Huila Pitalito Swiss Water Decaf Excelso

Genuine Origin

Details

Origin

Colombia

Region

Pitalito, Huila

Process

Washed and Swiss Water Decaffeination

Altitude

1,670–1,950 m

Varietal

Description

<h2>Pitalito Swiss Water Decaf Excelso Green Coffee Beans</h2><p>Pitalito is the second most populous municipality in Huila, Colombia. The climate is humid, and temperatures usually range between 18-21ºC throughout the year except during May, June, and July, when the temperature dips to 12-14ºC.</p><p> </p><p>In this coffee, you’ll find notes of cocoa, nutty and citrus, with a bright acidity and medium body perfect for espresso or filter coffees.</p><p> </p><h2>The Huila Coffee Department</h2><p>The Huila region is always a favorite when it comes to Colombian coffee. In addition to high-quality – and often award-winning – green coffee beans, Huila is celebrated for its distinctly delicate cup profile, which features bright acidity, sweetness, and a fragrant aroma.</p><p> </p><p>Huila’s proximity to the equator and it is rich with volcanic soil. Coffee from Huila has a signature profile: fruit and caramel notes, sweet acidity, and intense aromas. Huila’s two harvests occur between September – December (main crop) and April – May/June (mitaca crop).</p><p> </p><h2>Excelso – Colombian Coffee Quality Designation</h2><p>The Colombia Coffee Federation classifies and evaluates green coffee quality by screen size and the number of defects present in a sample. In Colombia, green coffee beans are considered specialty if it scores above 80 points, has zero primary defects, and has no more than five secondary defects in a 500g sample.</p><p> </p><p>The Excelso classification signifies that the green coffee has a screen size of 14. That means the beans have passed through a sifter with holes that are 14/64 inch wide. Larger-sized beans are often correlated with higher quality, although screen size is not the only indicator of coffee quality.</p><p> </p><p>Another classification for coffee quality is European Process (EP). This indicates that there are no more than four defects per 1,000 coffee beans and is part of the sorting process that the coffee goes through before it’s packed and shipped.</p><p> </p><h2>What is the Swiss Water® Decaf Process?</h2><p>The Swiss Water Process, developed in Switzerland, is a natural, chemical-free way to decaffeinate coffee. Swiss Water boasts a process that is not only clean and natural, it also keeps the original flavor of the coffee intact.</p><p> </p><p>The Swiss Water process starts by soaking green coffee beans in pure water to create a proprietary Green Coffee Extract (GCE). The GCE holds all the coffee’s soluble compounds. The extract is then passed through activated carbon filters to remove caffeine, leaving behind a flavorful, caffeine-free solution.</p><p> </p><p>When new batches of green coffee beans are added to the GCE and soaked for 8–10 hours, the caffeine naturally moves out of the beans without stripping away their taste. The extract is continuously refreshed through carbon filtration, ensuring the beans keep their original characteristics.</p><p> </p><p>Thanks to this careful process, Swiss Water decaf removes 99.9% of the caffeine while preserving the coffee’s original profile—acidity, flavors, and complexity. It’s a decaf that actually tastes like coffee, making it a great option for anyone looking to cut back on caffeine without sacrificing quality. Learn more about how decaf coffee is made <a href="https://blog.genuineorigin.com/2023/07/colombia-coffee-origin-report-2023/" target="_blank">on our blog</a>.</p><p> </p><h2>Colombian Coffee</h2><p>Over half a million families dedicate their livelihoods to producing unroasted Colombia green coffee on small farms that dot the country’s volcanic mountain ranges. As the world’s third-largest producing country, the volume, quality, and variety that comes out of Colombia year-round is staggering. Coffee from Colombia is never dull, and with 16 coffee-producing regions along three mountain ranges and two harvests each year, Colombia always has fresh coffee on hand. Read more in our <a href="https://blog.genuineorigin.com/2023/07/colombia-coffee-origin-report-2023/" target="_blank">Colombian Coffee Origin Report</a>.</p>