Orange. Mont Blanc. Milk Chocolate.

Country: Colombia
Elevation: 1,800–2,100 masl
Variety: Caturra, Colombia
Processing: Washed - Ethyl Acetate
Producers: 14 small-scale producers 
Sourced Through: Melbourne Coffee Merchants

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About this coffee

We’ve been offering San Antonio, both as a single-origin espresso and as part of our Seasonal Blend, since 2020. This lot was grown by 14 small-scale producers in the hills surrounding the town of San Antonio, where the rich, volcanic soil, cool temperatures and high rainfall support the production of beautifully sweet and complex coffees.  

Farms in this area are typically very small (averaging one hectare), with the producers and their families performing most of the farmwork themselves. At harvest time, the cherries are hand-picked and then wash-processed; producers in San Antonio either have their own small mill on-site, or they share a mill with neighbours or extended family members. 

We sourced this coffee through our Colombian supply partners, Pergamino, a progressive, family-run business that connects coffee buyers with small producers and high-quality coffees. The Pergamino team cupped through many coffees to select the exceptional lots that make up this sweet, clean and creamy decaf offering. 

About the process

There are a number of ways that caffeine can be removed from coffee. We’ve chosen the EA sugarcane process, which uses water and a natural compound found in sugarcane to gently remove the caffeine from the bean. And while over 99% of the caffeine is removed, the inherent flavour and quality of the coffee remain intact.

Happily, this processing method is available in Colombia, which means we’ve been able to select one of our favourite Colombian coffees, San Antonio, to be decaffeinated locally and shipped to us fresh. The result is a sweet, clean and well-structured coffee with a lovely buttery mouthfeel. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to skip the caffeine and still enjoy a beautiful cup of coffee!

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Medium: Molasses, cocoa powder and marmalade.

Mexico Chiapas

Producer : Various small producers
Region: Chiapas
Country: Mexico
Decaffeination: Mountain Water Process
Elevation: 900 ~ 1,400 masl
Varieties: Bourbon, Mundo Novo Caturra
Sourced Through: Upstream

Huila, Nariño

Producer : Various small producers
Region: Huila, Nariño
Country: Colombia
Processing: Washed
Decaffeination: Water-Natural Ethyl Acetate Method
Elevation: 1,300 ~ 1,800 masl
Varieties: Caturra, Castillo, Colombia
Sourced Through: Project Origin

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About the Mountain Water Process

This lot was decaffeinated at the Descamex factory in Mexico. Descamex uses processes free of any chemicals. Coffee processed in this plant is organic and processed with the mountain waters that flow from the tip of Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. Each batch of green coffee is soaked in water until the soluble components seep out of the beans. The caffeine-extracted fluid is passed through a filter that extracts the caffeine from this solution. The coffee to be decaffeinated is then rehydrated and placed in the tank under optimal temperatures, vacuum, and pressures for the caffeine to be extracted. This solution then combines the crystal-clear waters of Pico de Orizaba and imparts the flavour and top notes that identify a coffee and its origin. After the extraction, the beans are triple-dried before being polished and physically and chemically analysed for remaining caffeine.

Decaffeinated coffee from Descamex reads between 0.020% to a maximum of 0.10%(g/100g) or about 99.9% caffeine free.

About Regional Decaf

Our Project Origin specialty decaf is all about raising the bar on how decaffeinated
coffee should taste. We do not compromise on flavour with this offering and are
selective about the coffees we source through the Huila, Cauca and Nariño regions
that cup from 84 to 85 points. The selected coffee is then sent to have 99.9% of the
caffeine removed using fresh spring water and Ethyl Acetate - a completely natural
by-product of sugar cane. This method is gentle, chemical free and retains coffee
structure as well as flavour. The result is a decaf coffee that tastes just as good as
the original lot where these coffee beans were grown.

Colombia is the second largest producer of arabica coffee in the world and benefits
from its tropical location, mountainous terrain and high average rainfall. Coffee
production is abundant with two harvests per year and is of excellent quality,
particularly in the coffee growing regions that we use to source this offering, where
altitudes range from 1300 - 1800 metres above sea level and temperatures are a
mild 15 - 25º Celsius.