After searching for years for a decaffeinated coffee that was genuinely of equal taste to a non-decaf, along came Swiss Water. We regularly cup this alongside caffeinated origins, and it constantly sneaks under the radar. Finally, a decaf that tastes how you would expect the origin, Honduras, to taste!
Using no chemicals, just a green coffee extract and water, this coffee is 99.9% free of caffeine. First, the Green Coffee Extract (GCE) is created by soaking caffeinated beans in water. This includes all of the water-soluble solids that you would find in green coffee, just without the caffeine. Next, the coffee that you are decaffeinating is cleaned and rehydrated, to make sure it’s at the optimal level of hydration for the process - it’s then placed into a massive container, throughout which the GCE is continuously circulated. It takes around 8 to 10 hours for the caffeine level to reach 0.1%, with the caffeine being removed by osmosis - the caffeine is then constantly filtered out of the GCE using a carbon filter system. After all this, the coffee is dried, packed and shipped to us!

The region

COCAFELOL is a great example of the good that being a part of a co-operative can do. They’re dedicated and focused on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, which has resulted in the production of a huge amount of natural fertilisers made from coffee husks and natural fungi, which are then given to farms free of charge. The business behind the production and distribution of fertiliser was actually created through the funding provided by the Fairtrade premium.
The Ocotepeque Department is in the west of Honduras, a very mountainous area focussing largely on agriculture. Right on the border with Guatemala and El Salvador, and surrounded by several national parks, it’s a stunning area with perfect conditions for coffee growing.

Process

Swiss Water Decaffeinated

Espresso:
Ratio 1:2. 18g of dry coffee, 36g of espresso. Brew time 28 - 32 seconds. Adjust grind size as appropriate to achieve correct extraction.

Drip/Pour Over:
Ratio 1:16. Good starter pouring recipe is a 30g bloom to wet grounds, pour up to 150g, then when it is half drained pour again to 220g, with a final small pour of 20g. Water temperature 88-96 degrees

French Press:
60g of course ground coffee to 1 litre of water, brew 4 to 5 minutes.

Cold Brew:
1:8 to 1:10 (e.g., 100g coffee to 800g water).

Aeropress:
1:6 to 1:12, depending on desired strength.