Drink of the Week: Camber Coffee Goodnight Moon Decaf

As the daughter of two psychologists, I grew up with a clear directive to always treat my mental health with as much seriousness as my physical health. I haven’t always been perfect at either, but as the ripple effects of COVID-19 have infiltrated every aspect of life this year, I’ve placed a renewed emphasis on finding ways to keep depression and anxiety at bay. For the former, I’ve cut back on booze, and for the latter, caffeinated coffee was the first to go. I’ve been working on easing off of caffeine for a few years now for anxiety-related reasons, but in a pandemic world there’s no room for stimulants that will kick those demons into high gear, so these days it’s decaf or nothing for me.

Decaf has long gotten a bad rap among coffee drinkers, but in recent years a handful of companies have started to address that stigma by offering high-quality, well-sourced, and naturally processed caffeine-free options. The latest bag to hit my desk—Camber Coffee’s Goodnight Moon Decaf—is a great example of a superb caffeine-free option from a forward-thinking company that embraces all types of coffee drinkers. Made of a blend of beans from Colombia Gaitania and Tanzania Iloma, and decaffeinated by Swiss Water Decaf (which uses a chemical-free process to remove the caffeine), the flavor starts with a burst of ripe raspberry, followed by warming notes of dry, woodsy walnut and cocoa. It’s a vibrant cup with a juicy acidity that lingers so beautifully that you’d never know it was missing the caffeine. $17 for 12 oz., cambercoffee.com