Colombia-Amigos Del Huila Decaf

Over our beginning years as a multi-roaster café at Superior Merchandise Company, we brewed and tasted many many decaffeinated coffees. Our favorites were always the EA (ethyl acetate) / sugarcane processed coffees. There is something so unobtrusive and possibly even accentuating that the EA process brings.

Now,with Touchy Coffee kicked into full gear, we are so happy to bring in a meticulously sourced, beautifully processed decaf. Our long-time importer partner, Shared Source, put this lot together with coffees from eleven of their trusted producers in the Tarqui region of Huila. As with other producers they buy from, Shared pays in local currency directly into bank accounts or in cash upon the transfer of parchment coffee (fermented but not milled coffee). The coffee is then milled in Cauca and taken immediately for decaffeination.

Shared Source describes this particular process: “sugarcane molasses is fermented to create ethanol, and then mixed with acetic acid to create Ethyl Acetate (EA). The coffee is steamed which opens the pores, andallows for the extraction of caffeine molecules. From there, it’s placed into an ethyl acetate solution where it bonds to the salts of chlorogenic acid inside the beans. When the coffee is fully saturated, the solution is drained and refilled until 97% or more of the caffeine is removed. Sugarcane is widely available in Colombia, and the decaffeination plant - Descafecol - gets their sugarcane from farms in the town of Palmira in the Valle del Cauca Department, west of Huila.”

We are here to say there is room for complex and delicious decaf coffee in your life!