STiR coffee and tea magazine

38 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2021 (August / September) By Maja Wallengren A rriving at the cupping lab of the Descamex plant in the city of Cordova in Mexico's state of Veracruz the overwhelming aroma of freshly brewed coffee greets visitors together with a long list of delicious flavors notes accompany- ing the green and decaffeinated samples of beans ready on the table. From the delicate citric and fruity flavors of an Ethiopian Sidamo to the earthy and sweet notes of chocolate in a Sumatra Mandheling, few traditional coffee consumers will believe these are samples of decaffeinated beans, but the market for decaf coffee is changing. "This Sidamo is just extraordinary, really one of the best we have had in a long time," said Daniel Robles, export vice president at Descamex. "When we look at the other coffees we are cupping here today, like a Sumatra Mandheling and a top-grade Colombia Supremo, it really goes to show how much the decaf consumer has evolved over the last ten years and we really have to be careful with the quality control of the final product," Robles told STiR in an interview during a recent visit to the company headquarters in Cordova. "The main reason for the rise in consumers of decaffeinated coffee today is people who are increasingly looking for ways to establish more healthy consuming habits and they are specifically looking for more natural products, but they will not compromise neither quality nor the flavor of what they buy," adds Luis Demetrio Arandia Muguira, operations manager for Descamex, also known as Mountain Water Decaf. Sitting at the foot of Mexico's highest mountain in the bustling city of Cordova, the operation of Descamex is set against the backdrop of the majestic Pico de Orizaba. Established all the way back to 1980 the Mexican decaffeinated plant was the first to enter the decaf business in the Americas, tells Arandia Muguira, speaking of his uncle and founder of Descamex, the late Domingo Muguira. Strong Consumer Growth; Strong Consumer Growth; New Health Focus New Health Focus The global coffee market for decaffeinated beans enjoys a boom from consumers increas- ingly looking out for more healthy food products. With the incoming generation of new and younger coffee drinkers the decaf market will see growth rates of 7-8% per year for at least another five years, a growth that will bring along a particularly sharp increase in the participation of decaffeinated brands in specialty grade coffees. In this exclusive piece for STiR coffee and tea veteran coffee reporter Maja Wallengren digs into the insight details from top industry officials and the latest decaf market analysis. The decaf coffee market continues to boom and rigid cupping is undertaken by all companies to ensure the original flavor profile of any origin is preserved in the quality of the end product. Daniel Robles and Luis Demetrio Arandia Muguira of Descamex in Mexico inspect beans for final quality control before coffee is sent to port for export. Photo by Maja Wallengren Decaf Coffee: Decaf Coffee: Photo by Maja Wallengren

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