COLOMBIA EL EDEN SWISS WATER DECAF COFFEE
El Eden is a blend from 16 entrepreneurial farmers in the Armenia, Quindío region of Colombia. Though the second smallest department in Colombia, there is a high concentration of coffee producers in the area, and it is one of the key production areas in the country. La Floresta is the biggest of the contributors to El Eden with a 94-hectare farm, and 80 hectares under coffee. The name itself comes from the venue, Rancho Eden where the group would hold regular meetings to discuss best practices, business challenges and opportunities and this transferred to the coffee they grow. Coffee when harvested is brought to the Racafe mill in Armenia, where it is sampled, cupped, and graded. The overall blend profile is managed by a separate cupping room facility where consistency and quality are maintained. Picking from their mainly Castillo, Catimor and Caturra varietal planted fields, the coffee is typically wet processed the same day as picking and dried on either ‘Casa Elba’ patios, or drying beds on rails or with a roof that is on rails to protect from weather. Scored a whopping 83.25 by the independent coffee graders of the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) higher than most non-decaffeinated speciality Colombian coffees! The only thing you’re not losing is sleep!
The Swiss Water process is an organic, 100% chemical-free option for decaffeination. This method does not require the addition of chemicals, instead relying on a super saturated green coffee solution called Green Coffee Extract (GCE). This 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!
We've been roasting the world's best coffee in our 2kg San Franciscan roaster since 1994, resisting the temptation and logic of roasting on a more commercial scale, to stand by the philosophy that we can bring out the best in any coffee working this way. To give some context, each batch produces just enough for 8 supermarket size packets. Often, one roast is taken entirely by one customer!
The best tip we can offer to enhance your enjoyment of any coffee you try is to suggest that you grind your own beans freshly as required.