|Redroaster Organic 125g retail: £2.80
Rigorously tested and certified annually by the Organic Food Federation, the Organic alternative to our House Blend is made with high quality, organically grown beans. As with the House Blend, the coffees we use vary with the seasons and availability. Currently the blend is composed of organically produced beans from Bolivia, Guatemala and Brazil.
As an espresso this coffee has a bright fruity acidity backed up with chocolate and molasses. In a cafetiere or filter it is smooth like chocolate with a sweetness of dark cherries and toffee.
Bolivia (Colonia Bolinda Organic) Coffee is the main cash crop in Colonia Bolinda. The farms are small - around five hectares or fewer - and lie at an average altitude of 1,475 metres above sea level. They are grown in the shade of native trees. These traditional farms use no chemicals or pesticides and their production is certified organic. Almost all work is carried out by the family, with a handful of temporary workers taken on to help out during harvest.
Guatemala (Finca San Antonio Organic)
Finca San Antonio has been certified organic since 1992. The farm produces its own organic fertilisers using vermiculture (worm farms) and left-over coffee pulp. The area is a haven for flora and fauna thanks to its extensive natural forests and uninvasive organic farming practices. All permanent farmworkers are provided with modern housing and the farm runs a school for its employees' children.
Brazil (BSCA Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Fatima Natural Organic) This farm is dedicated to producing organic coffees of the highest quality, as evidenced by the numerous awards it has received in both national and international competitions. They are known internationally as a leading reference in the production of organic specialty coffees.
Redroaster Decaffeinated 125g retail: £2.80
Using only green beans of high quality for decaffeination ensures a great end-product. The blend tastes mellow and sweet with a smooth, light body.
The Organic Decaffeinated blend, also sold by Redroaster, is extracted using the carbon dioxide method.
Chief coffee roaster Paul: "We only use beans that are naturally decaffeinated without chemicals. There are three different ‘non-chemical’ methods of extracting caffeine -- the first two work on the principle of steaming open the cell wall of the green bean and leaching out the coffee oils and caffeine into water. In the third method, the beans are exposed to a highly compressed form of carbon dioxide that combines with the caffeine inside the bean. The caffeine is then removed from the carbon dioxide through charcoal filtering. So the bean and its oils are left intact." These far gentler methods of removing the caffeine content produce a much richer taste of coffee when compared with the traditional chemical methods of extraction.