A Journey in Every Cup: How Travel Shaped Our Decaf Coffee
My love affair with coffee began, as many great stories do, on the road. In 2014, while traveling the world, I found myself on a coffee farm in Colombia, and a passion was born. But my love of travel started long before that.
In my early twenties, I first set off to see the world, backpacking through Southeast Asia. I was immediately hooked by the freedom of having everything you own on your back, living day-to-day, and not knowing where you'd be a week from now. It was a journey of new friendships, unexpected adventures, and, most importantly, discovering incredible new flavours.
Coffee was always a part of that discovery. I'll never forget my first taste of Vietnamese "cà phê sữa đá" — a revelation. This strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk, served over ice, was rich, sweet, and refreshing. To me, it's just as iconic and memorable as a Pad Thai from Thailand or a Nasi Lemak from Malaysia.
Ten years later, my travels took me through Latin America, from Costa Rica to the San Blas islands of Panama, before arriving in Colombia, where I visited that life-changing coffee farm. My love of travel and discovering new cultures only grew stronger, and so did my passion for coffee. Eventually, that passion evolved into a specific love for decaf, and Decaf Savvy was born.
Our mission at Decaf Savvy is simple: to make discovering great decaf easy. We believe you can continue to explore the world and experience new tastes and cultures, all through the discovery of exciting decafs sourced from around the globe. By bringing a variety of high-quality, delicious decafs to your cup, we also share the history, culture, and stories of the regions they come from.
Our three house decafs are sourced from different Latin American countries, each offering a unique flavour profile, history, culture, and processing method.
Brasil Safira (Swiss Water Process): A full-bodied decaf with notes of dark chocolate. Since the 1800s, Brazilian coffee has shaped global coffee culture with its vast plantations and smooth, chocolatey beans. Rooted in tradition yet driven by innovation, Brazil blends rustic charm with modern precision in every cup.
Mexico Turquesa (Mountain Water Process): A mild decaf with notes of milk chocolate and nuts. Mexican coffee, with its light body and bright acidity, blends Indigenous heritage with a laid-back, artisanal style, thriving in high-altitude regions with rich volcanic soil.
Colombia Tombage (Sugarcane Process): Our lightly roasted, premium decaf with an apple, chocolate, and brown sugar profile. Colombian coffee, grown in the lush Andes, is known for its bright acidity, smooth body, and rich aroma. Deeply rooted in rural tradition, it reflects the care and craftsmanship of generations of small-scale farmers.
To build on this variety, we partner with top UK roasters to bring you interesting and unique decafs from around the world. Our Decaf Savvy & Friends subscription bundles introduce you to coffees from as far and wide as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi and beyond. Each country and region brings its own history and flavour, shaped by different soil, climate, and farming techniques.
It’s through this exploration of decaf that we aim to tie our two great loves together—travel and coffee—and bring them to you in one place. Whether you're interested in our house decafs or our partner roaster selections, we have single purchase and subscription options to suit you.
In future posts, we’ll dive deeper into the countries where our coffees are grown, exploring the cultures and histories behind them. Through this, we hope to continue exploring the world, continuing this journey of discovery one incredible decaf at a time.
James
Founder - Decaf Savvy