These are 2011/12-crop, specialty, decaffeinated (Swiss-Water®-process), South American blend (our own mix of Brazil & Colombia), 100% Arabica, green (unroasted) coffee beans grown in the higher altitudes of the South American coffee valleys. These are not your “run-of-the-mill” decaf coffee beans. We are proud to report that on the July 2010 issue of coffeereview.com, the world’s leading coffee buying guide, we were ranked as the best decaf coffee in North America; the only one with a score of 90 points. This is what the reviewers had to say: “Blind Assessment: Roundly balanced and deep. Flowers, orangey fruit and molasses in the aroma. In the cup soft, integrated acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, with the continuing orange-toned fruit and molasses adding a distinct chocolate complication. The chocolate and molasses carry into a richly sweet finish haunted, as the cup cools, by a faint wisp of flavor-flattening wood.” These beans will be shipped to you in a boxed, burlap bag. Everybody loves our organic, biodegradable burlap bags. There are too many un-recyclable plastic bags already! These beans are decaffeinated by the chemical-free, water process, the preferred decaffeinating method. The water process (in this case by the trademarked, patented Swiss-Water® process) removes caffeine from coffee beans without the use of solvents or chemicals. Traditional decaffeinated coffee uses Methylene Chloride (MC) to remove the caffeine. So if you do not want artificial chemicals in your coffee, make sure you chose the naturally water decaffeinated coffee, even if you have to pay a little more. Our South American decaf blend is characterized by delicate sweetness, gentle acidity and round, robust flavor. Once you try our decaf coffee “you will not want to drink any other decaf coffee, even the big name ones!” This is an actual recent customer comment.