Colombia Villamaria Sugarcane Decaf No 58

Sugarcane Decaf: After being processed as a natural at Villamaria this coffee is decaffeinated at Descafecol based in Manizales, Colombia.
Natural Ethyl Acetate is derived from sugarcane (by pressing the cane and fermenting the juice) which when combined with fresh spring water strips caffeine from the coffee.
The method used to decaffeinate with Ethyl Acetate is a chemical-free process in which no additional substances come in contact with the coffee.
The delicate process of decaffeinating begins at the pre-treatment step by steaming the green coffee beans with low pressure steam to remove the silver skins.
The coffee is moistened with hot water to swell and soften the beans and start the hydrolysis of caffeine which is bonded to salts inside the beans.
At the decaffeination extraction phase the Ethyl Acetate is recirculated through the pre-treated coffee beans multiple times until at least 98% of the caffeine is removed.
Low pressure saturated steam is then applied following the extraction process to remove any traces of the Ethyl Acetate.