Imagine the horror: a caffeine-free coffee shop opens in New York City and dares to hand out samples.

To us Canadians who hibernate in the winter, decaf makes complete sense. But to The City That Never Sleeps, what's the point of non-caffeinated coffee?

"Caffeine can cure your hangover, save your life and make your colleagues moderately tolerable at 9 a.m.," wrote The Gothamist. "And now some Canadian weirdos are taking it away from us."

That's right. The brain behind this so-called weirdness and heralding of the "cultural apocalypse" is Canadian. Specifically, Burnaby, B.C.-based company Swiss Water.

According to its website, the company's chemical-free process treats coffee with water, time and temperature until the coffee is 99.9 per cent caffeine free.

Swiss Water's president Frank Dennis says his company also supplies coffee to Tim Hortons "exclusively."

The pop-up shop opened on Oct. 30 and will keep handing out samples until Nov. 8. There are no plans to open a store.

But the company's concept was mocked and slammed by many on social media.

"Caffeine-free coffee shop opens in New York, undermining all reason and causing the city to collapse into itself," tweeted one journalist.

Caffeine-free coffee shop opens in New York, undermining all reason and causing the city to collapse into itself <a href="https://t.co/EUdWOHKYlc">https://t.co/EUdWOHKYlc</a> —@zseward

i hear their next concept is an alcohol-free wine bar: Caffeine-Free Coffee Shop <a href="https://t.co/lgpXlOsJc9">https://t.co/lgpXlOsJc9</a> —@iamsprung

Who opens a decaf coffee shop? These are the enemies of man. <a href="https://t.co/s9VTja0049">https://t.co/s9VTja0049</a> —@SimonWaxman

No publicity is bad publicity?

Despite the social media horror and mocking American media, Dennis says Swiss Water's pop-up shop has been a success in upping the company's brand recognition south of the border.

He laughed at the "Canadian weirdos" comment, saying he's enjoyed watching some of the reaction.

"We know we're doing something silly ... opening up a shop that sells only decaf," he told CBC News. "Our biggest fear was that no one would come in and we would have this empty hall in New York City, but it's been exactly the opposite."

The brand intends to hand out samples from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily — for those coffee aficionados who "want high quality coffee late in the night and go to sleep reasonably."