Decaffeinated coffee gains popularity amid healthy pleasure trend

[Courtesy of Starbucks Coffee Korea Co.]

Decaffeinated coffee is becoming increasingly popular in South Korea, fueled by the “healthy pleasure” trend that emphasizes making health management enjoyable.

According to Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. on Tuesday, its sales of decaffeinated coffee in the first seven months of 2024 grew by 14 percent compared to the same period during the previous year.

Starbucks began selling decaf coffee in 2017, and its cumulative sales surpassed 100 million cups by May 2024. Its annual sales grew from 20.2 million cups in 2022 to 21.1 million in 2023, with decaf options now making up nearly 10 percent of the company’s total beverage sales.

Starbucks uses a “natural decaffeination” process that uses only CO2 and steam to remove caffeine from green coffee beans. Customers at Starbucks can choose decaf versions of popular drinks like Caffè Americano, Flat White, Caffè Latte, Caramel Macchiato, and Starbucks Dolce Latte. There is also an option to reduce the caffeine content by half, known as the “half-decaf” option.

“The demand for decaffeinated coffee was low In the past, which often led to poor quality as lower-grade beans were used,” a coffee industry insider said. “However, with the growth of the coffee market and the rise of the healthy pleasure trend, the process of removing caffeine has improved, resulting in higher quality decaf coffee.”

The use of natural extracts from green coffee beans or sugarcane, as well as the application of single-origin and single-variety beans traditionally reserved for high-end specialty coffees, allows for decaf coffee that retains over 90 percent of its natural coffee flavor.

This quality improvement is reflected in the increased imports of decaf coffee. According to the Korea Customs Service, decaf coffee imports totaled 3,883 tons during the January to July 2024 period, up 13 percent from the same period a year ago.

Other coffee companies are also expanding their decaf coffee offerings. Paris Baguette, a bakery brand under Korea’s SPC Group, for example, sells decaf coffee via its Cafe Adagio brand. Sales of this coffee hit 843,200 cups in 2023, up 22 percent year-on-year.

Paris Baguette began selling decaf coffee in earnest in 2022, introducing its Cafe Adagio Specialty Decaf, which uses high-quality coffee from Colombian coffee farm Paraiso 92, in 2024. An official from Paris Baguette explained that this decaffeinated coffee is designed to maximize flavor when paired with bread and cakes.

Specialty coffee brands such as SPC Group’s Coffee@Works, Coffee Libre, and Felt Coffee are also launching high-quality decaf coffee products. Specialty coffee refers to high-quality coffee made from a single variety of beans produced under specific geographic and climatic conditions.

Dunkin’ has even released a decaf coffee blend that includes the highly aromatic Geisha beans to add a unique flavor. For its part, A Twosome Place is also expanding its decaf coffee lineup and introduced two new decaf cold brew options at the end of July 2024 in response to the high demand for decaf coffee. These coffees have sold a cumulative 110,000 cups to date.

The preference for decaf coffee as a health-conscious choice is also evident abroad. According to the National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc. (NCA), 10 percent of U.S. adults, or about 26 million people, drink decaf coffee.