| Origin | Peru |
| Region | Villa Rica, Pasco |
| Farmer | Cooperative |
| Variety | Catuai, Typica, Catimor, Bourbon |
| Process | Washed |
| Roast | Medium |
| Altitude | 1,450-1,650 masl |
| Aroma | Lively, dynamic, citrus-flower |
| Flavour | Fig, butterscotch, plum and vanilla |
| Body | Medium, mild intensity |
| Acidity | Bright and clear |
| Cupping Score | 83 |
Water Process uses the elements of water, temperature and time to create some of the most intriguing decaf coffee. First, they start with small batches of amazing coffee and green coffee extract. Then they add local water and a dash of loving attention by monitoring time and temperature until the coffee is 99.9% caffeine-free, whilst protecting the unique origin characteristics and flavour and remaining 100% caffeine free!
Swiss Water Process (SWP) coffees are free of added chemicals and processed using the cleanest water possible. SWP is also dedicated to aiding initiatives that support sustainability and the livelihoods of producers around the world.
The SWP process works through diffusion, not osmosis. Initially, green coffee beans were soaked in water until all the caffeine and flavor compounds were extracted. The beans were then discarded, and the solution they created was run through a carbon filter that removed the caffeine, leaving behind only the flavor compounds—what SWP calls its green coffee extract, or GCE.
When SWP decaffeinates a coffee, the beans are soaked with a small amount of the GCE, which creates a saturated solution in which the caffeine leaves but the coffee’s flavor compounds remain in place, unaffected. The GCE is like a yeast “mother.” While initially SWP had to sacrifice some coffee to create it, once the first batch was made, it just needs to maintain the health of the GCE and keep it slowly regenerating, which it does by adding small amounts of clean water.
Once the caffeine is extracted from the beans, they’re dried to 10.2 percent moisture and ready to be roasted.
Ready for some fun facts? Because the cellulose structure of a decaf bean has been expanded and shrunk back — but not shrunk back completely — the structure of the bean is not as tight as non-decaffeinated bean. That’s part of the reason that decafs don’t change much during the roasting process. It’s also the reason roasters don’t hear the “crack”— the cellular structure in decaf has already been manipulated, and the traditional crack is moisture reaching the boiling point inside the bean and pushing through.
There is a new dawn occurring on the popularity of Swiss Water Decaf, as it is the ideal choice for coffee lovers for many reasons, e.g, pregnant and breast-feeding women are advised to limit their intake, while many find that caffeine disrupts sleep or can make some people more anxious, or for some people who enjoy simply drinking lots of coffee, but without the usual after effects.
The Yanesha people come from one of the least explored and most remote areas in the world. For centuries, they practiced sustainable agriculture in the narrow valleys of Peru’s Amazon region and were self-sustaining, through a balance of agriculture, fishing and hunting. Eventually, outside influences led them to make changes — including transitioning to coffee from only short-term crops such as chilis and fruits.
For decades now, they’ve worked to balance their need to nurture and protect their indigenous culture (through festivals, artisan crafts and traditions such as maintaining a village shaman), with the culturally diluting impacts of engaging with the larger world.
A number of organizations have worked with the Yanesh to help them develop nurseries and find a sustainable and profitable lifestyle between these worlds they inhabit.
The Villa Rica district in the department of Pasco has been dedicated to coffee cultivation for several decades. More than 85 percent of its population represents the meeting point of three cultures: the native Yanesha people, Andean settlers and Austro-German settlers — and is now passionate about coffee cultivation.
The Asociacion de Productores Sostenibles Yanesha (APSY) has a membership of 32 producers, 55 percent of whom are women. They united to create this coffee, invest in their village and proudly represent the Yanesha name.
This coffee was de-pulped by machine, fermented in water for 16 hours and floated with a siphon, twice, to separate out inferior beans. With 2 percent of the fruit left on the bean, it was dried on a cement patio over four days, receiving 35 total hours of sunlight. As parchment, it was purchased by COINCA, our sister company in Peru.