What is Mountain Water Decaffeination?
Mountain Water Decaffeination is a water-based method for removing caffeine from green coffee beans while preserving their natural flavours. Developed in 1981, this process is carried out exclusively in Veracruz, Mexico, by Descemex, using pure water from Pico de Orizaba—the country’s highest mountain.
How It Works
The process starts with green coffee beans being received, sampled, and lab-tested to develop a water-soluble solution tailored to their unique composition. The beans are then soaked in water, allowing them to expand and soften. This makes their structure more permeable, enabling the removal of caffeine while keeping essential flavour compounds intact.
Once the caffeine has been extracted, it is separated from the water, and the flavour-rich solution is reintroduced to the beans through a stream immersion process. This step ensures that the beans retain their original characteristics. Finally, the beans are carefully dried to a stable moisture content of 8–11%, with 99.94% of the caffeine removed.