I received an email from a customer talking about their Bay Beans Decaf, and I couldn't help but to reply with the story of how this fabulous decaf came to be. The customer said;
Maybe I have no taste(?!?), I really don't notice the difference in terms of taste and complexity, of the standard beans to the decaffeinated beans. They seem just like the difference I'd expect between different full caffeine beans. (I drink black coffee).
Great job on the product and the service.
and my reply was;
It's interesting what you say about this Decaf, and you're not alone. Forgive me for rambling, but there is a story behind this decaf that I want to share with you. When I started Bay Beans coffee in 2006, I would letterbox drop a flyer to all my neighbours in Nelson Bay - yup, as a business owner, you'd know, when you get started, no task is off limit and outsourcing is rarely a financially viable option. The unappreciated benefit however was that I had the opportunity to meet some of my suburbs neighbours that might have been out watering their lawns, or jumping out of their car from an errand, some fresh air and exercise - its almost a shame we can't all do that! Anyway, back to my story of Decaf, one of the neighbours was curious to know more about my coffee roasting setup and packaging, he ended up declining my offer since I did not carry a Decaf coffee. He lamented that no one took Decaf seriously and if I did, he'd become a customer.
Now, the idea of rejection, and a challenge laid down before me was something I was not going to let slide! Could a delicious full bodied Decaffeinated coffee even exist? As I researched what was required to produce a first class decaf, I began to understand where the problems lied. Decaf was treated like the bad alternative to coffee. those that wanted Decaf, were in a position they had to accept whatever was on offer. Cafe's of the day often stored pre ground decaf coffee next to their premium non decaf coffee grinder - no love at all for decaf! The second problem was, the process of removing caffeine from coffee was largely a chemical process - it was those chemicals that left a funny taste in the coffee.
I searched high and low for a quality raw decaf coffee bean, that I could expertly roast and offer as Bay Beans Decaf - something that is worthy of me putting my name to. This had become very personal. I found a farm that produced raw Decaf coffee by using the all natural Swiss Water Mountain process to decaffeinate their raw coffee beans - the removal of any chemical processing was fabulous! One step better, their farm was practicing organic farming, so it's a win/win! I pay a lot for the raw product, but the challenge was offered to me and I accepted. I now have customers, just like you, that really appreciate this Decaf coffee as being so similar in taste to their memories of non decaffeinated coffee, they wonder how it's even possible. I've had stories from customers where they serve their non decaf drinking coffee friends their decaf coffee from Bay Beans, and even after finishing the cup, they can't believe it when they are told they were served decaf, and this is people that have never tasted Decaf before. Usually they are the people that would immediately reject the flavour of a traditional decaf.
So, that's the story of Bay Beans Decaf, and why it tastes so good. I made a commitment early to not discriminate and offer my Decaf at a price point that is lower than my Premium Reserve coffee, because Decaf coffee drinkers deserve the love, and I owe it all to that neighbour in Nelson Bay in 2006.
Regards,
James Axisa
Chief Espresso Officer
www.baybeans.com.au
Mobile: 0428 555 535
Maybe I have no taste(?!?), I really don't notice the difference in terms of taste and complexity, of the standard beans to the decaffeinated beans. They seem just like the difference I'd expect between different full caffeine beans. (I drink black coffee).
Great job on the product and the service.
and my reply was;
It's interesting what you say about this Decaf, and you're not alone. Forgive me for rambling, but there is a story behind this decaf that I want to share with you. When I started Bay Beans coffee in 2006, I would letterbox drop a flyer to all my neighbours in Nelson Bay - yup, as a business owner, you'd know, when you get started, no task is off limit and outsourcing is rarely a financially viable option. The unappreciated benefit however was that I had the opportunity to meet some of my suburbs neighbours that might have been out watering their lawns, or jumping out of their car from an errand, some fresh air and exercise - its almost a shame we can't all do that! Anyway, back to my story of Decaf, one of the neighbours was curious to know more about my coffee roasting setup and packaging, he ended up declining my offer since I did not carry a Decaf coffee. He lamented that no one took Decaf seriously and if I did, he'd become a customer.
Now, the idea of rejection, and a challenge laid down before me was something I was not going to let slide! Could a delicious full bodied Decaffeinated coffee even exist? As I researched what was required to produce a first class decaf, I began to understand where the problems lied. Decaf was treated like the bad alternative to coffee. those that wanted Decaf, were in a position they had to accept whatever was on offer. Cafe's of the day often stored pre ground decaf coffee next to their premium non decaf coffee grinder - no love at all for decaf! The second problem was, the process of removing caffeine from coffee was largely a chemical process - it was those chemicals that left a funny taste in the coffee.
I searched high and low for a quality raw decaf coffee bean, that I could expertly roast and offer as Bay Beans Decaf - something that is worthy of me putting my name to. This had become very personal. I found a farm that produced raw Decaf coffee by using the all natural Swiss Water Mountain process to decaffeinate their raw coffee beans - the removal of any chemical processing was fabulous! One step better, their farm was practicing organic farming, so it's a win/win! I pay a lot for the raw product, but the challenge was offered to me and I accepted. I now have customers, just like you, that really appreciate this Decaf coffee as being so similar in taste to their memories of non decaffeinated coffee, they wonder how it's even possible. I've had stories from customers where they serve their non decaf drinking coffee friends their decaf coffee from Bay Beans, and even after finishing the cup, they can't believe it when they are told they were served decaf, and this is people that have never tasted Decaf before. Usually they are the people that would immediately reject the flavour of a traditional decaf.
So, that's the story of Bay Beans Decaf, and why it tastes so good. I made a commitment early to not discriminate and offer my Decaf at a price point that is lower than my Premium Reserve coffee, because Decaf coffee drinkers deserve the love, and I owe it all to that neighbour in Nelson Bay in 2006.
Regards,
James Axisa
Chief Espresso Officer
www.baybeans.com.au
Mobile: 0428 555 535
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