Ethiopia

DECAF. Don’t be scared of the decaf, don’t think of those dark, roasty coffees that people drink when they often don’t have a choice. The times they are a-changing and we’re here to prove it with a fruity, funky, interesting Ethiopian decaf. Made up of landrace varieties and coming from the Tokuma group of producers in the Agaro region of western Ethiopia, this naturally processed then Ethyl Acetated decaf coffee has notes of chocolate cookie, orange, and pear. 

The Ethyl Acetate process is one gaining traction in specialty due to its ability to hold on to quality and general flavour profile. Ethyl acetate is a naturally occurring chemical which can be derived from nearly all fruits and vegetables and when coffee is submerged within it, the structure of the bean is altered allowing the caffeine to leave the bean whilst holding onto its flavour. Ethyl acetate might sound a little bit scary, but can only be harmful when uber concentrated down to its purest form and then ingesting large quantities of it (nearly impossible). 

It’s important to remember that decaf is never 100% decaffeinated, there can always remain a trace of upto 0.3% caffeine within the bean for it to still be classed as a decaf.