Tasting Puroast French Roast Decaf Coffee: Review, Photos

by

by Nigel Ong

I can be pretty sure what I want with my coffee. I like my coffee light or medium, with chocolate and nutty flavors. However, occasionally, I try something new, hoping to discover flavors that may interest me. 

It is with this interest that I picked up a bag of Puroast French Roast Decaf Coffee. Would it beat my favorite decaf dark roast so far, The Major Dickason Decaf? Let’s see.

In this post, I will sample the coffee black and with other flavorings as well before comparing it against popular dark roasts. 

About Puroast French Roast Decaf 

Puroast Coffee may best be associated with traditional Venezuelan coffee. The brand began in 1993 when its founders discovered a unique coffee roasting process while visiting a Venezuelan coffee farm.

This unique roasting process resulted in coffee beans with significantly lower acidity, meaning the coffee would be smoother and easier on the stomach. 

Over the years, Puroast has made a name for itself regarding low-acid coffee. It also offers a wide variety of roast levels, from light to dark. There are also flavored coffees and both regular and decaffeinated coffee. 

Our main character, the French Roast Decaf, comes in this wide range of roasts. It has a deep, bold flavor profile, characteristic of a traditional French roast. This version, however, is without caffeine. 

This decaf option has been well-received by consumers, who often highlight its rich, smooth taste that lacks the bitterness sometimes associated with decaffeinated coffees. 

Reviews frequently commend Puroast French Roast Decaf for retaining the full-bodied flavor of a high-quality coffee while being gentle on the stomach.

First Impression

My Puroast French Roast Decaf whole beans come in red and white packaging, with fonts and designs that remind me of Nandos. 

The coffee bag clearly mentions its low-acid, high-antioxidant beans, and the label decaf is also stuck on the packaging. 

This is a smoky roast, as that’s the primary aroma that hits my nose once I tear into the packaging. Aside from that, there’s also a sweet, sugary smell. 

As for the beans, these 100% Arabica beans are notably uniform in size and shape, with minimal breakage. This should promise a more uniform roast without over-roasted beans and a more flavorful cup of coffee. 

The beans look dark and oily with a bit of shine on the surface, indicating that they are roasted intensely.

How Does Puroast French Roast Decaf Taste?

To give the Puroast French Roast Decaf a fair review, I will brew it in three ways, listed below. The main idea is to brew the coffee using immersion and filtration methods.

French Press: This brewing style makes a murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in all its ‘glory.’ I expect full flavor and strong flavor with this coffee.

Pour Over With Filter Paper: This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes. 

Espresso: as a French roast, it makes sense to try the Puroast French Roast Decaf as an espresso. Its smoky, intense roasting should make a flavorful cup of Espresso. 

French Press

I whipped up a cup for the French press brew using my trusty Bodum Caffettiera, sticking to my usual routine for these reviews. 

I went with 15 grams of coffee and 180ml of steaming hot water, just shy of 185°F. That’s about 85°C if you prefer metric. I then stir the grounds well and let it all brew for a solid 4 minutes before the grand pour.

The coffee hit my nose as it brewed with this earthy, smoky vibe. This coffee will be a strong one. The coffee looked deep and dark as I poured, with just a hint of see-through when you held it up to the light.

The first sip was like a flavor explosion, with the Puroast French Roast Decaf tasting smoky with a kind of earthy bitterness that was anything but subtle. 

But then, resist the temptation to swallow, and you may notice a bit of nutty flavors popping out. The finish was just as bold, leaving this lingering taste of nutty goodness on my tongue long after the coffee was gone.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

I use these gear to make my pour-over coffee:

I retain the same brewing method for this coffee, just as when I review other coffees. I retained Starbucks’ brewing method, keeping a 1:18 coffee-to-water ratio to simplify the process. I also used hot, off-boiling water for my pourings.

The pour-over Puroast French Roast Decaf tastes lighter than the French press brew. However, it is still a strong, smoky, and robust coffee. 

The filter paper removed some coffee oils and particles, making the coffee even less earthy and strong. If the French press coffee is too strong, try the pour-over brew.

At this point, I think I prefer the French press version, as it has a more intense flavor. However, the nutty notes have a bit more clarity without too much smoke. I believe the nutty notes taste like peanuts here. 

Espresso

I started by ground the Puroast French Roast Decaf beans up nicely and finely. Then, I pulled out an espresso shot using my trusty Wacaco Minipresso GR. 

The Espresso looked like a dream – rich, topped with silky crema, sporting this deep, dark brown hue. It’s got this smoky, earthy aroma that is strong but not too much – it is not as intense as those in-your-face typical espresso roasts.

Taste-wise, this Espresso is beautiful – bold and stunning. It first hits you with a smoky taste, then slowly breaks into a mixture of coffee, nuts, and soft sweetness.

Resist the temptation to down it in one go, but let the Espresso linger on your tongue, and you might just catch more of those nutty undertones. Once you swallow your coffee, sit back and savor that lingering aftertaste.

Puroast French Roast Decaf vs. Popular Dark Roasts

Since the Puroast French Roast Decaf is a dark roast, I lined up some dark roasts in my collection to compare against it. They are:

I brewed each coffee French press style and then shipped them one after the other to compare their tastes.

To my palate, the Puroast coffee is not the best of the bunch, but it is competitive. Flavor-wise, I rank it behind the Tim Hortons roast and the Major Dickason. 

This means so far, no dark roast has beat the Major Dickason, which remains my favorite dark roast. 

The Puroast coffee has its own flavors, but its nutty notes cannot match the soft sweetness and combination of flavors in the Major Dickason.

I tried all of these coffees with milk, too, and again, Major Dickason stands out as the best, while the Puroast again comes third. 

Both coffees have a chocolate-forward note, but the ones in Major Dickason are stronger to me, which means the coffee tastes better with milk.

Puroast French Roast Decaf vs. Decaf Coffee

I also have a couple of decaf roasts in my collection; they are:

Again, I brewed all French press coffee and then tried them back to back with my Puroast coffee.

Of the three, I prefer the New England Coffee the most, as it leaves me most satisfied. It has a better aroma, and I found the chocolate and creamy aroma especially nice. It is also a medium roast, which fits my palate much better.

The Peet’s Major Dickason Decaf would come second, with the Puroast coming after that. The AmazonFresh coffee comes last.

Puroast French Roast Decaf vs. Regular Coffee

Finally, I picked up a cup of regular Americano from a local 7-Eleven. The idea is to compare the Puroast French Roast Decaf with a regular cup of coffee, especially those $1 cups from gas stations, cafeterias, or convenience stores.

The Puroast coffee wins here, without saying. It is most intense, with better flavor depth and a pleasant finish. It gives me more satisfying sips, too. 

The regular coffee tastes bland, with little flavor. The bitterness is flat, without much character.

Is Puroast French Roast Decaf For You?

After trying the Puroast French Roast Decaf, I would like it created for those who want a stronger punch with the dark roasts yet want a low-acid coffee.

It is dark and intense and does not hide it. Its nutty notes and sugary sweetness taste excellent with milk or as Espresso.  

But what I like the most about the Puroast coffee is how it tastes with milk. Its strong flavor means it can handle milk just fine.Ready to pick up your bag of Puroast French Roast Decaf? Get one here directly from Amazon.

Leave a Comment