FINCA ZARZA DECAF

Our first ever decaf! 
we’ve been searching for a decaf that stands out from the rest and we’ve finally discovered something beautiful, with the help of Cata Export! 

a beautifully sweet, clean yet punchy cup, this really doesn’t taste like decaf but trust us, it really is! 
In the cup we’re tasting Darjeeling Tea, Red wine and Cacao Nibs, punchy, tea like with a beautifully chocolatey aftertaste. One that’s been hitting the spot in our evening brewing. 

THE PROCESS:

This lot, grown at Bella Vista, is a natural Pacamara, and the processing behind it is unusually involved. Only fully ripe, high-Brix cherries are handpicked, then hand-sorted and floated to remove anything underripe or defective. The selected cherries undergo a controlled oxidation stage before fermentation, preparing the fruit and building aromatic complexity, followed by a whole-cherry fermentation that develops a fermentation must rich in compounds released from the fruit itself. That must is then collected and recirculated through the cherries, maintaining closer contact between fruit and fermentation liquid for a more even result and a more intense, sweeter, more complex final cup. A controlled thermal shock follows, rapidly shifting temperature to regulate the fermentation and lock in what's developed so far, before the cherries are dried whole on raised beds for 20 to 30 days, turned regularly to ensure even dehydration and prevent unwanted mould or fermentation.

Once the coffee reaches around 10–11% moisture, it's stabilised under controlled storage conditions, allowing both moisture and sensory profile to settle before milling. From there, it's sent to Decafecol, Colombia's leading decaffeination facility, where the process is designed to strip caffeine while preserving the coffee's structural integrity, sweetness and aromatic profile - keeping the adventurous character of this lot intact in its decaffeinated form.

 

THE PRODUCER:

Jonathan Gasca runs Zarza Coffee, a third-generation family project rooted in the mountains of Bruselas - known locally as the Coffee Capital of Huila. The Gasca family has built their approach around traceability, innovation and sustainability, refining every stage of production since 2022, from selective harvesting through to fermentation and drying. Beyond coffee, they've even integrated beekeeping into the farm, strengthening biodiversity and reinforcing a genuinely ecosystem-driven approach to the land.