How does naturally low-caffeine Laurina differ from decaf arabica bean coffee?
Colombia Cauca Finca El Nube grows Laurina, also called Bourbon Pointu, a natural low-caffeine variety. The lot comes from Finca Santuario in the Cauca Valley at 1900 to 2100 meters, natural processed, with notes of grape, chocolate, wild floral, lemongrass, green apple acidity, lactic mouthfeel and a green tea finish. It suits drinkers who are caffeine sensitive but still want coffee.
Most decaf on the market is artificially processed, and the Swiss Water Process is the common option among green bean suppliers. It uses water extraction and displacement to remove caffeine, then restores other compounds to the beans, leaving them darker in color. Laurina instead delivers low caffeine in the plant itself, a trait tied to how coffee originated from which country and region over centuries.
People who are sensitive to caffeine yet can't live without coffee often find themselves torn between "wanting to drink it" and "not being able to drink too much"—decaf coffee was born precisely for this. This article begins with artificial decaffeination methods, introduces the common Swiss Water Process and its principles, then traces the legendary history of the natural low-caffeine variety Laurina—from the rise and fall of Réunion Island to UCC Japan's revival efforts, and finally its landing at Finca Santuario in Colombia's Cauca Valley. You'll discover the complete profile of this bean, its flavor performance, and its unique balance between caffeine content and taste, as well as why Front Street Coffee recommends it as a top choice for decaf coffee.
Country: Colombia
Estate: Finca Santuario - Cloud Estate
INMACULADA COFFEE FARMS - Las Nubes
Variety: Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)
Region: Valle del Cauca, Pichinde
Producer: Julian Vicente Holguin
Processing: Natural
Altitude: 1900-2100m
Flavor: Grape, chocolate, wild floral, lemongrass aroma, green apple acidity, lactic mouthfeel, green tea finish, lightly sweet, delicate body
After reading this article, you should have a general grasp of how artificially decaffeinated coffee is processed, the origins and characteristics of naturally low-caffeine coffee, and be able to make choices based on your own needs. There are people in this world who can't survive without coffee, and there are those who feel terrible the moment they touch caffeine—both are perfectly normal.
The most awkward situation is that of enthusiasts with limited caffeine tolerance who simply can't give up coffee, feeling unwell after just a little too much. Of course, there are other scenarios where you need a cup of coffee but can't consume too much caffeine. At times like these, decaf coffee takes the stage.
Swiss Water Process Decaf Coffee
Artificial post-processing decaffeination—the most common decaf coffees on the market basically belong to this category. For home roasters, among the options green bean suppliers can offer, the most abundant type is decaf green beans processed using the "Swiss Water Process."
This technique uses water extraction and displacement to filter out caffeine, then restores other substances back into the green beans, ultimately producing decaf coffee beans that are darker in color, as if they've been through quite an ordeal. I've also looked into other decaffeination pathways, including chemical solvent methods and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction.
The principle is largely the same: first extract the soluble substances, separate out the caffeine, then put the remaining components back into the beans. These methods can remove 95% to 98% of the caffeine in green beans, but the flavor performance after roasting is truly difficult to find satisfying.
Laurina
In 1712, the King of France cured the King of Yemen's ear ailment. In 1714, the King of Yemen reciprocated with 60 coffee trees as a gesture of gratitude. When these saplings arrived at Réunion Island, a French territory, only 20 remained—on September 25, 1715.
These 20 trees were placed in two gardens on Réunion Island for cultivation (Saint-Denis and the Martin brothers'). During its heyday, King Louis XV of France and the literary giant Balzac were both admirers, and the island's annual output once reached 4,000 metric tons. Later, natural disasters and pests struck in turn, and by the 1940s annual production had dwindled to just 200 kilograms.
According to 1956 documentation, ultimately only 2 trees survived. This variety went from its peak to near extinction over two hundred years.
Its revival in the world is entirely thanks to UCC Coffee Director Yoshiaki Kawashima. He had repeatedly heard Salvadoran coffee farmers mention the legend that naturally low-caffeine coffee trees might still be alive on Réunion Island. In 1990, he began searching but never found results, and left documentation hoping someone would provide clues. In 2001, he finally received a call from a Réunion Island coffee farmer saying that over 30 unidentified wild coffee trees had been discovered in the wild.
He immediately traveled to the island with French scientists for identification, ultimately confirming it was a Bourbon variety that had naturally mutated on the island. They promptly launched a revival plan. In 2006, the first small batch of Laurina was successfully cultivated; in 2007, it was sold only in the Japanese domestic market, priced at 500 yuan per 100 grams—four times more expensive than the most expensive top-grade Blue Mountain coffee at the time.
Common Arabica beans, such as Typica or Bourbon, have a caffeine content of about 1.2%; Robusta beans are higher at about 2.8% (poor flavor, mostly used for instant coffee). Laurina has only 0.6%—not only is its caffeine content low, but its rich fruity flavors and full body are in no way inferior!
Fortunately, the world of coffee always leaves room. Nature itself evolved a coffee with a caffeine content about one-quarter that of regular Arabica (roughly one-eighth of Robusta), with a delicate and demure appearance that is very endearing. Its name is equally lovely—Laurina, English name Bourbon Pointu, variety name Laurina. Doesn't it sound like a princess's name?
Laurina originated from a natural mutation of the green-tipped Bourbon coffee variety on Bourbon Island. Due to its weak plant and low yield, it had originally been abandoned by local islanders. It wasn't until Japanese drinkers tasted it, were amazed by its deliciousness, and made a special trip to Bourbon Island to trace its roots that this low-caffeine yet delicious variety was reborn. Thanks to the coffee folks at UCC!
Although its caffeine content of around 0.4% to 0.5% is more than double that of artificially processed decaf coffee at 0.1% to 0.2%, compared to the caffeine levels of regular Arabica at 1.4%-1.6% and Robusta at 2.4%-3%, it's already very mild and comfortable. More importantly, it tastes natural and delicious.
Front Street Coffee recommends this Laurina from Finca Santuario in Colombia's Cauca Valley precisely because of its balance between natural low caffeine and flavor performance.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
