Dulce Suenos - Decaf

Our house decaf option, this is a sweet and balanced decaf, that works great with any brew method, with or without milk.

The Farm

This shade-grown Arabica coffee originates in the highlands of Jinotega, Nicaragua, where more than 20000 smallholder members of the Aldea Coffee cooperative—5229 of them women—farm an average of five hectares each under a model first organised in 1992 to advance environmental stewardship and rural credit for coffee growers.

Cultivation takes place between 1100 and 1300 metres above sea level within the Café ECOFORESTAL programme, an agroforestry system that integrates hardwood and fruit trees, banana plants and cover crops to diversify income streams and enhance soil health. Ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked from December to March, sun-dried at the Asturias processing facility, and prepared for export during the November–June shipping window, ensuring consistent quality and moisture control.

The lot is graded to screen sizes 15–20 and comprises Caturra, Catuaí, Parainema and Catimore varieties. Certified production for the 2025 crop year totals 41,327 bags (69 kg each) drawn from 321 farms, while overall exports by the cooperative’s marketing arm are projected to reach 200 750 bags.

Compliance with Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade USA, Organic and With Women’s Hands standards underscores the group’s commitment to sustainable land management, equitable trading terms and gender-inclusive governance. Following a 2023 organisational restructure, export services are managed by Aldea Coffee S.A., one of four specialised entities created to strengthen farm finance, input supply and community investment for members across the Jinotega region.

The Decaffeination Process:

Sugercane process uses Ethyl Acetate, which is a natural component found in substances like fruits and sugarcane. It can also be produced synthetically. In both cases, the solvent is food-safe.

Preparation: The green beans are steamed to open the cell structure (a bit like pores on skin).

Extraction: EA is added to the beans and extracts the caffeine from them. The beans are rinsed a few times with EA to remove all caffeine.

Finishing: Steam is then used to remove traces of the solvent and dry the beans back to their original moisture content.

Compared to water processes, the EA process has fewer steps because the solvent is highly effective at binding to caffeine. This reduces the stress on the internal cell structures of the coffee, resulting in fantastic cup quality.

Dulce Suenos—Spanish for "sweet dreams"—captures Quarter Horse Coffee's decaf offering from Nicaragua's Jinotega region. Sourced from the Aldea Coffee cooperative, this Caturra is processed using the natural method, which typically encourages fuller body and fruit-forward character in the cup. Grown between 1100–1300 masl, the lot presents a balanced sweetness that Quarter Horse notes as its defining character, making it an approachable decaffeinated option that doesn't sacrifice complexity for caffeine removal.