Decaf Colombia

Region: Planadas, Tolima
Producer:  Small Farm Producers
Varietals: Arabica, Sugarcane EA 
Process: Mixed
Notes: Cherry, Almond, Hickory


We take a lot of pride in roasting this exceptional decaf coffee. Due to the sugarcane processing method, which is a natural way of removing the caffeine, we can be proud of the decaf that we roast! It uses a component found in sugar cane, with will naturally bind to caffeine, removing it from the bean. With this method, there is no soaking the beans in water, no harsh chemicals, resulting in a smoother and tastier cup. It’s non-traditional, complex and sweet, and has notes of sweet cherries, maple syrup and candied almond. 

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The Process
Ethyl acetate is a naturally occurring compound and solvent, derived through the fermentation of sugar cane (present in bananas as well as a by-product of fermented sugars.) It can be isolated and used as a solvent to bond with and remove caffeine from green coffee. 

First, the coffee is sorted and steamed for 30 minutes under low pressure in order to open the coffee seeds’ pores and prepare them for decaffeination. The coffee is placed in a solution of both water and ethyl acetate, where the E.A. will begin to bond with the salts of chlorogenic acids inside the seeds. The tank will be drained and refilled over the course of eight hours until the caffeine is no longer detected. The seeds are steamed once more to remove the ethyl acetate traces, though E.A. is only harmful to humans in very high qualities (400 parts per million or more). The coffee is then dried and polished for export. 

The decaf we use is processed with a natural ethyl acetate produced from the esterification of ethyl alcohol and natural acetic acid. It is produced from sugar-cane carbohydrates by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Natural acetic acid is extracted and purified from vinegar, which is produced by means of aerobic fermentation of ethyl alcohol with the microorganism Acetobacter aceti. 

The product is fit for human consumption and is kosher, halal and Good Manufacturing Practices- certified.