Colombia Popayan Reserve Decaf

Popayán Reserve brings together coffee from a selected group of smallholder producers across the highlands of Cauca. Rather than simply buying coffee to meet a regional grade, Cofinet works directly with participating farmers through agronomic support, regular quality feedback and premiums for higher-scoring lots. The result is a regional coffee built around both consistency and continual improvement, while creating a stronger financial incentive for producers to invest in quality.

WASHED PROCESS
The coffee is first processed using the traditional washed method, with ripe cherries pulped before the remaining mucilage is removed through fermentation and washing. The clean parchment coffee is then dried to a stable moisture content before being prepared for decaffeination.
SUGARCANE DECAFFEINATION
For the Sugarcane EA process, the green coffee is gently steamed to open the cellular structure, then washed with ethyl acetate - a naturally occurring compound commonly derived from fermented sugarcane. The EA selectively bonds with the caffeine, allowing it to be removed from the bean. The coffee is then thoroughly rinsed, dried back to its target moisture level and stabilised before roasting.

Popayán Reserve is made up of three widely grown Colombian varieties: Castillo, Colombia and Caturra. Castillo and Colombia were developed in Colombia for their resilience to coffee leaf rust while maintaining good cup quality, and today form an important part of the country’s coffee production. Caturra, a natural mutation of Bourbon, is prized for its sweetness and bright acidity. Together, these varieties create a balanced regional profile with good structure, sweetness and clarity.