African
Decaf Tanzania (Water Process)
Decaf Tanzania (Water Process)
Those of you who have been around awhile, remember back when Kenyan coffee wasn't so expensive, and it used to make a fantastic decaf option. But these days, Kenya is sky high and sells really well, so none of it gets sent to the decaf plants anymore.
But Decaf Tanzania! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before.... It's Kenya's little cousin with its sweetness, juicy mouthfeel, citrus acidity. But much more affordable than anything with the Kenya name on it, and readily available. So why not decaffeinate some of that?
This went through the Mountain Water Process plant in Mexico, which I adamantly prefer over anything that goes through the Swiss Water Plant in Canada. The MWP plant somehow leaves all the flavor, retains better structure in the bean density (making it easier to roast), and retains the body in the coffee.
This is a peaberry, and you can do a large variety of things with this bean. You can french roast it (45 seconds of 2nd cracks) and get an awesome sweet dark decaf with chocolate brownie undertones. You can medium roast it (10 seconds of 2nd cracks) and enjoy the inherent tastes of walnuts, chocolate, and hint of cinnamon. You can light roast it (20 seconds past the end of the first cracks) and probably blend with it -- as a light roast, it is characteristicly bright and a bit tart. But adds a nice zip to a more boring decaf coffee base. For those of you who love coffee and aren't allowed the caffeine, this is an exciting and much needed new addition to our selection.