Decaffeinated Colombian Espresso
Decaffeinated Colombian Popayan Espresso
In the absence of good old El Carmen, (which will return soon) we have two new very decent espresso decaffeinated coffees. If you want a quick summary, this Popayan is very decent and within a few points of El Carmen. The cup profile is similar as is the cost.
For the slightly longer analysis, short of pulling out our hair over the last few weeks looking for alternative decafs, we have found more than one great option.
Top Trumps
Producer group: 65 Small (quality focussed) producers
Region: Popayan, Cauca
Country: Colombia
Altitude: 1500-2100 MASL
Varietals; Castillo and Caturra and Colombia.
Process: ethyl acetate decaffeination.
Roast: Developed/ Traditional Espresso.
Cup Potential.
Red fruits, citric, caramel.
Recipe:
Temp 94C as a starting point.
In milk: (17-18g into 34-37g) 24-30 Seconds. So fruity! Apple and citrus in a 9oz drink! More intensity and some cocoa in the 5-6oz.
In espresso: (16-18g into 45-50g) 28-30 seconds. Intense, fresh juicy currant acidity, and long lingering citrus.
Coffee background
Popayán is located in the department of Cauca at 1,700 m.a.s.l. This region’s topography is perfect for growing exceptional coffee!
We (AKA Cofinet) collaborate with approximately 65 growers who contribute to this program and with whom we build long-term relationships. This program encourages farmers to focus on quality and based on quality assessment we provide up to 20% premiums above the market price.
The Decaf bit
This coffee is also processed using Ethyl Acetate, a chemical naturally occurring in sugar cane.
This method is where green coffee is put into large chambers, to remove the silver skin on the outer part of the coffee beans. The beans are then fully submerged in spring water and when fully submerged, are sent to the extractors where the beans have direct contact with ethyl acetate, to dissolve the caffeine. The genius part is that the decaffeinated coffee is dried in a chamber to restore its moisture content before decaffeination.
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