Exceptionals
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Coffees that are different than the normal, be it from high quality varietals, well-grown or interesting process methods. Something to challenge your norm
Colombia Los Nogales EA Decaf
Raspberry, Black Grapes, Lime Kaffir, Lavender
Area: Inza, Cauca
Process: EA Decaf with Mucilage
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1750 meters
Finca Los Nogales in Colombia is an innovative and multi-award-winning farm, celebrated for its high-quality coffee and pioneering processing techniques. Owned by the Hernandez family, the farm's decaffeinated Typica variety is especially renowned, having been used to win the 2024 US Brewers Cup. Their groundbreaking approach to EA (Ethyl Acetate) decaffeination, which leverages the coffee's own mucilage, sets their product apart in the specialty coffee world.
EA decaf with mucilage
Finca Los Nogales' unique decaffeination process is a masterclass in on-farm innovation. Instead of using commercially sourced sugarcane to create ethyl acetate, they derive the EA naturally from the coffee's own pulp and fermented mucilage. This integrated, farm-to-bean approach produces a decaf coffee that is exceptionally vibrant and complex.
The process follows these steps:
- Harvest and fermentation: Selectively harvested, ripe cherries are pulped, and the seeds are fermented for 90 hours with a sourdough-like starter. The fermented "mosto" (the coffee's own sweet, pulpy juices) is collected.
- Natural EA creation: The Hernandez family ferments the coffee's own cherry skins and mucilage to create a natural source of ethyl acetate.
- Decaffeination: The coffee beans are submerged in this natural EA solution for 48 hours to gently extract the caffeine.
- Final wash and drying: The beans are thoroughly washed to remove any residue and then dried over eight days to lock in the flavor.