Sleepy Gringo

The coffee comes from producers in the Nariño region of Colombia. Several of the farms are small, but together they have created a lot that gives a score of 84-85 points on a quality scale (so-called Specialty Coffee). This makes it different from 99% of all decaffeinated coffee produced, due to both its high quality and its transparency.

THE DECAF METHOD

This coffee was decaffeinated using the Ethyl Acetate (EA) decaffeination process. Ethyl acetate is produced by esterification between ethyl alcohol, which is derived from the fermentation of sugar cane, and acetic acid. 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.

Through this natural method, the good taste of the coffee is retained, which is one of the reasons why we believe that this method is the method of the future for producing decaffeinated coffee.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COFFEE

The city of Buesaco is located high on a ridge in the Andes in the Nariño region of Colombia. Cooperativa de Cafés Especiales de Nariño has its offices, cupping lab and warehouse here, where the coop collects coffee from smallholders whose farms are hidden in the slopes that surround the city.

The cooperative works with more than 300 smallholders across Nariño, who usually harvest coffee all year round. Here at the farm's facilities, lots are analyzed and purchased and farmers receive premiums above the market price. These premiums encourage high quality standards and good agricultural practices, such as avoiding the use of glyphosate and other chemicals. Cooperativa de Cafés Especiales de Nariño cups coffee throughout the harvest delivery to build lots that are uniform and consistent in bean size and cup profile. This particular batch of decaffeinated coffee consists of small batches of beans from farms around the Galeras volcano.