Can Mormons Drink Decaf Coffee?
Decaf coffee is against the Word of Wisdom under the interpretation most Latter-day Saint sources currently give it, since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints treats decaf coffee as still falling under coffee, the prohibited substance. Decaf coffee still has caffeine, since commercial decaffeination removes most, but not all, of a coffee bean's caffeine content. The Word of Wisdom singles out coffee and tea by name rather than caffeine itself, which is why caffeinated soda stays permitted while decaf coffee, still classified as coffee, does not. No official Church statement carves out a decaf exception, so most available guidance and practicing members alike still treat decaf as something to avoid.
Is Decaf Coffee Against the Word of Wisdom?
Yes, decaf coffee is against the Word of Wisdom under the interpretation most Latter-day Saint sources currently give it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints treats decaf coffee as still falling under coffee, the prohibited substance, not caffeine specifically, so decaffeination does not exempt it.
The Church's own FAQ states that hot drinks, interpreted as coffee and tea, are not for the body under the Word of Wisdom. That same guidance extends the prohibition to drinks whose names include café, mocha, latte, espresso, or anything ending in -ccino. No published Church guidance carves out a decaf exception to this rule. Individual members still vary in how strictly they apply this guidance to decaf specifically, since Church leaders have not issued detailed decaf-specific instruction and treat the question as a matter of personal judgment.
Does Decaf Coffee Still Have Caffeine?
Yes, decaf coffee still has caffeine. Commercial decaffeination removes most, but not all, of a coffee bean's caffeine content, so a cup of decaf typically retains a small residual amount rather than reaching zero.
Rachel R. McCusker and colleagues at the University of Florida College of Medicine measured caffeine content in decaf coffee samples collected from 10 different coffee establishments, using high-performance liquid chromatography. The team published the results in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology. The samples ranged from 0 to 13.9 mg (milligrams) of caffeine per 16-ounce (oz) serving. Repeated samples from a single Starbucks location varied even more within that same chain, from 3.0 to 15.8 mg per espresso shot and 12.0 to 13.4 mg per 16-ounce brewed serving. The study's authors concluded that patients advised to restrict caffeine should be told decaf coffee can still contain a measurable amount.
Is It Caffeine or Coffee Itself That Mormons Must Avoid?
Coffee itself is what Mormons are asked to avoid, not caffeine as an isolated compound. The Word of Wisdom's own text names hot drinks, not caffeine, and the Church has not issued an official ban on caffeine.
This distinction is why decaffeinating a cup of coffee does not resolve the underlying conflict. The Church's clarified guidance identifies the prohibited category by name, listing drinks called café, mocha, latte, espresso, or -ccino, rather than by measuring their caffeine content. Coffee stays in that named category whether or not most of its caffeine has been removed.
If Caffeinated Soda Is Allowed, Why Avoid Decaf Coffee?
Caffeinated soda is allowed because the Word of Wisdom singles out coffee and tea by name, not caffeine as a compound. Decaf coffee remains restricted because it is still classified as coffee regardless of its caffeine content.
Church leaders' own public behavior reflects this same distinction. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf joked during October 2016 general conference that he survived his transition to becoming an Apostle with the help of "many liters of a diet soda that shall remain nameless." That kind of remark from a Church leader would be unlikely if caffeinated soda carried the same restriction as coffee and tea. Soda's caffeine content plays no role in that difference; its exclusion from the named "hot drinks" category does.
Has the Church Ever Officially Addressed Decaf Coffee?
No, the Church has never officially addressed decaf coffee as an exception to the Word of Wisdom. The closest thing to an official carve-out is a decades-old, unconfirmed account of a letter from a Presiding Bishop.
On the apologetics site Ask Gramps, a questioner recalled a Presiding Bishop visiting their stake decades ago and describing a letter that approved decaffeinated coffee. Gramps, the site's own answerer and a former bishop and mission president, responded that he never received or saw any such letter himself and did not treat the account as an established Church position. The Church's current official FAQ addresses coffee-named drinks in general terms and does not name decaf coffee as a specific exception either way.
Should Latter-day Saints Avoid Decaf Coffee to Be Safe?
Yes, most available Latter-day Saint guidance points toward avoiding decaf coffee. Because it remains classified as coffee, drinking it in public risks being read as a lapse from the Word of Wisdom even without an explicit prohibition naming decaf.
This reasoning rests on the broader counsel to avoid the appearance of evil, since an onlooker cannot distinguish a cup of decaf from regular coffee by sight. Members who have discussed the question describe treating decaf as personally off-limits for that reason, even while acknowledging the Word of Wisdom's own text never names decaf directly. Practice still varies member to member, since the Church leaves the specific question to individual judgment rather than settling it with detailed instruction. Anyone weighing decaf for reasons beyond the Word of Wisdom should also know it can still affect digestion the way regular coffee does, just more mildly. For Latter-day Saints and anyone else who wants the ritual of coffee without worrying about its caffeine content at all, Drink Decaf's single-origin decaf espresso is roasted to order in Oceanside, CA and ships free across the United States (US). Shop the current batch at drinkdecafcoffee.com/products/decaf-espresso.
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