If you are one of those individuals who enjoy a cup of coffee late in the evening, then this balanced decaf from Beansmith's coffee roastery is just for you. The roastery has once again reached for a washed lot from this Colombian farm, and you can really taste it. The cup is full of juicy raspberries, sweet maple syrup, and light black tea with lemon. Overall, it's a very pleasant coffee, and no one would even know they're drinking decaf.
The coffee beans you'll find in this bag come from the Colombian company Siruma. It was founded five years ago with the aim of working with underdeveloped farming communities in Cauca, Caldas, and Tolima. The company's name comes from the indigenous Wayuunaiki language and means "sky and heavens." Atunkaa decaffeinated coffee represents Siruma's commitment to transparency and fair prices for farmers. It comes from the Association for Peace in Central Cauca (ACC) in Piendamó, Cauca province. The ACC was founded by a local farmer who wanted to add value to the Castillo coffee variety and ensure a stable income so that his neighbors would avoid illegal crops.
The coffee first undergoes low-pressure steaming to remove the parchment. It is then soaked in hot water to swell and soften the beans. This prepares the coffee for hydrolysis of the caffeine, which is bound to chlorogenic acid salts in the coffee. The extract (naturally obtained from sugar cane fermentation rather than chemical synthesis) is then infused into the pre-prepared coffee, which is washed several times with natural ethyl acetate solvent to reduce the caffeine to the correct level. Once this process is complete, the coffee must be cleaned of any remaining ethyl acetate using pressurized steam before being transferred to the final boxes. From there, the coffee is moved to vacuum drying drums, where the water previously used to moisten the beans is removed and the coffee is dried to 10-12%.
- Altitude: 1,700-1,900 meters above sea level.