Starbucks Decaf House Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee
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Purity Coffee Espresso Medium Roast, Whole Bean Purity Coffee · 12 oz · pack of 2 View on Amazon · $58.00 See all Coffee, ranked At a glance
Summary
Starbucks Decaf House Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee scores 12/100. A January 2026 proposed class action (Williams v. Starbucks, W.D. Wash., No. 2:26-cv-00112) cites testing arranged by the plaintiffs' lawyers: Eurofins EAG Laboratories tested Starbucks Decaf House Blend Medium Roast in January 2025 and reported benzene at 28 ppb, toluene at 87 ppb and methylene chloride at 22 ppb. The complaint doesn't say which package format was tested. Starbucks confirms it decaffeinates most of its line with methylene chloride (the Direct Contact Method); only Komodo Dragon and VIA Instant Decaf use the chemical-free Swiss Water Process. Starbucks says the lawsuit's allegations are inaccurate, and the case is pending. Conventional, non-organic sourcing (C.A.F.E. Practices is not an organic certification). It is a medium roast.
Contaminants 3
Source: Eurofins EAG Laboratories, purge-and-trap GC/MS, 14–17 January 2025, as reported in the Williams v. Starbucks complaint (W.D. Wash. No. 2:26-cv-00112). Testing was arranged by the plaintiffs' lawyers; the lab report itself is not public. Values are for the coffee as sold, per the complaint.
Benzene 28 ppb High
A known human carcinogen (IARC Group 1) with no established safe exposure level. Benzene isn't expected in coffee from roasting chemistry alone. For scale, the US drinking-water limit is 5 ppb, a standard for water rather than coffee.
Eurofins EAG Laboratories, purge-and-trap GC/MS, 14–17 January 2025, as reported in the Williams v. Starbucks complaint (W.D. Wash. No. 2:26-cv-00112). Testing was arranged by the plaintiffs' lawyers; the lab report itself is not public.
Toluene 87 ppb Moderate
An industrial solvent and EPA hazardous air pollutant, linked to developmental and nervous-system effects at high exposures. There is no food limit for it; it isn't expected in coffee.
Eurofins EAG Laboratories, purge-and-trap GC/MS, 14–17 January 2025, as reported in the Williams v. Starbucks complaint (W.D. Wash. No. 2:26-cv-00112). Testing was arranged by the plaintiffs' lawyers; the lab report itself is not public.
Methylene chloride 22 ppb Low
Residue of the solvent Starbucks uses to decaffeinate. 22 ppb is far below the FDA's 10 ppm (10,000 ppb) residue limit for decaf coffee (21 CFR 173.255), but it is a probable carcinogen (IARC Group 2A) that the EPA banned for most consumer uses in 2024, and a petition to end its use in decaf is before the FDA.
Eurofins EAG Laboratories, purge-and-trap GC/MS, 14–17 January 2025, as reported in the Williams v. Starbucks complaint (W.D. Wash. No. 2:26-cv-00112). Testing was arranged by the plaintiffs' lawyers; the lab report itself is not public.
Key ingredients 4
Direct Contact DecaffeinationBad
Brand-confirmed use of methylene-chloride solvent for the majority of its decaf line. A structural choice vs. the chemical-free Swiss Water Process.
See more about Direct Contact Decaffeination →Conventional Non-Organic SourcingBad
Not USDA Organic. Latin American coffee routinely involves pre-harvest glyphosate desiccation and synthetic fertilizers.
See more about Conventional Non-Organic Sourcing →Pre-GroundNeutral
Pre-ground coffee oxidizes within ~2 weeks of grinding, degrading chlorogenic-acid antioxidants and developing rancid lipid byproducts.
See more about Pre-Ground →100% Arabica CoffeeGood
Higher-quality species than Robusta — smoother flavor, lower caffeine, higher chlorogenic acids. A clean single-ingredient base.
See more about 100% Arabica Coffee →Processing
Processed Culinary Ingredients
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