What is Fresh Roasted Coffee Organic Sumatra Water-Processed Decaf?
A full bodied organic decaf, made with water, from one of the lowest acid origins in coffee.
Fresh Roasted describes this as a medium roast, bold bodied single origin, and the bag prints its notes as baker's chocolate, creamy and earthy. It is grown by a small group of Gayonese farmers in Sumatra, each with less than a hectare, who shade grow it, feed recycled coffee pulp back as fertiliser and follow organic methods. It is USDA Organic, certified by PA Certified Organic, and OU Kosher.
It is sold whole bean or ground in 12 oz, 2 lb and 5 lb bags, and it is one of the Fresh Roasted coffees that readers have already bought through this site. The rest of the range is on the Fresh Roasted Coffee roaster page.
How it is decaffeinated
With water, Fresh Roasted says, and without chemicals. It does not say whose process.
Fresh Roasted calls this a chemical-free, water-process decaffeination that keeps the flavour and body. Water processes soak the green beans so the caffeine dissolves out, then filter the caffeine from the water and reuse it so the other flavour compounds are not stripped away with it. They avoid the solvents, methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, that most decaf is made with.
What Fresh Roasted does not say is which water process. Swiss Water and Mountain Water are the two branded ones, and both publish the caffeine they remove. Without the name you are trusting the roaster's word rather than a certified method, which is worth knowing if you choose decaf for health reasons. Our guide to how decaf is made explains every method.
Fresh Roasted also points out that Sumatran coffee is already low in acidity and that decaffeination lowers it further. That is the real reason to choose this one: a smooth, heavy decaf rather than a thin one.
Roasted to order, and dated on the bag
For decaf the strongest thing Fresh Roasted publishes is not a tasting note. It is when the coffee was roasted.
Fresh Roasted Coffee roasts each order after it is placed, on Loring Smart Roasters at its base in central Pennsylvania, then packs and nitrogen flushes the bag straight away. Its shipping policy says coffee leaves one to two days after roasting, and orders placed after noon on a Thursday are roasted on Sunday night and shipped on Monday.
The roast date is printed on a white sticker on the bottom of every bag. It is written as a Julian day, the number of the day in the year, so day 272 is the 29th of September. It takes a second to decode, and the roaster's FAQ has the chart, but it means you can see exactly how old the coffee is, which most supermarket bags will not tell you. A best before date on a supermarket bag says when the seller stops standing behind it, not when it was roasted.
Price, and what a cup costs
A little dearer than the caffeinated coffees in the range, as decaf usually is.
| Bag | Price | Per kilo | Per cup (15 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 340 g (12 oz) | $18.99 | $55.82 | $0.84 |
| 907 g (2 lb) | $39.99 | $44.08 | $0.66 |
| 2.27 kg (5 lb) | $74.99 | $33.06 | $0.50 |
Shipping is a flat $7.95 on orders under $50 and free above $50 once discounts are taken off, so two 2 lb bags or three 12 oz bags usually clear the threshold.
New to Fresh Roasted Coffee? Our link applies the code COFFEEGURU, which takes 20% off a first order of coffee or tea. It is for new customers only and does not apply to subscriptions.
Fresh Roasted Sumatra Decaf vs Intelligentsia Organic Decaf House Blend
Two organic decafs, one heavy and earthy, one brighter.
The Intelligentsia Organic Decaf House Blend is one of the best scoring decafs on this site. It is also organic, $18.50 for 12 oz, $46.08 a kilo, with notes of chocolate, lime and caramelised sugar, which describes a brighter cup than the Sumatra's earthy, creamy one. Intelligentsia sells only the 12 oz bag, so above one bag the Fresh Roasted is the cheaper of the two by a wide margin.
Against the Cooper's Cask Ethiopia Decaf, which is organic and Swiss Water, $24.95 for 12 oz, the trade is clearer: Cooper's names its process, Fresh Roasted is cheaper and lower in acid. All the decafs we review are on the best decaf coffee list.
Other ways to buy it
- Organic Sumatra Water-Processed Half Caf, $18.99 for 12 oz, if you want some caffeine.
- Single-serve pods, $20.99 for 24, for K-Cup brewers.
- Espresso capsules, $9.99 for 10, for Nespresso OriginalLine machines, not Vertuo.
- Green beans, $14.99 a pound, to roast at home.
Is it worth it?
Yes, for a decaf drinker who wants body and an organic certificate at a fair price.
Decaf is where freshness matters most, because the process leaves the beans more porous and they stale faster, and a dated, roasted to order bag answers that. The one thing to weigh is the unnamed process: if a certified caffeine figure matters to you, buy a Swiss Water decaf instead.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
- You want a decaf that tastes full and smooth rather than thin.
- You want organic and no chemical solvents.
- You drink enough decaf to use a 2 lb or 5 lb bag.
Skip it if
- You need a certified decaf method with a published caffeine figure.
- You prefer a bright, fruity cup; earthy is the point of this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fresh Roasted Sumatra Decaf Swiss Water?
Fresh Roasted calls it water processed and chemical-free but does not say Swiss Water, so we do not assume it is.
Is it organic?
Yes. It is USDA Organic, certified by PA Certified Organic, and OU Kosher.
What does it taste like?
The bag prints baker's chocolate, creamy and earthy, with a bold body and low acidity.
How much caffeine is in it?
Fresh Roasted does not publish a figure. Decaf is not caffeine free, and the amount left depends on the process.
Does the COFFEEGURU code work on decaf?
Yes, on a new customer's first order, for 20% off, but not on subscriptions.
