Colombia
Cauca
Smallholder Producers
Smallholder Farms
Caturra, Colombia, Typica
Washed; EA Decaf
May–Aug; Nov–Jan
Roasted Nuts, Citrus, Sweet
1900 meters
N/A
70 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
This regional blend ethyl acetate decaf coffee was sourced from smallholder producers throughout Colombia’s Cauca region. Caturra, Colombia, and Typica coffees underwent traditional Washed processing and were dried in parabolic dryers before being decaffeinated by Descafecol at their facility in Cauca.
Ethyl acetate is produced by esterification between ethyl alcohol—which is derived from the fermentation of sugar cane—and acetic acid. Descafecol uses only ethyl acetate and high mountain spring water in their decaffeination process. The green coffee is submerged in a wash of water and ethyl acetate, during which the ethyl acetate bonds with the caffeine in the coffee and begins to extract it from the green seeds. The EA solution is flushed and the process is repeated until reaching a minimum decaffeination level of 97%. Finally, the green coffee is steamed to remove any remaining ethyl acetate from the seeds.
The Colombian department of Cauca lies in the southwestern part of the country, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east, and Nariño, Putumayo, and Caqueta Departments to the south. Many rivers traverse Cauca and the Central Range of the Andes Mountains runs through the department. Popayan is the capital city and Cauca’s population is distributed throughout the rural highlands and valleys.
Coffee producers here are mainly smallholder farmers with less than 1.5 hectares of land and 4000–6000 coffee trees in production on average. The soil in the region is fertile due to volcanic ash, and the weather is filled with warm days and cool nights due to winds blowing from the paramo, high plateaus in the area’s mountains. These factors all contribute to the region’s classic cup profile, delicate and balanced with hints of confection-like sweetness.
