Country / District : Peru, San Francisco, Huabal
Varietal: Caturra, Pache
Process: Washed CO2 Decaf
Altitude: 1800-2000 masl
Tasting notes: Orange Juice, Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar
 
Suggested for: Espresso, Moka
 
 
 
 
More info about this coffee: 

San Francisco is a village in the district of Huabal, home to over 50 farming families. Altitudes in the area range from 1600 to 2000 metres above sea level, and the main coffee varieties grown are Caturra and Catimor. As in most of Northern Peru, drying beds and tents are still uncommon, with most producers drying their coffee on tarpaulin mats on the ground. Huabal has significant potential for high-quality coffee, but due to poor infrastructure, many producers lack the resources and knowledge to unlock that potential. Altitudes in the area range from 1200 to 2100 metres above sea level, with most of the producers we work with being above 1800 metres. Many producers in Huabal have regenerated their farms with Catimores, a variety promoted by the government and multinational buyers. In some altitudes, Catimores have yielded good results and, with proper management, can produce decent cup quality.  Due to the district's geographical spread across multiple mountains, climate conditions and soil types vary significantly. Some areas experience wet, humid conditions with red, African-like soils, while others are dry and hot. This diversity contributes to a wide range of delicious cup profiles and complex coffees.

THE SPARKLING WATER DECAFFEINATION PROCESS:
This process was first discovered by a scientist called Kurt Zosel at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in 1967 as he was looking at new ways of separating mixtures of substances. In 1988, a German decaffeination company called CR3 developed this process for decaffeination whereby natural carbon dioxide (which comes from prehistoric underground lakes) is combined with water to create sub-critical conditions which creates a highly solvent substance for caffeine in coffee.

It is a gentle, natural and organically certified process and the good caffeine selectivity of the carbon dioxide guarantees a high retention level of other coffee components which contribute to taste and aroma.
The process is outlined below:The green beans enter a pre-treatment vessel where they are cleaned and moistened with water before being brought into contact with pressurised liquid carbon dioxide.
When the green coffee beans absorb the water, they expand and the pores are opened resulting in the caffeine molecules becoming mobile.
After the water has been added, the beans are then brought into contact with the pressurised liquid carbon dioxide which combines with the water to essentially form sparkling water.
The carbon dioxide circulates through the beans and acts like a magnet, drawing out the mobile caffeine molecules.
The sparkling water then enters an evaporator which precipitates the caffeine rich carbon dioxide out of the water.
he now caffeine free water is pumped back into the vessel for a new cycle.
This cycle is repeated until the required residual caffeine level is reached.
Once this has happened, the circulation of carbon dioxide is stopped and the green beans are discharged into a drier.
The decaffeinated coffee is then gently dried until it reaches its original moisture content, after which it is ready for roasting.
There are several benefits to using this process for decaffeination: The agent used for extracting the caffeine is entirely natural and the process can be classified as 'organic' due to the complete lack of chemicals used throughout.
There is also no health risk by consuming coffee that has been decaffeinated in this way. The way the process works means the other compounds in the green bean are left untouched, meaning decaffeination has no effect on the flavour and aroma of the finished product.
The carbon dioxide is very selective and doesn't extract the carbohydrates and proteins in the green bean which contribute to flavour and smell.
The cell structure of the green bean and the finished roasted bean is unchanged which is of great advantage when working with specialty coffees.