New Bolivia Green Decaf

Coffee drying tables in Bolivia

October 15, 2012
Just arrived! We're excited about two decaf Bolivia direct trade coffees we've received and cupped. They're sourced by the respected Invalsa Coffee group based in West Newberry, Mass. Nelson Valverde has strong connections in Bolivia and has built relationships with several cooperatives there. Over time, these relationships enable a level of trust and communication that results in great coffee arriving at his Boston area warehouse.

San Ignacio AA Organic: the decaf is from the San Ignacio cooperative. These beans come from the farms of Humberto, Isidro & Juan Carlos Mamani from Colonia San Ignacio in the Yungas region of Bolivia. For the past four years Invalsa has bought all of San Ignacio's coffee production at guaranteed minimum prices, based on quality, as part of a multi-year contract. We also pay for the cooperative's annual organic certification. We are very happy with our long term relationship with San Ignacio and we have already seen significant improvements in the quality of their coffee and the lives of the farmers. We are proud to be the main source and inspiration for both improvements.

Lucio Vilca, San Ignacio Coop President

This coffee is shade-grown in the higher altitudes of the Carrasco La Reserva County, Caranavi Province. It was depulped and washed using pure Andes mountain spring water, sun-dried on wooden table tops and hand sorted by "Palliris" (Aymara Indian women food graders).

Varietals: Tipica 90%, Caturra 10%
Harvest Year: 2011/12.
Storage: Packed in GrainPro bags at origin, re-packed in GrainPro after decaffeination.
Altitude: 4,000+ feet.
Certifications: Organic.
Screen: 16/17
Decaf process: Mountain Water Process, Veracruz, Mexico

Bolivia/Brazil Blend AAA: while Artisan Coffee Imports typically stays away from blends, this one cupped so well, we had to add it to the line-up. This is 2011/12-crop, 100% Arabica.
Varietals: Brazilian Bourbon from Grupo BSC in Sul Minas, Bolivian Typica from San Ignacio
Storage: Packed in GrainPro bags at origin, re-packed in GrainPro after decaffeination.
Altitude: 2,500+ feet.
Screen: 16
Decaf process: Mountain Water Process, Veracruz, Mexico
Cupping Notes: Remarkable, creamy body with citric acidity. Brown sugar and chocolate tones. Smooth mouthfeel. Balanced flavor. No apologies for decaf.

CoffeeReview Awards: The July 2010 issue of CoffeeReview.com, the world's leading coffee buying guide, ranked Invalsa as the best decaf coffee in North America; the only one with a score of 90 points. Obviously, these coffee beans are new crop, not the ones reviewed in 2010, but we like these even better.

New Green Decafs - Burundi Feature

Burundi farmers near the Buhorwa washing station

.

Sept. 27, 2012 - BURUNDI DECAF

Smart roasters know -- great decaf green coffees are fresh decaf green coffees. Be sure to get yours by contacting Artisan Coffee Imports or other importers we know are offering fully transparent decaf coffee: Crop to Cup, Caravela and Invalsa Coffee, for example.

Available now through Artisan Coffee are decaf Colombia (AA) and  decaf Burundi. Both offer great taste and exceptional transparency. And knowledge about a decaf coffee's origins (all the way to the cooperative level) is exceptionally difficult to find.

Unloading Burundi coffee at Continental in NJ

The Burundi decaf coffee is from the Buhorwa washing station, which includes cooperatives like Bukeye. It landed in the U.S.(NJ) in April (imported by Crop to Cup) and was decaffeinated on July 4 (truly! Independence Day in the US, but not in Canada where it was decaffeinated!)

In the cup:
Aroma is chocolatey with raisins.  Flavor hits you full on with the nuttiness and toasted bread taste, with a bit of sweet berry jam thrown in. Acidity is acceptable for a decaf -- won't blow you away. (At least it's there for NOW, because it's fresh. Don't wait 6 months, or even 2 months to buy this folks.) What I like best -- no metallic aftertaste.

Decaf Process:
Decaffeination was done at Qusac near Montreal, Quebec. This eco-friendly decaffeination process offers the DFE (Designed For the Environment) process, which uses solvents in the most sustainable ways possible.

photo credit this blog entry: Crop To Cup