COLOMBIA SANTA MARTA DECAF

About This Coffee

In Colombia, where sugarcane is abundant, the EA (Ethyl Acetate) decaffeination process has become so mainstream that it’s relatively safe to assume that any Decaf Colombia from a specialty roaster will be pretty darn decent, at the very least. Produced by 25 smallholder farmers in La Union, Nariño, this is a new sub-region for us, and one especially significant for Arango. Throughout the toughest stretches of the past several decades in Colombia, this region was widely unsafe, with heavy cartel and paramilitary violence, and pressure to prioritize coca production in favor of other crops. In recent years, with help from groups like Arango, the emergence of (or, in some cases, return to) coffee production has created new opportunities that we are proud to support. Like most of our favorite “sugarcane” process decafs, this coffee is citrusy and sweet, and yet this particular one struck us for how notably UN-”decaf” it presents in the cup! We find ZERO decaf artifacts, which often show up tasting like banana bread or at worst, tasting like cardboard. GET SHOCKED! GET SURPRISED!