It's no secret that we love a cup of coffee, with an estimated 95-98 million cups drunk in a single day across the UK, according to the British Coffee Association.But not everyone wants that caffeine hit and wanting to cut down on caffeine comes in many guises, from improving sleep to reducing anxiety or bladder or digestive irritations. And as we age, it's harder for our bodies to process caffeine, so forget those black coffees at the end of a dinner and being kept awake for hours.Luckily, the world of decaf coffee has come a long, long way recently. No longer is it only made up of terrible instant granules that taste more like coffee-flavoured sweets than actual coffee. Heck, even instant decaf coffee has improved drastically too. So good are some, that for many of these excellent brews from some of our favourite coffee specialists, you wouldn't know it was decaf.But how are coffee beans decaffeinated? It's usually done through two processes, one is with chemicals and the other is chemical free. Decafination happens when the beans are still green and haven't been roasted and the most common chemical free method is the "sugarcane process" (also known as the EA or Natural Ethyl Acetate process). The natural decaffeination method uses fermented sugarcane molasses and water to draw the caffeine out, and removes almost all of the caffeine – between 97-99 per cent – while retaining the characteristics of the beans. Most beans are decaffeinated in Europe or Canada, and not at source, but some coffee brands are beginning to decaffeinate at source, reducing air miles.As decaf coffee isn't quite as popular as its caffeinated sibling, most decaf coffees tend to lean towards the medium roast, chocolate and nut flavour profiles, rather than the funkier, brighter or fruitier coffees. Many are from Colombia too, but not all coffees are born equal as there's still plenty of variety within them too. Read more: Best travel mugs and reusable coffee cups I tested each decaf coffees using a small cafetiere (Emma Henderson/The Independent)The best decaf coffees for 2026 are: Best overall – Redemption Sembradores decaf coffee: £13.50, Redemptionroasters.comBest budget buy – Pact casa loma decaf coffee: £10.95, Pactcoffee.comBest from women-founded business – Dear Green decaf de cana decaf coffee: £13.70, Deargreencoffee.comBest Colombian – Hermanos El Condor decaf coffee: £15, Hermanoscoffeeroasters.comBest instant – Clipper decaf organic instant: £7.60, Ocado.comRead more: Best milk frothers for barista-worthy drinks