Zarza Pacamara Decaf - Colombia

A distinctive decaf from Zarza Coffee, a third-generation family project nestled in the Bruselas Mountains of Huila, Colombia, an area often referred to as the coffee capital of Huila.

Founded in 2022, the Gasca family has built Zarza around quality, innovation, traceability and sustainable agriculture. Their approach extends beyond coffee, with beekeeping integrated into the farm ecosystem to support biodiversity and strengthen the health of the land.

The coffee is produced with remarkable attention to detail, beginning with selective harvesting and continuing through carefully controlled oxidation, fermentation and slow drying. The result is a coffee with depth and complexity, combining fermented fruit, cocoa and vinous character with the structure of black tea.

Only fully ripe cherries with high Brix levels are selectively hand-picked before being manually sorted and floated to remove immature or defective fruit.

The whole cherries first undergo a brief oxidation phase, encouraging the development of aromatic complexity before fermentation. They then enter a prolonged natural fermentation in an airtight or semi-airtight environment, allowing indigenous yeasts and microorganisms to shape the flavour profile. Temperature is closely monitored throughout fermentation to maintain control and prevent over-fermentation, while encouraging depth, sweetness and a distinctive fruit character. The cherries are then slowly dried on raised beds for 20–30 days, with regular turning and carefully controlled sun exposure. The gradual dehydration concentrates natural sugars while preserving the complexity developed during fermentation. Once the coffee reaches 10–11% moisture, it rests in GrainPro storage for 10–20 days to stabilise the coffee before milling.

Following stabilisation, the coffee is sent to Decafecol, Colombia's specialist decaffeination facility. The decaffeination process is designed to remove caffeine while preserving the coffee's structure, sweetness and distinctive flavour characteristics.

The result is a decaf that retains the depth and complexity of the original coffee without compromising on character.

• Region: Huila
• Country: Colombia
• Elevation: 1,750 - 1,800 masl
• Variety: Pacamara
• Process: Natural Anaerobic Decaf