Do you struggle with a constant craving for coffee in the evening that keeps you awake? The Kmen roastery in České Budějovice knows all about this, which is why they’ve created the Ethiopia LALA SALAMA coffee just for you. It’s a decaf coffee that might make you jump out of your chair with its flavor, but it won’t keep you from getting a good night’s sleep! In Swahili, Lala Salama means “sleep well.” In your cup, you can let yourself be carried away by a light note of meadow flower tea, the sweetness of grape lemonade, and the aroma of a fragrant pastry. What’s more, the coffee is omni-roasted—which means you can enjoy it both as a pour-over and as an espresso.
The beans for this coffee come from the Taferi Kela area in the Sidamo region of Ethiopia, where they were processed by Bette Buna. Let’s stay with the translation for a moment— Bette Buna means “House of Coffee.” This company supports the local community by educating farmers and emphasizing sustainable agriculture. Farmers are compensated not only based on the weight of the cherries but also on their quality. The blend consists of a mix of the 74110 and 74112 varieties. Variety 74110 is known for its unparalleled characteristics—plants of this variety are easy to grow, are smaller in stature, yet still yield high harvests. At the same time, the plants are highly resistant to coffee diseases, such as coffee rust. Variety 74112 is known especially for its floral aroma and light body, which comes across as sparkling yet sweet on the first sip.
After harvesting, the cherries are processed using the washed method. They are slowly dried in the shade on elevated African drying beds, and it is precisely the slow pace of the entire drying process that influences the resulting flavor profile, which amazes with its complexity. The coffee is then allowed to rest for 8 weeks before Bette Buna exports it for decaffeination using the Sugar Cane (EA) method. This method uses ethyl acetate, which is derived from sugarcane. The green beans are first soaked and then repeatedly washed in a mixture of water and ethyl acetate, which gradually separates the caffeine from the beans. The beans are then thoroughly washed to remove any residual ethyl acetate and dried again. The result of the entire process, from cherry to bean, is a light yet very complex cup of decaffeinated coffee.