Description
For those seeking a decaf that maintains the intensity and body of a good conventional coffee, this lot from the Mogiana region of Brazil is an exceptional choice. Unlike many generic decafs, this bean is part of the “Royal Select” program, meaning the green coffee was carefully selected for its high quality and cup profile before being sent for decaffeination. This approach ensures that, while removing the caffeine, the sweet and dense character typical of the best Brazilian coffees is preserved, offering a rich, chemical-free cup without the “flat” or metallic taste often associated with decaf.
This coffee hails from the Mogiana region, a historic zone running along the border between the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Cultivated between 800 and 1,200 meters above sea level, this lot is comprised of classic varieties such as Bourbon and Mundo Novo. What makes this coffee interesting is its processing journey: it was originally processed as a “Natural” (sun-dried with the whole cherry), which infuses it with notable sweetness and body. Subsequently, it underwent the “Water Process,” a chemical-free method using a solution saturated with coffee solids and pure water to extract caffeine via osmosis. By avoiding chemical solvents, the integrity of the bean’s natural oils and flavors is maintained, resulting in a cup that is 99.9% caffeine-free yet full of flavor.
Tasting Notes: This is a comforting and classic coffee, ideal for those who enjoy low acidity, medium to dark roasts. In the cup, the Decaf Brazil Mogiana offers an experience dominated by deep notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts (such as hazelnut or macadamia). Thanks to its natural processing after picking and the mountain water decaffeination process, it possesses a creamy and heavy body that fills the palate. It is a very low-acidity coffee, making it very gentle on the stomach. It excels as espresso (producing fantastic crema for a decaf) and works wonderfully with milk, where the chocolate notes transform into a cocoa-like beverage.
Roasting Notes: Like most water-process decafs, these beans have a darker, matte green color before roasting and darken faster than conventional coffee. Since the cellular structure of the bean has already been expanded by the water process, these beans are more porous and roast quicker. Keep a close watch; the “crack” can be softer and harder to hear. We recommend taking it to a Medium-Dark roast (just before or entering the second crack) to maximize the chocolate and nut notes. At very light roasts, it might feel a bit flat, so a little extra development benefits it greatly to bring out its characteristic sweetness and body.
Jonathan Dietch (verified owner) –
Really good coffee ignoring the fact that it is decaffeinated. Considering that it’s decaffeinated then it becomes unbelievably good since decaf tends to be in a different league than caffeinated beans. Not in this case however. This is an extremely drinkable cup with a sophisticated palette and pleasant aftertaste. It also doesn’t give me a migraine unlike decaffeinated beans using ethyl acetate as opposed to MWP.
almbam715 (verified owner) –
By far, my favorite! Especially when roasted between 16-18% loss. I like a good dark roast and this one has such good body and taste. I get a chocolatey taste and maybe the smokiness as described but my palette isn’t as sensitive as I would like.
Eric Peterson (verified owner) –
This bean tastes so bad to me that I reached out to Burman support to see if other people had also complained and let them know that I was worried something was wrong with this bean. They told me they have heard no other complaints about it, and thought pretty standard Brazilian tastes, nutty, semi-sweet, which does describe the other Brazil decafs I’ve ordered from t hem in the past, but not this lot. I normally love a good Brazil decaf, and I placed four separate orders with decaf Brazil from Burman in 2004, including both their Decaffeinated Brazil Mogiana – Royal Select MWP and the Decaffeinated Brazil Mogiana 15/16 – Royal Select SWP. I absolutely loved those decaf Brazilian orders. This tastes radically different to me than the other decaf Brazil orders I’ve made, every single cup has a bad astringent taste. I’ve tried roasting it several times, aiming for medium, medium-dark and dark roast over the past month hoping it was user error on my side, but over the last few batches, it doesn’t matter if I wait 3 days or 21, it doesn’t matter if I try espresso, pour over or french press, I cannot make a cup of coffee with this that is better than bad. I’ve ordered over a dozen lots of South American decafs from Burman over the years, and this is the only major disappointment, their other SWP and MWP Americas coffees have always been good to great in the past.