Ethiopian Gidami SWP Decaf

The Swiss Water decaffeination process uses water to gently remove 99.9% of the caffeine from green beans while maintaining the bean’s distinctive origin and flavour characteristics. The Swiss Water Process was originally discovered in the 1930s in Switzerland and is now patented and utilised by the Swiss Water Decaffeination Coffee Company in British Columbia, Canada. The process ensures that 99.9% of the caffeine is eliminated while leaving the best of the bean behind. They call it ‘decaffeinated coffee without compromise.

The Swiss Water Process utilises water saturated with soluble coffee solids, referred to as Green Coffee Extract (GCE), to remove the caffeine from green beans without eliminating any of the soluble coffee components that make up origin characteristics and aromas. When the green beans are placed into the GCE, the soluble coffee components of the green beans are maintained at equilibrium with the coffee solids in the GCE resulting in a net extractive process whereby only the caffeine is removed. This leaves the coffee’s unique flavour profile intact. The GCE is then moved through a carbon filtration system to remove the captured caffeine molecules, maintaining the concentration level of soluble coffee components, and the green beans are submerged once more. This process continues until the green beans are 99.9% caffeine-free.

The Swiss Water Process honour the decaf drinker by delivering beans closer in colour to unroasted green coffee and honour the cup by preserving the chlorogenic and amino acids in the bean, which result in better body and flavour.