Decaf Colombia

About the Coffee

This decaf comes from Colombia, one of the most consistent coffee-producing countries in the world. Colombian coffee is grown across a range of altitudes and microclimates, with smallholder farms making up the majority of production. The country's geography, with its Andean mountain ranges running north to south, creates the conditions that have made Colombian coffee a reliable benchmark for quality across the global market for decades.

The decaffeination here uses the KVW (Kaffee Veredelungs Werk) method, also called the European Method. In this process, green (unroasted) beans are soaked in water to draw out caffeine, then the caffeine is selectively removed using a solvent called methylene chloride, which binds to caffeine molecules but leaves most of the flavor compounds behind. The beans are thoroughly steamed afterward to remove any solvent residue before roasting. The result is a coffee that retains around 95% of its original flavor while removing the vast majority of its caffeine. It's one of the more established decaffeination methods in the industry, used specifically because it preserves the character of the bean rather than stripping it out along with the caffeine.

About Hale Coffee Co.

Hale Coffee started in Toronto, beginning on Queen and Spadina before moving to their current roastery in the Junction Triangle. They set out to build a case that specialty coffee belongs in Toronto, sourcing green beans through direct trade relationships with farmers and roasting them in-house.

Their sourcing approach is built around paying producers fair prices directly, rather than going through commodity channels. It's a straightforward premise: better relationships with the people growing the coffee tend to produce better coffee.

"I stumbled on Hale almost a decade ago. Their cafe on Campbell Ave (in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood) is an underrated place to meet with friends or get some work done. Aside from having delicious coffee, they prioritize direct trade, keeping more of the profits in the hands of producers."

- Dean, Director of Coffee