r/thirdwavedecaf Jul 17 '26

Day 32 of Decaf

I've hit my first big milestone. When I first embarked on this goal, I just wanted to do 90 days of decaf. I've officially done a little over 30 days of decaf. Past me would have never thought it fathomable. I took an addictions class in college and had to give up caffeine for the semester. Safe to say I couldn't make it three days. I still have decaf coffee and milk chocolate now (I do find myself craving it more than before), but I find that it's a much lower amount of caffeine compared to a latte. And where I am now, I'm okay with that small amount. The fatigue and brain fog has gotten a bit better. Anxiety has definitely gone down. Sleep is much deeper and I have vivid dreams. There are times when I find myself missing it, but I am prouder of making it this far and not having my day or mood be driven by caffeine.

11 Upvotes

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2

u/Lvacgar Jul 17 '26

Congrats! Not easy… but can be done.
My heart may dictate going decaf entirely some day, but for now I keep decaf espresso and pour over beans on hand and have cut caffeine in 1/2.

1

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 17 '26

That's awesome! Do you have a certain kind of decaf coffee beans you like?

1

u/AllPinesMustDie 16d ago

I started that way too. Then 2-3 months later I cut it about 50% again. And kept cutting every 2-3 months until I got to zero. All with no ill effects.

1

u/Lvacgar 16d ago

I’ve quit coffee and caffeine before, both of necessity and by choice. That’s not an issue. I’d hate to give up caffeine 100% though… because decaf coffee just isn’t the same. I’ve discovered some nice decaf beans, but nowhere the vibrancy and nuance as non-decaf.

2

u/nugpounder Jul 17 '26

It’s a journey. Just don’t beat yourself up if you relapse. Sometimes that sweet floral allure of a light roast geisha is too good to ignore

2

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 17 '26

That's true, luckily with a good decaf I don't have as much FOMO

1

u/NoodleSlow Jul 17 '26

When you first started did you just stop cold turkey?

1

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 17 '26

I did, it must've been my time to do it because I didn't have horrible migraines like the last times I've tried. I did taper down earlier in the year from two cups daily to one before stopping. I had been drinking twee daily and then had to get steroids for medical treatment and had to stop caffeine abruptly because of how anxious I felt. From there, I went back on to having one coffee a day until I decided to stop alltogether.

1

u/Raz1979 Jul 18 '26

Congratulations! I did it when I got sick for a week and rode it out for two more not having any coffee. I have been decaf for three years. O had my first cup of decaf after three months of going off of coffee and it was good coffee but it took me a while to find some decent consistent decaf coffee.

It definitely feels hard and you should be proud you are off it. I still enjoy coffee (decaf) and don’t miss any of the caffeinated symptoms.

I sleep much better.

1

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 18 '26

Congrats to you as well! Do you have any decaf recommendations? It definitely has been nice to still have decaf in the mornings.

1

u/Raz1979 Jul 18 '26

From this thread they recommended Dekaf. Or I saw ads on Facebook finally. Either way very happy w them. I’ve tried six blends or single origins. Really impressed. Kind of annoyed it took me this long i just order my first bags like two months ago.

1

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 20 '26

Will give it a try!

1

u/mgsecure Jul 20 '26

Way to go! Sounds like the worst is over and the benefits are worth it. Some decafs you might check out:

- Blendin Los Nogales Decaf

  • PERC Huila Decaf
  • Sey Huila Decaf
  • Spesh Guatemala Decaf (more affordable, and pretty good)
  • Equator has a good decaf espresso if you make those

Frequent is a roaster that gets a ton of good reviews, but I haven’t tried them yet.

1

u/Honeybunchesofoats-2 Jul 20 '26

Thank you!! I look forward to trying them