Technical Info
PRODUCERS
La Plata Smallholders
COUNTRY
Colombia
REGION
Huila
ALTITUDE
1200 - 2000 masl
VARIETY
Castillo, Caturra, Colombia
PROCESS
Washed, Sugarcane E.A.
The Full Story
The first coffee successfully decaffeinated for commercial use took place in 1903 after coffee beans were soaked in sea water. Today, there are three main processes used to decaffeinate coffee: solvent, water and CO2.
The sugarcane process involves soaking the coffee beans in a solution of ethyl acetate. This solution is derived from fermenting sugarcane (which grows naturally around the region) to produce ethanol and then combining it with acetate which is found in white vinegar. The caffeine is drawn from the coffee and into the solution through diffusion. The beans are then washed to remove all the solution.
The sugarcane decaffeination process is known to be one of the best flavour-retaining methods.