SUB La Cristalina DECAF Espresso

La Cristalina

Notes: Black Berries, Sugarcane
Species: Arabica
Variety: Castillo
Origin: La Cristalina Farm
Region: Quindio, Colombia
Process: washed, Sugarcane process Decaf
Growing Altitude: 1350 - 1900 m.a.s.l.

Quota from the producer

"Col-Spirit focus on Colombian specialty coffee. We specialize in fully traceable coffees with unique identities. Single origin, single farm.

Our coffee comes from different family farms, with more than 50 years of tradition and experience. Families that want to show the world their great coffee, but don't have the resources to pursue their dream. That's why we buy the coffee straight from the farm at a 50% higher market price. We don't use intermediaries, cooperatives and coffee agencies who just take care of their own needs.
We educate farmers, with workshops on how to improve the process of picking, selecting, washing and drying.
Our coffee is always cupped and profiled to assure that our customers get the best Colombian coffee."

The Process

The Sugar Cane Process, which originates in Colombia where sugar cane grows in abundance, avoids disrupting the bean’s cellular structure and even enhances sweetness of the final cup! To begin, fermented molasses derived from sugar cane is used to make ethanol. The alcohol ethanol is mixed with a natural acetic acid, to create the solvent ethyl acetate (E.A.). E.A. is also prominent in wine, beer, fruit, and vegetables. The coffee beans are soaked in water, which increases the bean moisture content and releases caffeine from the structure. After soaking for a sufficient period of time, the beans undergo an E.A. wash, which dissolves the caffeine. Finally, the beans are cleaned with water again, exposed to steam briefly to clean the inner portions of the bean, and then dried to the original moisture level. This process removes roughly 97% of the caffeine content. Due to the fermented molasses from the sugar cane, the Sugar Cane Process creates beans with a pleasant, clean, and sweet flavor!