ESPRESSO DECAF
MEXICO
Tastes Like: Arrowroot Cookie, Chocolate Covered Cherry, Marshmallow
Medium Roast: 12oz / 340g BAG
Region: Veracruz
Farm: Various Smallholder Farms
Varietal: Bourbon, Mundo Novo
Altitude: 1100 - 1800 m.a.s.l
Processing: Mountain Water
Just because it's decaf, that doesn't mean it stays quiet! We source and roast decaf with the same attention to consistency and detail as everything else we do.
Our decaf from Mexico is unique in more ways than one. First, the green beans are grown by multiple smallholder producers are cupped specifically by our importer for their quality and identified for decaffeination.
Second, the beans are custom decaffeinated at the source. Our water-processed decaf are done in a facility in Mexico called Descamex. In order to remove the caffeine in this process, green coffee is soaked in a water solution, which removes both the caffeine as well as other solubles in the coffee (flavor compounds, for instance). The water is removed from the seeds and run through a special filter that captures caffeine molecules and allows them to be strained from the solution. The solution—now containing flavor compounds but no caffeine—is then reintroduced to the green coffee seeds, which reabsorb the soluble materials.
All these factors allow us to roast one of the highest-quality, non-chemical-processed decaf coffees available. The results are a lower acid decaf coffee with a rich and creamy flavour and exceptional attention to freshness. Because decaf doesn't have to suck! We think it tastes like camping s'more and vanilla bean.
ABOUT MEXICAN COFFEE
One of the things that have set Mexico's coffee apart is the abundance of both Fair Trade and organic-certified coffees, especially in areas like Veracruz. The strong influence of indigenous groups and cultures has long been the driving force behind smallholders' embrace of organic practices, as they are often in line with traditional growing philosophies and utilize similar if not the same techniques. Fair Trade has also done considerable work with regard to encouraging smallholders to organize and operate within cooperatives, which allows them to pool resources, provides better access to credit and financing options, and creates more market presence and leverage in a competitive global economy.
