Description

This vibrant decaf coffee takes it’s name from the municipality of Argelia in Cauca, south west Colombia. The region is the 4th largest producer of specialty coffee in the country with around 90,000 small holder farmers. The area itself has been plagued by the civil unrest and illegal drug trade for many years, and is still a pertinent problem for families living there. Many of them are looking to make a living though legal channels where they can help support their families and community.

£15.00£36.00

Producer

Various smallholder farmers

Cup Profile

Dark Chocolate,
Raspberry, Biscuit

Country

Colombia

Preparation

Washed, Laser Sorted, Sugarcane Decaffeination

Terroir

Argelia, Cauca

Genetics

Typica, Tabi, Caturra, Castillo and Colombia

Altitude

1700m - 2000m

Cup Score

84

Sourcing

Falcon Coffees

Description

This vibrant decaf coffee takes it’s name from the municipality of Argelia in Cauca, south west Colombia. The region is the 4th largest producer of specialty coffee in the country with around 90,000 small holder farmers. The area itself has been plagued by the civil unrest and illegal drug trade for many years, and is still a pertinent problem for families living there. Many of them are looking to make a living though legal channels where they can help support their families and community.

Siruma Coffee, a small female led specialty exporter,  launched a project in this past season. They started in 2020 in Argelia for an initial 15 months period until early 2022. The funding has come from USAID to support 5 small associations incorporating about 220 families who grow coffee for their livelihood. Siruma have been providing technical assistance on the ground with their agronomist helping provided educational sessions on pre and post harvest techniques for the families that wish to join. The producers are also being trained in sensory analysis and how their own coffees taste, highlighting the the importance of processing on quality.

This coffee has undergone ‘sugarcane’ decaffeination process. The coffee first undergoes steaming at low pressures to remove the silver skins. Then they are moistened with hot water to allow the beans to swell and soften. This then prepares the coffee for the hydrolysis of caffeine, which is attached to the salts of the chlorogenic acid within the coffee. The extractors are then filled with moistened coffee. The extractors are naturally obtained from the fermentation of sugar cane and not from chemical synthesis. Then, the moistened coffee is washed several times with the natural ethyl acetate solvent to reduce the caffeine down to the correct levels. Once this process is finished the coffee must then be cleaned of the remaining ethyl acetate. A flow of low pressured saturated steam is then responsible for cleaning the coffee. From here the coffee is sent to vacuum drying drums where the water previously used to moisten the beans is removed and the coffee drys to between 10-12% moisture levels. The coffee is then cooled quickly to ambient temperature using fans before the final step of carnauba wax being applied to polish and provide the coffee with protection against environmental conditions, helping provide stability. From here, the coffee is the packed into 35kg bags ready for export.

Here at Ancoats Coffee Co. we’ve been proud to consistently offer up a high quality decaf option, and this coffee is no exception. It’s bursting with bold luscious flavours, has a rich syrupy texture, and a creamy aftertaste with no bitterness. We take just as much care roasting and brewing this decaf as we do with each of our other coffees, without ever compromising on flavour. An ideal option for a cheeky late afternoon long black or after dinner refreshment. Happy brewing…and sweet dreams.