Decaf: Colombia Sugarcane Process

team tasting notes: nutty, brown sugar, candied peel

DECAFFEINATION PROCESS: Sugarcane process, all natural, no inorganic chemicals

COUNTRY: Colombia
REGION: El Carmen, Huila
COFFEE PROCESS: Washed
PROCESSED AT: Descafecol, Manazales, Colombia
EXPORTER: Raw Material Coffee

IMPORTER: Raw Material Coffee

The Sugar Cane Decaf Process

The coffee first undergoes steaming at low pressures to remove the silver skins before then being moistened with hot water to allow the beans to swell and soften. This then prepares the coffee for the hydrolysis of caffeine, which is attached to the salts of the chlorogenic acid within the coffee.

The extractors (naturally obtained from the fermentation of sugar cane and not from chemical synthesis) are then filled with moistened coffee which is washed several times with the natural ethyl acetate solvent, to reduce the caffeine down to the correct levels. Once this process is finished the coffee then must be cleaned of the remaining ethyl acetate by using a flow of low pressured saturated steam, before moving onto the final steps. From here the coffee is sent to vacuum drying drums where the water previously used to moisten the beans is removed and the coffee dried to between 10-12%.

The coffee is then cooled quickly to ambient temperature using fans before the final step of carnauba wax being applied to polish and provide the coffee with protection against environmental conditions and to help provide stability. From here, the coffee is the packed into 35kg bags ready for export.

The El Carmen Community

El Carmen coffee originates from the Huila region in southern Colombia, specifically from the El Carmen de Acevedo community. This coffee is produced by smallholder farmers who are members of the Red Associations, a project initiated by Raw Material to enhance quality and provide stable, sustainable prices for producers. 
Raw Material Coffee

Grown at elevations between 1,400 and 2,100 meters above sea level, El Carmen coffee primarily consists of Caturra and Castillo varieties. The beans undergo a washed processing method, resulting in a balanced cup profile with notes of cherry and brown sugar. 
Hard Lines

Raw Material's collaboration with the El Carmen community focuses on improving infrastructure and quality control, enabling farmers to access the specialty coffee market and achieve better economic outcomes.

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