Origin : Colombia
Region: Huila
Altitude: 1400 - 2000 MASL
Variety: Castillo, Caturra, Colombia
Process: Washed EA Decaf
Tasting notes: Sweet and clean with notes of brown sugar, dried fruits and fresh peach.
Located in southwestern Colombia, Huila is nestled in-between the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes, with the middle area called the Magdalena Valley. The variation in elevation results in Huila being one of the country's most unique and complex regions of coffee production. Its terroir, climate, and harvest cycles all contribute to the quality of coffee produced here. The most impressive quality behind the coffees coming out of Huila lies in the people producing them. While Huila accounts for nearly 20% of the country's production, 80% of coffee producers operate on less than three hectares.
Our approach to sourcing coffees and developing coffee programs in Colombia has always been rooted in relationships. The large majority of our Colombian coffees are sourced through a few long-standing partnerships that have developed over time into some of our most intentional work. In any normal year, our green buying team travels to Colombia multiple times, visiting farms, meeting with producers, cupping coffees, and approving samples for exportation. Beyond this, we have been able to connect roasters with producers through origin trips and events like “Best Cup”. This has resulted in the development of partnerships between roasters and producers which, for us, is an absolute joy to be a part of.
Ethyl acetate is an occurring ester (present in bananas and also as a by-product of fermented sugars) that is used as a solvent to bond with and remove caffeine from green coffee. First, the coffee is sorted and steamed for 30 minutes under low pressure in order to open the coffee seeds’ pores and prepare them for decaffeination. The coffee is placed in a solution of both water and ethyl acetate, where the E.A. will begin to bond with the salts of chlorogenic acids inside the seeds. The tank will be drained and re-filled over the course of eight hours until caffeine is no longer detected. The seeds are steamed once more to remove the ethyl acetate traces, though E.A. is only harmful to humans in very high quantities (400 parts per million or more). The coffee is then dried and polished for export.
