Mountain Water Decaf — Why It Looks Darker and How We Roast It Differently at Ublend

Decaf coffee has always been a quiet contender — often underestimated, sometimes misunderstood. But at Ublend, we know that when it’s treated with the same respect as any specialty coffee, decaf can hold its own in the cup. Balanced. Sweet. Deeply satisfying.

The Mountain Water Process — Pure, Clean, and Natural

Our Mountain Water Decaf begins high in the mountains of Veracruz, Mexico. The caffeine is gently extracted using nothing more than pure glacial water from Pico de Orizaba — Mexico’s tallest peak — and a combination of time, temperature, and filtration.

Green coffee beans are soaked in water already saturated with soluble coffee compounds (everything except caffeine). Through natural diffusion, caffeine leaves the bean while flavour compounds stay behind. No chemicals. No additives. Just water doing the work.

Once decaffeinated, the beans are carefully dried back to their optimal moisture level, emerging slightly darker and denser, ready for roasting.

99.9% Caffeine-Free

Mountain Water Decaf is 99.9% caffeine-free — one of the purest and cleanest decaffeination methods in the world.

That means each espresso shot contains less than 1 milligram of caffeine (compared to 70–90 mg in a regular espresso). Even a full mug barely reaches 2–3 mg. It’s essentially caffeine-free for most drinkers — smooth on the palate and gentle on the system, perfect any time of day or night.

Mountain water vs the Swiss Water process

Both the Mountain Water and Swiss Water decaf methods are 100% chemical-free, relying on pure water to gently extract caffeine while protecting flavour.

The Mountain Water Process is performed in Veracruz, Mexico. It uses glacial water from Pico de Orizaba, the country’s highest mountain, combined with a natural charcoal filtration system that carefully removes caffeine while locking in the bean’s true sweetness and body. The result is a deep, syrupy, chocolate-driven decaf with caramel smoothness and lasting balance — rich enough to shine in espresso and milk-based coffee alike.

The Swiss Water Process, developed in Switzerland and now based in Canada, achieves similar purity through a controlled system.

Both are 99.9% caffeine-free.

Why Decaf Beans Look Darker

Many people notice decaf beans appear a few shades darker, even when roasted to the same level as other coffees. That’s not over-roasting — it’s chemistry.

During the Mountain Water process, the beans lose some of their silverskin and take on slightly more moisture. The cell structure becomes more porous, and sugars caramelise more readily during roasting. As a result, even a medium roast takes on that rich, dark chocolate tone — a natural visual shift that tells part of the story.

Roasting Mountain Water Decaf — The Ublend Way

Roasting decaf requires intuition and control. The beans are more delicate, less elastic, and more reactive to heat. At Ublend, we fine-tune every stage of the roast to preserve sweetness and depth.

Our decaf roast curve runs 1–3 °C lower than our standard espresso profiles. We ease into heat application, slowing the early ramp and extending the Maillard stage — that crucial window where sugars brown and aromatics build. The roast finishes just shy of our regular endpoint to lock in body without dulling the flavour.

Every batch is logged, tasted, and tracked through our computer-controlled roasting system — the same precision approach we use across all our specialty coffees.

It’s equal parts art and science. That’s the Ublend signature.

The Cup — Rich, Round, and Comforting

Expect a smooth, full-bodied cup with notes of milk chocolate, toasted almond, and a gentle caramel finish. Silky texture. Long sweetness. Zero bitterness.

Decaf without compromise — roasted fresh every week, in Melbourne, by people who still believe every cup should taste extraordinary.