Origin: Colombia
Estate: Various
Varietal: Castillo, Caturra, Colombia
Grade: Excelso
Certification: Organic, Swiss Water Decaf
Altitude: 1600-2000 m.a.s.l
Harvest Year: 2020
Processing: Fully washed, Swiss Water Decaffeination Process
Tasting Notes: Black tea, bramble, dark chocolate, dried apricot, dried fig, and honey.
Roasting Notes: We have roasted this at varying levels and found it best at midway between first and second crack.
Colombia Gaitania Organic Swiss Water Decaf - Per Kg
Swiss Waters’ Small Batch Series is a program of limited offerings that features hyper seasonal, highly traceable, and really tasty coffees.
This blend comes from an association of independent producers (The ASCI’SP Cooperative) in the municipality of Planadas in the southern part of Tolima, Colombia. Specifically, it comes from the Nasa Wes’x indigenous community of Gaitania, a community rich in history and coffee. The original inhabitants of this region were Paez, Pijao, and Nasa indigenous nations. Before the 2016 peace accord signed by the Colombian government with FARC, Gaitania had the important designation of being the only community in the country to hold any sort of official peace agreement with the armed forces, signed by the Nasa Wes’x people in 1996. Due to this monumental accord, thousands of lives were saved and much of the local landscape and environment were preserved.
The coffees that comprise this blend are all certified organic and are from several fincas throughout Gaitania. After the cherries were carefully hand-selected for ripeness, they remained intact for 24 hours after which they were de-pulped, washed and fermented for another 24 hours, then washed again, and lastly put out to dry on raised beds and marquesinas (parabolic dryers).
Swiss Water® Process uses the elements of water, temperature and time to create some of the most intriguing decaf coffee. First, we start with small batches of amazing coffee and green coffee extract. Then we add local water and a dash of loving attention by monitoring time and temperature until the coffee is 99.9% caffeine free
When beans arrive at our facility
They have been shipped to us from the finest growing regions around the world. Cleaned and hydrated with pure, local water to prepare them for caffeine removal, these beans are beginning their journey to becoming amazing decaf coffee.
The end of the line for caffeine
Our internally developed Green Coffee Extract (GCE) is introduced to the beans and caffeine removal begins. Caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium. Caffeine and GCE flow continuously through our proprietary carbon filters until all the caffeine is trapped and separated from the GCE. Then the GCE is refreshed so that it can be used again and again to remove more caffeine.
Continuous monitoring
For the next 10 hours, our team continuously monitors the process and caffeine levels in each batch we are decaffeinating. We monitor time, gauge temperature controls, and check the levels on the GCE flow. The result of all this loving attention to detail is worth it -- 99.9% caffeine-free coffee.
Into your cup
Finally, the decaffeinated green beans are shipped to the roasters and the specialty coffee brands we work with, so that the beans can be turned into something special. We’re privileged to be one small stop on the amazing journey that brings coffee from unique places of origin to your cup.
To watch this process - please visit their website HERE