What makes a coffee a Special Project?
We don’t slap that label on just any ol bag. Each Special Project coffee has to earn its place. These are coffees that could easily go toe-to-toe with the best fully-caffeinated options out there. They just happen to be decaf. All of our Special Project decaf coffees have a few things in common that you can always count on:
-
Seasonality – These are coffees that only exist in specific moments. When the harvest is over, so is your chance.
-
Experimental processing – Think thermal shock fermentation, rare decaf methods, or flavor profiles that don’t usually show up in decaf.
-
Exceptional origin stories – Not just single origin, but single human. The farmer’s story matters. Their methods matter. The bean’s entire little life story matters.
-
Light roasting – So you can actually taste all that complexity. No heavy-handed roast to hide behind.
What have we released so far?
So glad you asked.
Kubrick
Our first ever Special Project. A juicy, tropical Colombian with notes of pineapple, pomelo candy, and black tea. It was gone in what felt like five minutes, but it’s where we proved to ourselves (and to you) that decaf doesn’t have to play it safe.
Hachiko
A light roast Colombian from Wilton Benitez, with thermal shock processing and EA decaffeination. Hachiko has notes of lemon curd, raspberry, and fresh flowers. It’s been known to stop conversations mid-sentence. So they say.
Bekele (coming up next)
Named after Tesfaye Bekele, an Ethiopian farmer who reforested an entire region after wildfires and now grows some of the best coffee on the planet. This one’s natural processed, Swiss Water decaffeinated, and the coffee nerds will pick up on blackberry jam, cherry cola, and mango. It’s as vibrant as the land it comes from.
How are Special Projects different from our Cult Classics?
If you’re already a fan of Coltrane and Kahlo, you know we take our base lineup seriously.
Coltrane is EA Sugarcane decaffeinated, smooth and balanced, perfect for people who want a clean cup that still feels cozy.
Kahlo is Swiss Water decaffeinated, dark roasted, and full of rich chocolate and spice. It’s the bold comfort food of decaf.
These are the coffees you can build a morning around. They’re always available, always delicious, and always caffeinely chill. Special Projects are... not that. They’re experiments. They're unexpected. They’re more like: “hey, want to try something that’ll make your eyebrows do pushups?”
How do you get your hands on Special Projects?
A couple of ways:
One-time purchase – Try it, gift it, hoard it. No judgment.
Subscribe to Special Projects – This isn’t a subscription to one coffee. It’s a subscription to whatever bold, weird, extravagant bean we find next. You get every Special Project as soon as it drops, and we handle the logistics. You just drink and put your feet up.
What Special Project should we do next?
We’re always looking for the next Bekele. The next origin that makes us pause and say, “wait—how is this decaf?”
So tell us:
What kind of decaf would you love to see next?
A region you love? A flavor note you crave? A story you want to taste? Hit us up. Our inbox is open, and we’re always listening.
