'll probably be able to find it at your grocery store. It's a common brand.

Other suggestions of going to a local roaster are good.

Honestly I just bought the lavazzo decaf and made it in the Moka Pot, in some ways tasted more interesting than most other city roasts I have.

Colombia, El Carmen. But you have to find a roaster who does it well. In the UK I recommend James Gourmet Coffee's roast of it. Somehow they're able to get the kind of sweet fruity notes that you normally never expect from a decaf. I've tried the same beans from other roasters and they taste like a run of the mill high quality decaf, chocolate and nuts, meh.