Popayan Decaf - Popayan, Cauca

Popayan is a small city in central Cauca, which lies just below the Purace volcano. Coffees from the area around Popayan are known for their medium-high acidity and aroma. Being located underneath a very active volcano, brings some danger to the area as well as perfect soil and growing conditions for coffee. Volcanic ash creates lighter soil which allows water to move more freely thus improving drainage and a plants ability to absorb water. Volcanoes create lots of steam and fog which provides shade for coffee plants. Shade growing slows maturity rates for all plants but benefits coffee by allowing it to develop more body and complexity before harvest.

The Sugar Cane Decaf Process, unique to Colombia, enhances coffee quality by increasing sweetness and preserving complexity. It involves fermenting and distilling sugar cane to obtain ethyl acetate (EA), derived directly from sugarcane. When coffee is introduced, the caffeine is extracted, infusing sweetness. After extraction, steam removes the EA, leaving less than 5ppm in the batch. Ethyl acetate, found in younger wines, imparts fruity aromas and flavors, and a batch of sugarcane decaffeinated coffee contains 20 times less EA than a ripe banana.