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BRAZIL SWISS WATER DECAF
- Country: Brazil
- Region: Minas Gerais
- Producer: Boa Vista & Taboues
- Variety: Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Catucai, + more
- Altitude: 1700 - 2100 MASL
- Processing Method: Natural, Swiss Water Decaf
Grown in an area under Rainforest Alliance practices on a B Corp certified farm, this coffee is naturally decaffeinated using no chemicals by the team at Swiss Water.
In the Cerrado of Brazil coffee farms are noticeable
on the landscape as giant circular plantings under the
long boom of an irrigation system, linked by perfectly
spaced rows for the mechanical pickers to drive up
and down.
Minas Gerais is a constant in coffee offerings for a
reason. The consistency of its classic tasting coffees
make it integral in many a roasters offerings. This lot
is no different, grown in an area under Rainforest
Alliance practices that means it’s impact on the
environment is as good as its taste. The farm is mainly
given over to natural planting, with coffee in between.
Boa Vista & Taboues Farm
It’s common to see toucans, monkeys and a host
of other wildlife moving through the farm. Jaguars
and Maned wolves have also been spotted, and a
waterfall splits the terrain providing watering
holes.
Beans are picked mechanically, with detailed care
and attention paid to ensure only the selected
grade make it through. The slightly smaller bean
size requires the care and attention that the
processors of this coffee are so good at.
SWISS WATER DECAFFEINATION PROCESS
The Swiss Water process is an organic, 100% chemical-free option for decaffeination. It was discovered in the 1930s in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and is commercialised by the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company Inc, founded in 1988.
This method does not require the addition of chemicals, instead relying on a super saturated green coffee solution called Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
To decaffeinate coffee, fresh GCE is introduced to a batch of green coffee. As the GCE is already saturated with all the water-soluble compounds found in green coffee, minus the caffeine, the matching molecules won’t diffuse out of the coffee beans—but the caffeine will. The flavour is retained in the beans while the caffeine is removed.
Thanks to some scientific smarts and creativity, it’s possible to have decaf coffee that tastes the same – just without the caffeine!
HONDURAS SWISS WATER DECAF
- Origin: Honduras
- Region: San Pedro De Copan
- Producer: Boa Vista & Taboues
- Variety: Catuai
- Altitude: 1450 – 1600 masl
- Processing Method: Washed, Honey, Anaerobic Honey, Swiss Water Decaf
Cooperativa Cafetalera Capucas Limitada (Cocafcal) or Capucas as they are better known, is situated on and around the Celaque mountain, which is the highest peak in Honduras. Celaque means ‘box of water’ in the local Lenca language, and the mountain is the source for many rivers and streams.
Capucas was founded in 1999 by Jose Omar Rodriguez and takes its name from the local town of Las Capucas. In 2004 Omar was chosen to become the general manager, a role he continues today.
The coffee is harvested at its optimum ripeness and handed in at the cooperative. It is then washed, dried in a solar dryer, and stored in parchment before being trucked to the port of Puerto Cortés. Capucas were the first in the country to build a facility to dry microlots in a large scale with solar dryers.
Coffee trees are pruned to a low height so it is easier to pick the cherries, however if its cut too short too soon they fall over. Therefore, the pruning is staggered: in the first year they prune to 180cm, 170cm in the second year, 160cm third year and 150cm in the fourth year; then when the tree is cut down to the bottom, the trunk is strong enough to support the new growth.
The cooperative has many initiatives to improve the lives of workers and the local community, for example; they pay for a GP to treat workers for free in their health centre which is in the centre of Las Capucas. In 2016 Capucas partnered with the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) to provide a university education, the virtual classroom was opened in the community of Capucas in a rural part of San Pedro Copan, UNAH provide the technical support, teachers and subject matter for the students. They also have a football academy which is free to join and a virtual library for members, children and partners of Capucas Cooperative.
To prepare the beans for caffeine removal, they are cleaned and hydrated with pure, local water, the beans are then introduced to an internally developed Green Coffee Extract (GCE), and caffeine removal begins. Caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium. Caffeine and GCE flow continuously through carbon filters until all the caffeine is trapped and separated from the GCE, which is refreshed so that it can be used again and again to remove more caffeine. The process is monitored for around 10 hours and caffeine levels checked as well as time, and gauge temperature controls, until the coffee is 99.9% caffeine free.
