Swiss Water Decaf

About the Coffee

This decaf comes from Huila, a department in southern Colombia that sits along the eastern range of the Andes. Coffee from this region grows at high elevations, which slows the development of the cherry and tends to produce a denser, more complex bean. The farms here are mostly small, family-run plots, and the washed process used on this coffee means the fruit is removed before fermentation, giving it a clean, straightforward cup.

The decaffeination uses the Swiss Water Process, which removes caffeine without chemical solvents. Instead, the green (unroasted) beans are soaked in water that's already saturated with the soluble compounds found in coffee. Because the water is balanced with everything except caffeine, only the caffeine transfers out. The beans are then dried and shipped for roasting. It's a slower, more involved process than chemical decaffeination, but it leaves the bean's other characteristics largely intact.

Washed coffees from Huila go through a fairly standard but careful process: the cherry is depulped, fermented to remove the remaining fruit layer (called mucilage), washed with clean water, and then dried on raised beds or patios. The elevation in Huila ranges roughly between 1,500 and 2,000 meters, and that altitude plays a real role in how the coffee develops before it's ever harvested.

About Pallet Coffee Roasters

Pallet Coffee Roasters opened in East Vancouver in late 2014 with the goal of making specialty coffee more accessible.

Their sourcing is built on long-term, direct relationships with farmers and producers. Rather than chasing new lots each harvest, they return to the same partners season after season. That continuity gives them more visibility into how the coffee is grown and processed, and gives producers a more reliable buyer.

"I stumbled on Pallet's Semlin Drive location while wandering around Vancouver nearly a decade ago, and since then, they've become a major player in Vancouver's coffee scene. Like a lot of roasters we feature, Pallet's strength is roasting coffees brilliantly across the spectrum - whether you're into darker coffees, brighter coffees, or something in between."

- Dean, Director of Coffee