Traditionally, decaffeinated coffee beans tend to have a distinctive and somewhat dull aroma and flavor. However, our Ethiopian CO2 process for decaffeinated coffee is a breakthrough.
Taferi Kela in Ethiopia
This decaf coffee comes from Bette Buna, a community-rooted company headed by Dawit and Hester who are working to improve farmer livelihoods in Ethiopia through agroforestry training, quality premiums for ripe cherries, equal-opportunity employment, climate-adapted coffee seedlings, and exceptional supply chain traceability. This particular washed lot was grown by local farmers in Taferi Kela, Sidama, and processed at Bette Buna’s washing station before undergoing decaffeination.
The Sidama region is known for a terroir that produces sweet and smooth tasting coffees. It’s a fertile landscape in southern Ethiopia that spans across the highlands of Lake Awasa in the Rift Valley. The region is home to nearly 8 million people with distinct cultures and traditions among 36 districts that encompass over 50 coffee cooperatives and around 200 washing stations.
Decaffeination process using CO2 sparkling water
The Sparkling Water Decaffeination Process, first developed in 1967, uses natural carbon dioxide and water to gently remove caffeine from green coffee beans with no chemicals involved.
The raw coffee beans are lightly moistened to open up their pores, then exposed to sparkling water made from pressurized carbon dioxide that naturally attaches to the caffeine and draws it out. This process is repeated until the right caffeine level is reached, and then the raw coffee beans are dried back to their original state.
Because carbon dioxide specifically targets caffeine and leaves the rest of the coffee compounds alone, the flavour, aroma, and structure of the beans stay intact. Plus, the whole process remains natural and the materials recyclable.
- Origin: Abay Teka, Sidama, Ethiopia
- Flavour: cane sugar, blueberry, pomegranate
- Beans: 100% arabica, heirloom varieties, caffeine-free.
- Altitude: 1800–2100masl
Fresh every week and carefully roasted in our Rotterdam-West coffee roastery
