I like strong coffee and I use fresh beans from a local roaster. To borrow from the cute work-fishing bumper sticker, the best decaf coffee I've ever had wasn't as good as the worst regular coffee I've ever had. I've been in a few situations when that's all that was available to make and even using 2X and 3X the normal amount didn't give a result I found to be satisfactory.

You may be less picky about it than I am and maybe you'll find something you like. I feel the same way you do about avoiding hot water in contact with plastic, it's not a good idea. For a non-plastic pour through that makes good coffee, take a look at the Hario ceramic cones plus paper filters on Amazon. They work very well (make sure to keep the water just sub-boiling during the process) and make consistently good coffee. Get a stovetop or electric tea kettle to use with it. Good luck

Thanks Elmer. That particular suggestion caught my eye on the coffee snob thread and I'm thinking of buying one.

I know decaf won't be as good but I hate the feeling I get after drinking regular, so it seems better than nothing. Maybe I can do half regular half decaf. I don't like strong coffee anyway and I can only drink it with cream and sugar so I think my standards are very different. :)

Yes, the half-caf. I know many people who do that, I think it does give a better result.

I only drink decaf and have for 20+ years and am also a total coffee snob. I also happen to live in the capital of coffee snob areas (the PNW) so have lots of options for roasters. I'm not crazy about Starbuck's decaf beans (not sure if they have a water process) but they can make a good decaf latte some of the time. Not sure where you live, but most places seem to have some little boutique roasters in the vicinity. I'd start with them to see if they have something you like. If not, I'm going to link one of our local roasters who does a decent decaf, water method.

Another trick I've discovered for decaf is an extra fine grind. When I have the roaster grind it for me, I tell them to grind it for a pump espresso (even though I make it as a pour over)... it's almost a powder. I buy small quantities and put it in an airtight jar and it's as good as grinding at home. If I buy coffee at my food co-op, I grind it for a Turkish maker. This is one of their decafs. I think there is another Swiss water method called Dancing Goats...poke around their site.

Batdorf and Bronson Coffee

How about half regular coffee nice heated milk?

Below is a good article about coffee de-caffeination and changes in the process down through the years. Someone said they did not want to drink coffee processed or prepared with chemicals. That excludes about all coffees since water is a chemical. I think was was meant was prepared with 'harmful' chemicals with a possibility of carryover of some of that chemical into the final drink.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination

An early chemical, benzene, was declared potentially harmful and the search began to find other ways to separate caffeine from the coffee bean. The "Swiss water process" is discussed in the above link. Another term found in this article, critical point, may not be familiar to most except chemical engineers and thermodynamicists. Gases can be liquefied under enough pressure. The percent mixture of gas and liquid is temperature dependent. Above a certain pressure, it will be liquid over a wide range of temperature. This temperature-pressure point is called the critical point. For carbon dioxide, it is about 700 psi. This high pressure explains why working with liquid CO2 as a solvent is problematic.