We have both worked in the coffee industry for a long time, and have felt the impacts of high doses of caffeine time and time again. 

While we have changed caffeine intake in the past, usually in the form of cutting coffee out, we realised that there is a missing piece in understanding our relationship with it. That missing piece has simply been “how much?”.

I think many of us have found that sometimes we feel good from caffeine and other times we don’t. There are a few reasons this can be, but by not knowing something as simple as “how much caffeine is in this?” we couldn’t start to explore even bigger questions.

So we recognised this lack of detail, but it wasn’t until last year where we had an epiphany of sorts. I (Pete) was feeling stressed, sleeping poorly, and always felt bad. I felt I needed to change something.

At the same time Maria was pregnant, and she wanted her morning coffee despite knowing she had to cut back for the baby’s health. There had to be other options besides just going straight to decaf. We found that the recommended daily intake during pregnancy and nursing is 200mg of caffeine, but again we had no data to base decisions around.

This is when I started experimenting by blending up decaf and regular coffees. It was quickly apparent that a good quality decaf can add texture and depth to a regular blend. Substituting decaf for a percentage of the blend was the start which evolved into the approach we have taken. 

We’ve been conscious of our caffeine ever since, and feeling great because of it!

As we have been starting this business the cost of coffee has gone up for everyone. While it is a difficult situation, especially in the sense that our initial starting costs are much higher, a volatile and expensive market has given us the opportunity to reflect our core values into our coffee buying practices better.

The core value that is especially relevant is: “Take care of our people” 

Taking care of our people means us, our staff, the farmers, our customers, and our business partners. Some businesses try to run to the cheapest supplier to cut costs simply to find more profit, but while sometimes it is important to find the best balance for our business to remain viable, jumping around suppliers tends to degrade trust. Relationships require trust, and with trust long term value can be made. So we want to be certain that everyone is taken care of.

When we go to buy coffee, we want to establish as close of relationships as possible with the farmers and producers. The goal with this will be to ensure our suppliers have a successful business and can continue to thrive into the future. Some farmers already know what they need to be paid to thrive. Others don’t. So we want to explore along side our coffee farmers and producers to find the best path.

While the commodity exchange market price is high right now, it will likely fall back down in the future. When this occurs we will be ensuring that the price we are paying our farmers is based on their cost of living and/or business. What this means is that we will probably be paying a fairly high price for our coffee, but when our farmers prosper we can prosper into the future, and we want you to be a part of that responsible journey.

Of course not. Just like with any product in the world, there can be better and worse versions depending on input quality and care/technique of the people making it. 

There are varying levels of quality from all of the major decaffeination companies out there, which makes sense since they have many different customer needs.

We approach our decaf quality in 2 distinct ways:

We taste the decaf, just like any coffee we source, for flavour profile and overall qualities. These qualities include body, texture, flavour, and aftertaste. We don’t stress too much about the acidity level, which simply needs to be pleasant (not sour). 

We look for identifiable or traceable coffees whenever possible. This is exactly the same way we approach caffeinated coffees. We want to know who grew the beans as closely as we can, which helps us to forge relationships 

So there are excellent decaf coffees out there now and we we hope to bring you the best of them!

Please check our page all about caffeine reading here!

Ethyl Acetate (EA) decaf is a decaffeination using ethyl acetate made from fermenting sugar cane. It is often called “Sugarcane processed decaf” as well. 

This process maintains a fruity and juicy aspect in the coffee while removing the caffeine.

Ethyl Acetate is a natural byproduct of fruit fermentations, and the most common exposure more people have is from wine. So if you enjoy any form of fermented fruit beverage, you probably encounter Ethyl Acetate (possibly more than in our decaf).

EA decaf is completely safe for consumption. After decaffeination, the beans are thoroughly steamed to remove any residual ethyl acetate. Additionally, any trace amounts that may remain are rapidly broken down and metabolised by the body, ensuring no harmful effects. 

Regulatory agencies, including Food Safety Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the U.S. FDA and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), classify ethyl acetate as safe for food use.  

"Although there is limited toxicological information available for ethyl acetate, the data indicates it is completely metabolised by the body to innocuous products (ethanol and acetate), which are normal components of intermediary metabolism.  Overall, there are no toxicological concerns with the use of ethyl acetate as a processing aid.  The current maximum permitted levels and food groups are acceptable from a human safety perspective."

From FSANZ Review of Processing Aids (Download link)

At extremely high industrial exposure levels, ethyl acetate vapours may cause temporary irritation or dizziness, but these concentrations far exceed what is present in decaffeinated coffee.

In summary, EA decaf coffee is a safe, natural, and effective way to enjoy decaffeinated coffee without compromising on taste.

Yes! Our caffeine level blends will help no matter what. We recommend substituting your regular coffee with Slow Burn or Low Impact using the same recipe and amount of drinks per day. You will automatically be getting much less caffeine without any other changes. 

Our recipes are designed for ease of use, but they won’t work for everyone in every situation. If you are absolutely determined to have a specific amount of caffeine, our recipes can get you there. If your espresso machine can’t handle a 20g dose, or you have other issues with the recipes, you can always send us a note and we will try to get as accurate of caffeine data as possible for you!

As we are starting up the business, the main reason is that water processed coffee is more expensive (Swiss Water) and not as readily of a supply here in Australia. 

We actually love water process, and have friends at Swiss Water as well! As we grow, we intend to integrate water processed coffees into blends and our offerings to create more complexity and variety. 

Water processing does have a different flavour impact on coffee compared to EA process as well, and we have been loving the current EA decaf from Diego Lopez.

So this is why we are not using water processed coffees right now as we start up. Don’t worry, we will definitely have some in the future!