Dinner Dance – Decaffeinated – Sample

While this coffee tastes awesome in every device, our favourites are filter, Chemex or cafetiere.

If you want to know more, see our brew guides for making coffee.

This coffee was grown in the highlands of southern Ethiopia, specifically in the Abay Teka District. This region benefits from consistent rainfall, nutrient-rich volcanic soil, and plenty of natural shade provided by dense forest cover (AKA the ideal conditions for coffee cultivation!) Wild coffee trees have thrived here for centuries and were once used in spiritual rituals before being introduced to the global market.

This decaf coffee was processed at the Alemu Adama wet and dry mill station in the Sidama Region. This hub has five permanent employees and 120 temporary ones throughout the harvesting season. They process approximately 700,000 kilograms of coffee cherries every year! They focus on sound practices, which increase the quality of the coffee beans, and also hold sustainability at their core.

Once the cherries are delivered to Alemu Adama, they are sorted into perfectly ripe and underripe cherries by a disc pulper before the seeds (coffee beans) are removed. The beans then undergo a 36 to 48-hour fermentation period before being washed and dried on raised beds for 6 to 7 days. The beans are then decaffeinated by being steamed to open their pores, after which they are soaked in a solution made from sugarcane. This causes the caffeine molecules to leach into the water, while leaving those amazing flavours intact.

To gain Speciality Coffee status, the coffee has to receive a score of 80 points or higher. The points are made up using an array of attributes such as the smell, acidity, and mouthfeel to name a few. To taste all of these attributes, Q graders use a coffee cupping process; a pure and exact method to taste coffees.

Intrigued about coffee cupping and want to find out more? Check out our guide to Cup like a pro. you can even give it a go at home.

When we receive our coffee beans, they are green and unroasted. We ensure that the roastery’s moisture and humidity are optimised to keep the beans at their very best.

To roast, we build a profile for each coffee to bring out the beans’ natural flavours. We never over roast, and so you will never taste bitter or burnt flavours in the cup. Only sweet, smooth and creamy notes prevail.

Speciality coffees are bursting with amazing natural flavours, aromas and body. Each bean is different from the next; not only in taste but also in moisture, density and size. With this in mind, we roast each coffee differently to suit all of the above.

We build a roast profile (recipe) for each coffee and we roast by hand and in small batches to bring out the very best in each bean. We freshly roast multiple times each week to ensure you receive the best and freshest coffee each time.

The coffee farmers do us proud with their amazing harvests, and we want to continue their amazing work when roasting.

After being harvested and washed, the beans are prepared for decaffeination. It begins by steaming the green beans to open up their pores, before soaking them in a sugar cane solution. This liquid helps preserve the bean’s flavour whilst dissolving the caffeine.

Roast Style: Light & Fruity

Location: Abay Teka District, Lala Salama

Varietal(s): Heirloom

Decaf Process: Sugar Cane

Altitude: 1750 – 1950 metres above sea level

Country: Ethiopia

Certification: Speciality

Score: 83

What does this all mean? Check out our Jargon Buster.

The coffee farmers produce amazing coffees, and they deserve thanking for that. To ensure that they get the price they deserve; and money to spend on investing in their farm for the future, we pay between 30 and 150% more than the going rate for speciality coffee than that of commodity coffee.

Without you drinking our freshly roasted coffee, we couldn’t do this. So it’s all down to you lovely peeps – high five!

We’re dancing at dinner knowing this decaf won’t keep us up all night!