COFFEE SMARTER: DECAF. HOW DOES THAT WORK?
For the very first time, Siri Simran Khalsa joins the show as a Coffee Smarter expert. She is the Director of Coffee and Head Roaster at Lofty Coffee which has locations all over North County San Diego.
You might remember Siri from her Season 1 interview appearance. I had so much fun chatting with her that day. She is just a fun person to talk too. She’s honest and forthright, and the exact right person to bring a roaster’s expert perspective to the Roast! West Coast podcast this season.
For her first appearance we cover a topic I’ve always wanted to understand better-decaf coffee. How do they do that? At Lofty, Siri roasts a Sunset organic decaf blend, but I didn’t know if the beans came without caffeine in them or if they do something during the roasting process to remove it. She digs in to explain Swiss Water processing, and cover some other methods and theories about decaf coffee.
During our chat I didn’t know that Swiss Water is the name of an actual company based in Canada. They had this helpful chart on their website.
During our chat I learned that there is also a low caffeine varietal of coffee bean called Laurina. It is naturally about 50% less caffeinated than a normal coffee bean, and since it doesn’t have to go through any processing to remove the caffeine it retains all of its original flavors.
There is also less of it available which makes it more expensive, and there have been controversies in the past where some larger, national chains have scooped up an entire year’s available supply.
At this point in this weeks newsletter, you maybe wondering why anyone would drink decaf coffee anyways. A younger version of myself would be wondering just that thing, but the nearing 40 version of myself enjoys falling asleep at night, and not feeling so jittery. I’m writing this after sunset, and yet I’m drinking a Leap Coffee Swiss Water decaf. I even poured some whiskey into it. I couldn’t do this with a regular caffeinated cup, because I’d be up until morning.
You might have other reasons for wanting a cup of decaf. You may have opinions on whether Swiss Water processing (which you’ll learn about in the show!) seems like a good thing, or if you’d rather find a cup of low-caf Laurina coffee. Either way, I’m all for finding more ways for you to enjoy a cup of coffee, and I hope you enjoy this week’s show. Don’t forget to drink good coffee.
P.S. Did you listen to the show with Frinj Coffee founder Jay Ruskey yet? What did you think? Let me know.
RANDOM COFFEE NEWS
• In Buffalo, New York a couple was dealing with a scourge. Someone was littering on their lawn. Not just littering, but very specifically littering. Every day for three years someone threw a used coffee cup on their lawn. Coincidentally, it was usually a cup labeled as decaf. Read the whole story in the Buffalo News.
• Check out this column from the New Times about Corberosa Premium Air-Roasted Coffee. They’ve also taken on the challenge of growing coffee in California. They’re based out of San Luis Obispo, California. I don’t yet have confirmation that they are part of or not part of the Frinj Farms network, but will update as soon as I do.
INDUSTRY LEGACY PARTNERS UPDATE
• Steady State Roasting has a new drink on the menu—the Blueberry Mint Sparkling Lemonade. It looks delicious.
• Don’t forget Leap Coffee is having an open house next weekend 4/23-24. Coffee discounts, cuppings, free pastries and more.
• Mostra Coffee just dropped new merch, and if you need cash to pay for the merch they are hiring. Send your resume to careers@mostracoffee.com. If you want to save some money, use code “FREESHIP” for FREE shipping on orders over $35.
• Camp Coffee has camp mugs back in stock. Order online. Get a cup of coffee while you’re there.
The Roast! podcast is supported by some local coffee industry (or industry adjacent) partners. These companies not only support Roast! efforts to share more coffee content they are the foundation I lean on when I need some coffee expertise.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee
IN CLOSING
Need to get caught up? Don’t forget to listen to the last interview with Jay Ruskey, Founder, Farmer and CEO at Frinj Coffee, and you can find all of the episodes from Season 1 here.
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All About Caffeine, Baby! Or not?