Colombia El Vergel Decafe

Producer: Elias & Shady Bayter
Location: Peidra Grande, tolima
Variety: Caturra
Process: AE Sugarcane
Altitude: 1500 MASL
Crop Year: 2022
Cup Profile: Berries, Cooked Brown Sugar, Apple, cinnamon

THE PROCESS
Sugar cane ethyl acetate (E.A.) processing, also commonly referred to as natural decaffeinated, starts by fermenting molasses derived from sugar cane to create ethanol. This alcohol is then mixed with acetic acid, to create the compound ethyl acetate. In Colombia, where sugar cane is readily available, it makes great economic sense to use this plentiful resource to complement the coffee industry. E.A. is also found in wine, beer, fruit, vegetables, and other food and beverage.

When the coffee is received it is first submitted to a condition of water and steam. This elevates the moisture contained and swells the bean in order to facilitate the extraction of caffeine. It is at this point, that the bean experiences an E.A. wash, which dissolves the caffeine. The beans are then cleaned with water, followed by steam, to clean the inner most portions of the bean. Finally, the beans are dried until reaching the moisture similar to which they had prior to the process.

This method avoids excessive heat or pressure, which can radically disrupt a green bean's cellular structure. One downside of this process, is that since the pores of the seed are opened up through steaming, the coffee does tend to age more quickly (both as roasted and green) than our regular offerings. You may even see the occasional
"sweat" on the roasted bean within several days of roast. In non-decaffeinated coffee, this typically occurs many more days after roast.

HISTORY
Our farm is located in the beautiful Departamente of Tolima spanning across the mountains in Colombia. Colombia boasts 11 different altitudes, each containing a unique flavor palate, that is unrivaled anywhere else in the world. Our farm rests on El Vergel, or Black Mountain, an inactive volcano that has created some of the most nutrient rich soil for planting.

Each and every green coffee bean is single-origin, hand-picked, and carefully inspected by one of our tenured pickers. We go through great lengths to only produce the finest yields from our crops for coffee roasters around the world.

El Vergel estate made the decision to produce a high-quality decaffeinated coffee, after seeing that all the coffee used in Colombia to produce "decaf" is a low-quality coffee. That’s why our decaf is made with coffees from our farm El Vergel it means first quality coffees which have allowed us to create a decaffeinated product that, despite the process, does not lose its sweetness in the cup.