This Cauca department stretches from the East coast of Colombia up into the highlands of the Andes until it reaches the border of Huila, another well-known coffee growing region we have sourced from many times.  The high altitude combined with volcanic nutrient-rich soil in Cauca lends itself to bright, vibrant coffees and the ethyl acetate process is known to highlight these qualities.

Ethyl acetate is a solvent naturally found in several fruits and derived from fermented sugar, and thus it is traditionally considered a relatively 'natural' decaffeination technique.  The decaf process takes place in Colombia and involves soaking coffee in water and ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate bonds to the salts of chlorogenic acid in the coffee, thus extracting the caffeine.  The coffee is then removed from its bath and steamed to remove any remaining ethyl acetate.

In past years, we have found Colombian coffees decaffeinated in this way to be sweet to the point of almost sugary, but this is a great example of a more nuanced and balanced cup: the acidity adds so much definition to the flavour and gives us a more complex taste experience - delish!