Cuesta Decaf: how water process decaf is made, and how we roast it
Cuesta Decaf is the decaf at HoneyCo Coffee Roasters, and bags of it are on the shelf at every Scout Coffee cafe. It is a water process decaf, currently an organic coffee from Honduras, roasted in Morro Bay on the same Loring Kestrel 35 as every other HoneyCo coffee, and held to the same standard: buy excellent green coffee, roast it carefully, log every batch.
This is how decaf gets made, what to expect in the cup and why decaf drinkers deserve the same attention as everyone else.
Good decaf starts as good coffee
Decaffeination happens to green coffee, before roasting. So the quality of a decaf is set by 2 decisions: which coffee goes in, and how the caffeine comes out.
HoneyCo buys from the top 1 percent of fresh crop for every coffee on the shelf. The coffee underneath the Cuesta Decaf label rotates with the harvest like the rest of the lineup, and each new lot is roasted to match the profile of the one before it. The current lot is listed on the Cuesta Decaf product page.
How water process decaf works
Water process decaffeination uses water, time and carbon. In short:
- Green coffee is soaked in hot water. The water draws caffeine and other soluble compounds out of the beans.
- The water passes through activated carbon filters sized to trap caffeine molecules and let the smaller flavor compounds through.
- The beans are returned to that flavor saturated water, so caffeine keeps leaving while the flavor compounds stay in balance.
- The cycle repeats until the caffeine is gone to the standard the process is certified to, and the beans are dried and bagged as green decaf.
Water is the only thing that touches the coffee. The method keeps body and sweetness well, which is part of why water process decaf has a reputation for tasting more like the coffee it came from.
Is decaf completely caffeine free?
Nearly. In the US, decaf has at least 97 percent of its caffeine removed, and a small amount remains in any decaf. A cup of decaf typically has about 2 to 15 mg of caffeine, against about 95 mg in a regular cup, so expect roughly 2 to 15 percent of the caffeine of regular coffee. That is why it works for evenings, for people cutting back and for anyone who wants a third cup without the buzz.
Roasting decaf
Decaf green coffee behaves differently in the roaster. The process darkens the beans and changes their structure, so they take on heat faster and give fewer visual cues than regular green. Roasting it well means trusting the probes more than the eye.
Every HoneyCo batch is logged with temperature readings every 4 seconds from several probes, and Cuesta Decaf is roasted against its own saved profile like every other coffee on the shelf. That record is how a decaf lot roasted in October lands where the previous lot landed. The full process is in Behind the Scenes in the Roastery.
Roast level: medium.
What it tastes like
Tasting notes: chocolate, caramel, balance.
At the Scout cafes, Cuesta Decaf is on as espresso, so any espresso drink can be made decaf, including an Americano if you want a cup of black coffee. Bags are on the shelf at every Scout cafe in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.
Brewing it at home
Brew Cuesta Decaf the way you brew any coffee. Start at 1:16 coffee to water for drip or pour over and 1:15 for French press, then adjust by taste. Decaf tends to extract a little faster than regular coffee because of how the process changes the bean, so if a cup leans bitter, go a touch coarser on the grind. The Basics of Brewing Coffee covers the rest.
Freshness rules apply to decaf exactly as they do to regular coffee. Rest it a few days after roast, keep it sealed and finish a bag within a few weeks. See When Coffee Tastes Best.
Where to get it
By the cup and by the bag at Scout Garden Street, Scout Foothill and Scout Morro Bay, open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day, and online on the Cuesta Decaf product page with pickup at any Scout shop or shipping across the US.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cuesta Decaf?
Cuesta Decaf is the water process decaf coffee roasted by HoneyCo Coffee Roasters in Morro Bay, California, and the decaf espresso at every Scout Coffee cafe in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.
How is water process decaf made?
Green coffee beans are soaked in hot water, the water is passed through activated carbon filters that trap caffeine, and the beans return to the flavor rich water so caffeine keeps leaving while flavor compounds stay. Water is the only thing that touches the coffee.
Does decaf coffee taste different from regular coffee?
Good decaf tastes very close to regular coffee. Water process decaf keeps body and sweetness well, and the quality of the original green coffee and the roast affect the cup more than the decaffeination itself.
Is decaf coffee completely caffeine free?
No. Decaf has at least 97 percent of its caffeine removed, so a cup typically has about 2 to 15 mg of caffeine against about 95 mg in a regular cup. That is roughly 2 to 15 percent of the caffeine of regular coffee.
Where can I buy decaf coffee in San Luis Obispo?
Cuesta Decaf from HoneyCo Coffee Roasters is sold by the bag and pulled as decaf espresso, including decaf Americanos, at Scout Coffee, 1130 Garden Street and 880 Foothill Blvd in San Luis Obispo, and 390 Morro Bay Blvd in Morro Bay, open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day.