Decaf - Colombia Risaralda

The Risaralda Regional Blend is a blend of coffees from the regions of Asocafe Tatama Santuario, El Aguila, and Entreverdes. A regional blend means we can maximise the impact for producers across the department of Risaralda, by bringing much larger volumes of their coffee to the specialty market. The blend is brought together in Santuario, where the coffee from each region is blended and prepared for milling.

From time to time we also purchase coffee from other municipalities in Risaralda for this blend, such as Apía, Mistrato, Belén de Umbría, and Guatica. The Regional Blend is a great expression of the region as a whole, and a stable and consistent blend all year round. 

A first payment is received by producers on receiving parchment, followed by a second payment on export. Each producer receives a stable price for their harvest, making collaboration in the Risaralda Regional Blend a consistent and secure choice for the region’s producers. By supporting the Risaralda Regional Blend, you provide economic stability and a consistent market for the largest portion of these producer’s harvest.

Washed Process, Sugarcane Decaf
Sugarcane decaffeination is often termed as a natural process decaf. The plant we work with in Colombia uses water from the Navado del Ruis (a volcano between Caldas and Tolima) and natural ethyl acetate from fermented sugarcane sourced in the southern region of Palmira, Colombia. Ethyl Acetate is an organically existing compound (C4H8O2) and by-product found most commonly in the fermentation of fruits, and is present in both ripe bananas and beer for example.

The process begins with steaming of the coffee, increasing its porosity, beginning the hydrolysis of caffeine, which is usually bonded. The beans are then submerged in an ethyl acetate solvent, until 97% of the caffeine is removed. A final steam is then used to lift residual traces of the compound. The ultimate residue which remains is ≥ 30 ppm, which is a level dramatically less than that of a banana!

Espresso Recipe: 

Dose: 18g

Yield: 32ml

Time: 31 seconds