The decaf is real decaf

We take decaf seriously, which surprises people who have been trained to treat it as a punishment or a joke.

Ours is decaffeinated by the Swiss water process, no solvents, just water and patience and a lot of charcoal doing quiet work. It comes off Number Nine on the same mornings as everything else and goes on the same board. It is a real coffee that happens to let you sleep.

People order it in a lowered voice, as though asking for something faintly shameful. There is nothing shameful about wanting a third cup at 4 in the afternoon and still intending to close your eyes that night. Theo drinks it after lunch and has opinions about it, which is how you know we mean it.

If you want the ritual without the racing heart, that is not a lesser request. It is just a later one.