Sugarcane Decaf - Popayan Reserve - Colombia
A rich and sweet decaf using ethyl acetate naturally derived from sugar cane to decaffeinate the coffee.
The recent arrival of coffees processed with the sugarcane method really shook our opinion on decaf. This natural process avoids excessive temperatures and leaves a coffee with enhanced sweetness which roasts and tastes much more like the original, caffeinated coffee. Gone is the slightly off-putting taste of old school decaf as now it is far more sweet and balanced. This decaf process is completed in the country of origin, which leaves a larger share of the profits in Colombia itself and is substantially more sustainable.
Info
Collective
67 selected farms in the department of Cauca.
Region
The coffee is grown in the Cauca area in the south west of Colombia.
Impact
The cooperative program invites farmers to cup their own coffees and receive feedback on how to improve their coffee. Credit for equipment is provided if needed.
Elevation
These farms stand at altitudes between 1400 - 2000 metres high.
Variety
Variedad Colombia; Castillo, Caturra, Catimor and Typica. These varietals are all common to this area.
Process
The coffee beans are moistened with water and EA (ethyl acetate) is circulated throughout and fermented until the desired caffeine level is reached
Origin
Sugarcane processing has changed the game of decaffeinated coffees. This process avoids excessive temperatures seen in other decaffeination processes and leaves a coffee with enhanced sweetness which roasts and tastes much more like the original, caffeinated coffee.
The big advantage of this process, outside of the flavour profile, is that it was developed and is completed in Colombia. This allows for progression through the supply chain without the extra costs and miles of shipping the coffee to decaffeination plants in Mexico, Canada or Germany and the profits stay within the country of origin.
A revolutionary process
Sugarcane decaffeination utilizes a naturally occurring compound, ethyl acetate (EA) to decaffeinate coffee. The EA used in this process is derived from molasses (a byproduct of sugar production). Since EA is naturally occurring, the process is labeled as “naturally decaffeinated.”
The EA process is relatively simple. The coffee beans are moistened with water and EA is circulated throughout. The EA binds with the caffeine until the desired caffeine level is reached, the EA residue on the beans is removed by steaming the caffeine in the bean and extracts the caffeine while leaving most of the other flavour compounds.
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