It's difficult to get great decaf. Great decaf is difficult to make (decaffeinate) and difficult to find. Unfortunately, for most cafés and roasters (not our partners, of course), it's a bit of an afterthought. Sometimes it's even pre-ground (yikes). To add insult to injury, decaf drinkers are often asked to bear needless banter about their avoidance of the caffeine molecule. It's all a bit of a sad state of affairs.

It doesn't have to be this way though; it really doesn't. Decaf can be delicious. It may not give you a kick, but, at the end of the day, every decaf coffee starts as a regular, caffeinated coffee. As long as that coffee was of a high quality, and the decaffeination process was chemical-free, and well-controlled, decaf coffee beans can be turned into delicious, decaffeinated beverages.

That's why we're thrilled to see our partners at Rosetta setting the stage for excellent decaf experiences and late night coffee indulgences. Here you have a coffee, grown by one of the Guji region's most reputable producers, and decaffeinated using the prized CO2 decaffeination process (which leaves no chemical residue behind) and, of course, expertly roasted by our friends.

Phaedon's tasting notes

Shakisso has become a shorthand both at CCBHQ and in my home; "let's have some Shakisso," we will often be heard to say, usually an hour or two after lunch. After all, real coffee lovers enjoy decaf, because we like coffee more than we like caffeine. And we also like sleep. This coffee is an epic illustration of just what I mean, because it's simply delicious, and quite quintessentially Ethiopian (rather than decaffeinated) in character.

In the cup, it's fruity, it's floral, it's sweet, and it has a subtle citric acidity. The body's pretty medium-ish and there's a little bit of a toasted grain note that adds to the whole pleasant drinking experience, especially in a French press, though I enjoyed this coffee pretty much every way I brewed it.

If you're a decaf skeptic, this one's for you. If you know a decaf skeptic, brew this coffee for that person and don't tell them it's decaf until they're done drinking it. Then laugh at their decaf-deriding ways and have another cup; nothing's stopping you.

Rosetta's notes

Style: Decaffeinated
Flavour profile: Delicate acidity, sweet citrus, candied wheat

"Shakisso Farm continues to produce coffees that reflect a celebrated Ethiopian profile. To preserve these inherent flavour qualities, the partnership with CR3-Kaffeeveredelung and their patented Natural Liquid Carbon Dioxide decaffeination process plays an instrumental role. This advanced method is designed to maintain the structural integrity of the green coffee, ensuring that the characteristics shaped by terroir and processing are retained throughout decaffeination.

"The process begins by moistening the green coffee before it is exposed to pressurised liquid carbon dioxide, which selectively removes caffeine. The CO₂ is then separated from the extracted caffeine via an evaporator, allowing it to be recycled for subsequent decaffeination cycles. Once the caffeine content is reduced to 0.08% or lower, the process is complete, and the coffee is gently dried."

Coffee details from Rosetta

"Shakisso Decaf returns once more to our range with the latest release.

"The story of Shakisso is closely tied to producer Haile Gebre, one of the most influential figures in Ethiopian coffee, often referred to as the "Godfather of Guji Coffee." His early experiences in the industry were shaped by displacement from his home in Yirgacheffe at the age of 10 due to land conflicts linked to coffee expansion, an experience that later informed his lifelong commitment to the sector.

"Following a diverse career spanning naval service, government roles, and education in Moscow, Gebre returned to Ethiopia in 2001. His renewed focus on coffee, alongside the work of collaborators such as Tesfaye Bekele and Menno Simons, helped reshape Guji's identity and establish it as a distinct and highly regarded coffee-producing region with a growing sense of autonomy. The Shakisso farm spans 640 hectares of semi-forested land and also functions as a washing station, forming a key hub within a wider network of smallholder producers."

• Producer: Haile Gebre
• Region: Guji
• Country: Ethiopia
• Altitude: 1,800m ASL
• Processing: Washed, CO2 decaf
• Variety: Heirloom varieties
• Harvest: 2024/25
• Certification: Organic, Rainforest Alliance, FairTrade USA