For many years, the Berlin roastery THE BARN categorically rejected decaf because older decaffeination methods always took a toll on the quality of the cup. However, that has changed with a new generation of decaffeination methods, and this decaf is excellent proof of that. This Colombian coffee from the Huila region offers a sweet, silky cup with notes of caramel and creamy milk chocolate, gradually complemented by the delicate sweetness of yellow plums and dried fruit. A clean and balanced profile that doesn’t lose its charm even without caffeine.
Behind this coffee is a collaboration among select growers united in the Huila Cooperative, who farm at altitudes between 1, 400 and 2,000 meters above sea level. The Huila region lies in southwestern Colombia, between the central and eastern ranges of the Andes, and it is precisely these significant differences in elevation that make it one of the country’s most diverse and complex coffee-growing regions. The terroir, climate, and distribution of harvest cycles all contribute to the quality of the resulting coffee. The Castillo and Caturra varieties are grown here—two of the most widespread Colombian varieties, prized for their resilience and balanced sweetness in the cup.
The coffee undergoes classic washed processing. Ripe cherries are harvested and pulped on the same day, followed by open fermentation in tanks lasting 12 to 36 hours. The beans are then thoroughly washed to remove any remaining pulp and are dried. Only after drying does the actual decaffeination take place, using the so-called sugarcane method. The beans are treated with a solution of water and ethyl acetate derived from Colombian sugarcane, which gently extracts the caffeine while preserving the beans’ important flavor compounds. Finally, the coffee is rinsed once more and dried.