El Dragón
COLOMBIA - DECAFFEINATED
producers: local smallholders
region: Buesaco, Nariño
elevation: 1800 – 2100 m.a.s.l
species and varietal: arabica, Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
processing method: washed, decaffeinated
fermentation: spontaneous
Our coffee is the joint production of 22 smallholders near the municipality of Buesaco in the Nariño Department of Colombia, decaffeinated locally using the ethyl acetate (EA) process extracted from sugar cane. In the first phase of the treatment, the coffee is steamed, which loosens the structure of the seeds, making extraction easier. In the next phase, the beans are soaked in an ethyl acetate solution, which dissolves the caffeine molecules from the beans. Finally, the coffee is washed again and steamed, then dried until it reaches its original moisture content. This gentle process does not subject the beans to high heat or pressure, so the cellulose structure of the coffee is not radically damaged, thanks to which a significant part of its original flavour is preserved.