It has been extremely difficult to source decaf coffee in Kenya for the last couple of months.
At Spring Valley Coffee, we pride ourselves on being Constantly Curious, and took the opportunity to source an alternative product which would allow us to Do the Right Thing while still Making Incredible Coffee.
The Swiss Water method uses no chemicals whatsoever, whereas most other decaffeination methods employ the use of chemical solvents.
What is Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee?
The Swiss Water process is a decaffeination method that uses only water to remove 99.9% of a coffee’s caffeine content. Heat and time are also employed, but clean water is the only added ingredient.
How does it differ from other decaf methods?
The Swiss Water method uses no chemicals whatsoever, whereas most other decaffeination methods employ the use of chemical solvents like methylene chloride (“MC” decaf) and ethyl acetate (“EA” decaf - either naturally or synthetically derived).
A little more information about the current batch of Swiss Water Decaf Coffee:
|
Origin |
Ethiopia (Sidamo) • Due to the unavailability of Kenyan decaf |
|
Arabica variety |
Heirloom Ethiopian Varieties |
|
Grade |
4 |
|
Processing |
Natural |
|
Decaffeination Method |
Swiss Water |
|
Roast Profile |
Medium |
|
Taste Notes |
A medium-body coffee with a floral aroma, and flavours of peach, citrus and delicate berry notes with a sweet, lingering finish |
|
Brewing Methods |
Espresso-based drinks, filter & manual brews |
|
Size |
500g Bag |
Step 1: Green Coffee Extract (GCE) is born
Green coffee extract is created only once, by soaking green beans in pure water. Swiss Water Green Coffee Extract is only created once, made out of all the soluble solids within coffee (minus the caffeine); GCE is key to the process.
Step 2: Clean & Pre-soak
Coffee is prepared for the SwissWater Process.
Before decaffeination, the green coffee is rehydrated to prepare for the target moisture level that is ideal for caffeine removal. This step also removes dirt, dust and silverskin.
Step 3: Caffeine Removal
Caffeine is drawn away and filtered out.
GCE is continuously circulated around the green coffee for a period of 8-10 hours until there is no more than 0.1% of the caffeine remaining in the green coffee. Caffeine is removed from the GCE through a proprietary carbon filter system, and the carbon is sent to a regeneration furnace to burn away caffeine, so that the GCE can be reused.
Step 4: Drying • Bagging • Shipping
Once the coffee is decaffeinated, it begins its journey to us.
When 99.9% of the caffeing has been removed from a coffee, it is dried, bagged and shipped to us with care. And then it is in our expert hands to roast, and raft into the incredible coffees you are used to getting from us.