| Processing | Washed; Mountain Water decaf process (Descamex, Mexico) |
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Decaf has an image problem, and it has had one for decades. The coffee that gave the category its reputation was soaked in chemical solvents that stripped out the caffeine along with most of what made the coffee worth drinking. We do not sell that coffee.
This blend is decaffeinated by the Mountain Water process at Descamex in Córdoba, Mexico. Descamex uses pure glacial meltwater from Pico de Orizaba — the highest peak in Mexico — saturated with green coffee extract to create an equilibrium, then circulated through the beans at controlled temperatures. Caffeine diffuses out while the soluble solids that create body, sweetness, and flavor stay in. The bean’s cellular structure remains intact.
The blend is built on washed Arabicas from Colombia, Guatemala, and Brazil. The Colombian and Guatemalan components provide structure: clean acidity that softens into sweetness, and a chocolate-forward backbone. These are high-grown coffees, dense beans. The Brazilian component provides body and nuttiness. Brazilian coffees — particularly the pulped naturals and fine washed lots from Minas Gerais and Sul de Minas — are low in acidity and heavy in mouthfeel.
A blend like this is typically built for weight and warmth rather than origin transparency: each component is there to do a job, and the cup is meant to be round rather than sharp.
When we roast this, we taste dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and caramel, with brown sugar, toasted grain, and vanilla behind them. The cup is full-bodied and smooth, with no bitterness at the end.
We Roast It This Way
We roast it this way: to a Dark roast. This is a specialty-grade green coffee. We recommend targeting 400–420°F charge temperature and aiming for City+ to Full City for a balanced cup that honours the origin character. First crack typically appears around 385–395°F (varies by roaster type and drum speed). Development time: 1:00–1:45 after first crack.
Full dark roast — taken just past second crack to develop deep chocolate and roasted nut character. The Mountain Water decaf process preserves the bean's cellular structure, so the roast develops cleanly without the hollow notes or scorched edges that chemical decafs can produce. Dark roast and decaf aren't compromises here — they're partners
