Colombia, Popayán ~ Decaf

This coffee is produced by selected farms in the Popayán region of Colombia. Coffee is brought from growers in dry parchment, milled in Popayán and later transported to Caldas to be decaffeinated.

This decaffeination process is unique, the caffeine is extracted from the bean using sugar cane and water which enhances sweetness, while maintaining coffee attributes.

The green coffee is received, sorted and prepared for processing. The coffee is then steamed for 30 minutes, prior to decaffeination. A low pressure steaming process has opened the pores of the coffee, allowing for caffeine extraction. Then, the coffee is placed in a solution of water and Ethyl Acetate, which is a naturally occurring compound and solvent derived through the fermentation of sugar cane. During this process, the solvent naturally bonds to the salts of chlorogenic acids within the coffee, allowing for the extraction of caffeine – this continues for about eight hours.

After the last of the caffeine has been extracted, the coffee is removed from the solution and prepared for another steaming. The final low-pressure steaming removes the remaining traces of Ethyl Acetate. Decaffeinated coffee is then dried, physically polished to ensure cleanliness, and packaged to export.