DECAFFEINATED

ORIGIN:
I love bringing in fun decaf lots because I love great decaf! So could not say no to this tropical and fun lot from the  Siane Organic Agriculture Cooperative (SOAC) located in the Chuave district within the province of Chimbu. SOAC accesses the international coffee markets for farmers, creating greater earning capacity from direct trade relationships. SOAC also assist farmers with financing, coffee quality improvement, organic certification, and community based projects that promote gender equality and education.

This is a Swiss Water Process decaf, which uses a chemical-free approach for removing caffeine. Each batch of beans is steamed and then mixed with a green coffee extract. The idea is when the extract surrounds the beans, diffusion allows only the caffeine molecules to migrate outward. Beans are then dried ensuring they retain all the flavor and nuance inherent to the green coffee while removing 99% of the naturally occurring caffeine, all without the use of chemical additives or solvents.

FLAVOUR:
Decaf gets a bad rap because historically it was never well-grown green and typically is roasted too hot and too fast. However, if you start with great coffee and then roast it with the decaf processing in mind, you experience the unique joy of origin. I was super excited to bring in a decaf from Monkaaba given the nature of the community project and their exceptional tasting coffee. In the cup you can expect juicy citrus and malic acid that floats above toasted sugar flavours. It is a very clean cup with medium body that is all cooked fruit notes, think apple pie or candied orange or spice cake.