Low Strung - Decaf
Toffee, Hazelnut, Silky Chocolate
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED
METICULOUSLY ROASTED
GIVING BACK
Toffee, Hazelnut, Silky Chocolate
It can be hard to find a decaf that doesn't taste like - well, a decaf. But this coffee comes through. Grown in Colombia, the lots are carefully assessed before they are sent for decaffeination. The natural sugarcane process that's used to remove the caffeine leaves the taste profile of the coffee intact. (Do you taste Nutella? 'Cause we do.) Smooth and easy drinking, this coffee is great brewed, and it pulls as an awfully nice shot of espresso, too.
Details
Profile Medium-Dark
Region Cauca
Process Washed, Sugarcane EA decaffeination
Elevation 1500 – 2100 masl
Varieties Caturra, Castillo, Colombia
Source
The Central Cooperativa Indígena del Cauca (CENCOIC) was founded in 1980 by indigenous producers in Cauca, Colombia's famous coffee growing region. Since 2006, they have worked to fairly trade high-quality coffee in an effort to address income inequality in the area. The co-op also supports activities such as alternating crops, housing planning and alternative energies.
CENCOIC sends its coffees to be processed at the Trilladora Andes mill. This coffee was machine pulped, fermented for 6-8 hours, rinsed, patio dried for 12 hours, and finally machine dried for 6 hours prior to being sent to Descafecol, the only decaffeination plant in Colombia's Andean region.
Descafecol's decaffeination process relies on the pure water runoff from the Navado del Ruiz (a nearby snow-capped volcano) and natural ethyl acetate (EA) from sugarcane grown in Palmira, Colombia. EA is an organic compound with a sweet smell. It’s created during fermentation and contributes to what’s often described as the “fruitiness” in a young wine. It also just so happens to do a stellar job of binding to caffeine molecules.
The decaffeination process begins with steaming and running the green coffee beans through hot water, causing them to swell and soften. The beans are then circulated through an EA wash until at least 97% of the caffeine is removed. The beans are once again steamed and then dried to bring them down to a stable moisture level of 10-12%, making them suitable for transport.
