Decaf <3 Mexico Sierra Azul MWP

Tasting Notes: Graham Cracker, Cocoa Nibs, Brown Sugar

Origin: Mexico

Cooperative: Sierra Azul

Process: Washed // Mountain Water Process

Variety: Bourbon, Typica, Mundo Novo

Elevation: 1000-1800 masl

Importer: Cafe Imports

This coffee comes to us from the Sierra Azul Cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico and utilizes the Mountain Water Process for decaffeination. With hints of graham cracker, cocoa nibs, and brown sugar, this coffee is a sweet and delightful cup minus the caffeine!

MWP, which is different in name but similar in technique to the Swiss Water Process, is considered to be one of the cleanest decaffeination methods. This is thanks to it not utilizing any external chemical compounds to dissolve the caffeine, as some other methods do. In MWP, green coffee is first soaked in a heated water solution which removes both the caffeine and the soluble (flavor) compounds. Once a batch of water is highly concentrated with the soluble compounds from the coffee it is run through a filter that removes the caffeine. The caffeine-free, but soluble-concentrated, solution is then reintroduced to a new batch of green coffee. Thanks to the principles of osmosis and concentration gradients, the caffeine once again moves out of the coffee and into the water but the soluble/flavor compounds do not since the water is already concentrated.