I've only tried one green decaf...what should I buy this week?

[alsterlingcafe]

My supplier of green decaf has only one blend. I take it to about 15-20 seconds into 2nd crack and find it OK, but not great. I'm wanting to see if I can "kick it up a notch" and buy a green decaf that will tolerate a little 2nd crack action, while not losing its best attributes. Any recommendations? I've scanned previous posts here and there, and saw a number of comments on SM's Donkey and Intelligentsia's Black Cat Decaf. But there was no mention that Black Cat Decaf was available in green? Other than that, I saw some 50/50 cafe and decaf mixes, etc. I'm looking for something strictly decaf; going Swiss Water or Methylene-Chloride won't be a decision breaker.

Please help me make a good decision. I want to place an order early this week.

Thanks, Al

[Niko]

Hey Al,
I can speak for the Donkey Blend, it's really nice but like all other decafs it has a VERY short shelf life.
...but shouldn't all coffee be like that anyway?
Like a fresh loaf of bread, it should be consumed immediately. So let me know as soon as it's roasted and I'll be right over with my little jar.

[another_jim]

Most decafs don't do well too far into the second crack, since the decaf process itself weakens the beans. You might try Indonesians or Kenya coffees, they can usually go a little darker without getting ashy.

[kanoyu]

My supplier of green decafe has only one blend. I take it to about 15-20 seconds into 2nd crack and find it OK, but not great. I'm wanting to see if I can "kick it up a notch" and buy a green decafe that will tolerate a little 2nd crack action, while not losing its best attributes. Any recommendations?

I just roasted (iRoast 1) some SM Decaf Komodo Blend yesterday afternoon about 15 seconds into beginning of second crack. Pulled a shot this morning that was good, but not great (could be espresso technique or roasting technique or both). I am inclined to try another 5-10 seconds on my next attempt with this one. Ordered some Donkey Blend at the same time and should try that later this week. Probably too late for your purchase, though--sorry.

Hey Al,
I can speak for the Donkey Blend, it's really nice but like all other decafs it has a VERY short shelf life.
...but shouldn't all coffee be like that anyway?

How small, in your experience, is the window? Is there a 'window'?

[alsterlingcafe]

Most decafs don't do well too far into the second crack, since the decaf process itself weakens the beans. You might try Indonesians or Kenya coffees, they can usually go a little darker without getting ashy.

Well, I just got off the phone with Derek at SM's. In respect of Jim's recommendation, I did ask for component beans to give me that Indo-Kenyan blend. Derek didn't have the Kenyan in-stock, but recommended exactly what Kanoyu purchased. My order was placed a couple minutes ago. I ordered 2 lbs. of Donkey Decaf and 2 lbs. of the Indonesian Kimodo Decaf. (I also ordered the top filter for my Hottop and a couple charcoal filters...not decaffinated)

I'll be mindful of the "dry condition" of the decaf beans, and will run a few roasts; hopefully I'll find my happy medium. I must add that I found Tom's website comments about the health issues on Methylene Chloride processing vs resulting flavor issues of Swiss Water to be very interesting. Tom had praise for this new Mexican "mountain water" decaf treatment over SWP. But he also shared his opinion on the Methylene Chloride process; not as harmful to person or environment as would be presumed.

Thanks again, Al

[DaveC]

Might be worth trying a CO2 decaff

[alsterlingcafe]

Might be worth trying a CO2 decaff

Dave, interesting. BTW, I find the SM website a bit challenging when trying to return to a specific page. The navigationals are somewhat hidden and you have to go to word links, which I found made it hard to re-discover the decaffeination info pages. Regardless, here's what Tom says about the CO2 process:

C02 process
The latest, much hyped decaf process has been disappointing. Some C02's approach the chemical decafs in cup quality, others are nearer to SWP decafs. In this technique, supercritical carbon dioxide is used in a high pressure, high temperature environment. As I understand it, supercritical CO2acts as the solvent penerating the coffee and extracting the caffeine, so when the coffee returns to normal temperature and pressure, there is no residue once the CO2 floats away.

Maybe lucky for me and David in Carpenteria, the Donkey blend benefits from that Mexican mountain water processing! I'm interested in tweaking it through my roaster and seeing what happens. A couple days ago I started running a 50/50 of http://www.coffeewholesalers.com Emerald Mist and their proprietary decaf. While it's not bad, as the Emerald Mist brings back the lost flavors of the decaf, I'm still wanting to find a decaf that'll stand on its own.

Best, Al