We have sourced a new ethically grown Fairtrade Organic Decaffeinated Coffee from Peru. Working with trusted producers who also care about their coffee we are now able to bring you this speciality high grown Arabica coffee.
The farmers are part of two cooperatives within the Junin and Cajamarca regions of Peru who work together to improve not only the coffee but also the lives of the farmers and their workers. They were awarded the Fairtrade and Organic certification in 2017. This coffee is decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process.
What is the Swiss Water Process?
The Swiss Water Process is a natural method for decaffeinating coffee beans that avoids the use of chemical solvents. It is designed to remove caffeine from coffee beans while attempting to preserve as much of the flavour and aromatic compounds as possible. Here's how the process works:
Initial Soaking
The green (unroasted) coffee beans are soaked in hot water to dissolve and extract the caffeine, as well as various flavour compounds.
Flavour Removal
The water from the initial soaking is then passed through a carbon filter that captures the caffeine molecules. This water, now devoid of caffeine but still containing flavour compounds, is referred to as "flavour-charged water."
Bean Immersion
The decaffeinated coffee beans are soaked in the flavour-charged water. Since the beans are no longer saturated with caffeine, they will release some of their flavour compounds into the water. This process is repeated until the caffeine content in the beans matches that of the flavour-charged water, which helps maintain the coffee's flavour profile.
Caffeine Removal
The flavour-charged water is passed through a charcoal filter designed to capture the caffeine molecules while allowing the flavour compounds to pass through. This filtered water is then reused for the next batch of beans.
Drying and Packaging
The decaffeinated coffee beans are removed from the flavour-charged water and dried. They are then ready for roasting and packaging.
This process is favoured by some coffee producers and roasters because it avoids the use of chemical solvents (like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate) often used in other decaffeination methods. It is considered a gentler method that tries to preserve the flavour and aroma of the coffee. Natural methods are usually more expensive than chemical decaffeination processes but are worth the extra cost - better for us and better for the environment. It is a cleaner and more environmentally friendly process of removing caffeine, and therefore is a much healthier way to drink decaf coffee.
The Swiss Water Process aims to minimise the impact of decaffeination on flavour, making it a popular choice among those seeking high-quality decaffeinated coffee.
We have roasted it to a medium to dark level to retain all the natural flavours that you would expect from this coffee but without the caffeine. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.