Pillow Talk

BrightUnusual

Los Nogales does decaf a little differently. This Caturra is grown, processed and decaffeinated at the farm in Pitalito, giving Oscar Hernandez and his team control over the coffee from cherry to finished decaf. It’s bright and sweet, with starfruit, agave and rosemary. A decaf we’d happily drink whether we were looking for one or not. *Due to the decaffeination process, the beans may have an unusual colour. This is completely normal and does not affect the quality of the coffee.


Origin Colombia
Region Huila
Producer / Farm Produced by Oscar Hernandez
Harvest 2026
Tasting notes Raspberry, Rosemary, Honey
Altitude 1870masl
Varietal Caturra
Process Decaf
Intervention Level High

Weight
Roast Profile

All coffees are sold as whole beans. Filter and Espresso refer to roast profile.

For important shipping information, please visit our Shipping & Returns page for detailed information and policies.

From Origin to Cup

Los Nogales is run by Oscar Hernandez in Pitalito, Huila, and has become a centre for coffee processing and experimentation. They have their own wet and dry mills, fermentation and quality labs, and even their own decaffeination station. This Caturra is grown, processed and decaffeinated at origin, going from a 24-hour cherry fermentation through washing and drying before the caffeine is removed. The cup stays bright and sweet, with starfruit, agave and rosemary.

Origin

Los Nogales sits in Pitalito, Huila, between 1870 and 2000 masl. Run by Oscar Hernandez, it forms part of a three-farm project alongside Finca Nahui and Finca Neblina. The team works with controlled drying, fermentation and soil management, with much of the processing happening directly on the farm.

Varietal

Caturra, a compact variety widely grown in Colombia. For this lot, fully ripe cherries are selectively handpicked before being floated and fermented. In the cup, we find starfruit and agave sweetness, with a fresh rosemary note behind it.

Processing

The cherries are floated, fermented for 24 hours, washed and sun dried before hulling. The coffee is then immersed twice in 40°C water for four hours, followed by a 24-hour soak with a natural solvent derived from coffee pulp or husk. Finally, it is washed again and dried for around five days.

Intervention level

High. The coffee goes through both its original washed process and a second series of steps to remove the caffeine, including hot-water immersion and a coffee-pulp-derived solvent. What makes this lot particularly interesting is that the entire process happens at Los Nogales, giving the team control from cherry through to finished decaf.

Raspberry
Rosemary
Honey

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THE DAK BREW GUIDE

These are the recipes we use every day at the roastery and showroom. We keep them simple on purpose: water, ratio, grind size. The coffee does most of the work when the basics are right. Every setup is different, so treat these as a starting point. Adjust based on what you're tasting and what your equipment gives you.

General

For most grinders and most bars. Balanced, works black and with milk.

• Ratio: 1:2.5
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 45 g
• Brew time: 25 seconds
• Pressure: 9 bars
• Temperature: 93°C

For our roast level 1:2.5 ratio fully extracts, balances and opens the cup without thinning it compared to the classic 1:2.

Modern

Longer ratio, lower pressure, shorter contact. More clarity and acidity.

• Ratio: 1:3
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 54 g
• Brew time: 20 seconds
• Pressure: 6 bars
• Temperature: 93°C

A note on equipment: 1:3 relies on a flat burr set capable of a very even grind.
On an E65, E80 or Mythos this ratio often tastes watery. If that happens, pull back to 1:2.5.

Advanced (pressure profiled)
For machines with flow or pressure control. This is the showroom recipe.

• Ratio: 1:3
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 54 g
• Total brew time: 30 seconds to 1:00 total
• Pre-infusion at 2 bars (about 1 to 2 g/sec flow rate) until 1g in the cup, 15 to 30 seconds
• Main extraction: 6 bars until 18g yield. (about 5 to 6 g/sec flow rate)
• Post-infusion: 2 bars (about 1 to 2 g/sec flow rate) until 54g final yield
• Temperature 93°C

• Ratio: 1:15
• Dose: 16.5 g
• Water: 250 g
• Brew time: 2:00 minutes to 2:30 minutes
• Temperature: 92°C

Poring structure

Start your timer with the first pour. The weights below are the total water added.

• 0:00 pour to 50g (8 g/sec, medium)
• 0:30 pour to 120g (8 g/sec, medium)
• 1:00 pour to 190g (3 g/sec, very low)
• 1:30 pour to 250g (3 g/sec, very low)

Pouring very slowly keeps the bed open. Let the water draw down to finish the brew.

Water is 98% of your cup, so it changes everything. Mineral content varies between cities, neighbourhoods, and even seasons depending on which reservoir is supplying the tap. If your water is hard (above 150ppm), switch to a soft bottled water around 50ppm. Too soft is always better than too hard. The difference in the cup is immediate.

Ethiopian coffees
Ethiopian beans are more brittle and produce more fines when grinding. Too much agitation during brewing pushes those fines into the filter and slows everything down. Keep agitation low. If the cup still tastes over-extracted or the drawdown stalls, grind coarser and extend the ratio or brew time slightly to compensate.

The look of a shot
Naked portafilters show you what’s happening, but what you see has no reliable connection to what you’ll taste. A messy-looking shot can taste clean, and a photogenic one can taste flat. Taste every shot, even the ones outside your parameters, and adjust from there.

Crema
Crema is gas escaping coffee under pressure. It carries very few desirable flavour compounds and can actually taste harsh. Removing it will almost always improve the cup. With light roast espresso especially, ignore the crema and focus on what’s in the liquid.

Freezing coffee
Freezing keeps coffee at peak flavour, but roasted coffee can’t be thawed and refrozen without losing quality. Vacuum-seal in single doses before freezing. When you’re ready to brew, grind it frozen. Don’t let it thaw first. Every grinder handles frozen beans without issue, and the results are often better. One dose out, the rest stays sealed.

Long ratio (for harder extraction)
For when extraction is more difficult: hard or heavily filtered water, a grinder past its best, or a dense lot.

1:18 ratio. 14g in, 250g out. 2:30 to 3:00. 97°C.
• 0:00 pour to 45g
• 0:30 pour to 90g
• 1:00 pour to 250g

1:20 ratio. 12.5g in, 250g out. 2:15 to 2:45. 97°C.
• 0:00 pour to 40g
• 0:30 pour to 80g
• 1:00 pour to 250g

Adjusting

• If the cup tastes thin, dry or harsh: raise the dose. Move from 15g to 16 or 16.5g at the same 250g yield.
• If espresso tastes watery at 1:3: shorten to 1:2.5 before touching the grind.
• Water: very low or very high TDS shifts everything. Check the water before changing the recipe. If the water cannot be changed, go to the long ratio recipes.