Breaking the Stigma of Decaf Coffee: D'Vote Coffee in Daegu
Creatrip Team
6 months ago
D'Vote Coffee, a decaffeinated specialty café in a quiet Daegu neighborhood, challenges the belief that decaf lacks flavor. Owner and head roaster Seong Yeon-ja (44), a former computer education manager turned barista, uses specialty beans from Guatemala and Colombia and carefully controls roasting, grinding, and extraction. She favors decaffeination methods like the Swiss Water and Mountain Water processes that remove caffeine with water and activated carbon to preserve aroma and body. Decaf offerings include hand-drip, café latte, and cold brew—along with non-coffee drinks (e.g., honey grapefruit tea) and homemade desserts. Seong’s meticulous roasting notes and competition awards reflect her success in producing decaf with deep chocolatey sweetness, nutty richness, and substantial body. The café also sells drip bags and cold brew pouches online, aiming to make high-quality decaf accessible everywhere. Note: Swiss Water and Mountain Water are water-based decaffeination methods that minimize flavor loss.
