La Escondida Laurina - Low Caf

A special coffee with little caffeine by nature: The Laurina variety was only recently discovered and contains only half as much caffeine, 0.3 - 0.7%, as our normal roasts. A full, velvety body and sweet notes of peach and clementines.

The beans of our Laurina were processed with Pulp Natural method (also known as 'Honey Process'). In this method, part of the mucilage remains attached to the beans. The beans take on all the sweetness of the honey-like layer. To avoid unwanted fermentation here, the beans are constantly turned while they dry.

When cupped, we taste fruity-sweet notes of white chocolate, peach and clemetine. Its body is full and velvety. A natural and incredibly great low-caf coffee that you should not miss!

What is a low-caf coffee?

Laurina is a special variety of coffee due to its extremely low caffeine content. It was discovered in the 18th century and originally comes from the island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. The variety is also called Bourbon Pointu, after the island's former name "Bourbon" and the plant's elongated, pointed coffee beans.

The caffeine content of the Laurina bean is naturally very low - it is only 0.4%-0.7%. By comparison, the average caffeine content of an Arabica bean is about 1.6%. So, unlike decaffeinated coffees, these beans do not need to be decaffeinated by a special process (Decaf vs. Low-Caf). Decaffeination also removes other substances from the bean that we would rather keep: for example, great flavors, because caffeine is a flavor carrier (roughly comparable to fat). That's why it's hard to find a good decaf coffee - most of the time, decaffeinated coffees taste bland.

The plant's low caffeine content also has drawbacks: Caffeine is a natural insecticide. The more of it a plant has, the less susceptible it is to pests. Its bitter compounds act as a deterrent. Because the Laurina variety is so low in caffeine, pests give the sensitive plant a hard time. Also, the general yield is very low. Both of these circumstances mean that only a few farms grow the variety. So it is quite difficult to get these extremely rare and precious beans.

About the farm

The farm La Esondida of the Mierisch family is located in Nicaragua.