VARIETIES:
Caturra, Colombia, Castillo


LOCATION:
The coffee chosen by James Hoffmann in collaboration with Caravela is produced in La Virgen Guadelupe, in the department of Huila in Colombia, by a collective of independent producers.
Guadalupe is a small municipality in Huila, nestled along the skirts of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Guadalupe is blessed with an abundance of water sources, including the Suaza River, which nourishes the fertile lands and sustains both the community and its agricultural bounty. The region’s water supply, combined with fresh, cool weather, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality crops. Today, the hardworking people of Guadalupe make their living through cattle farming, river fishing, and cultivating crops like corn, beans, citrus fruits, and, most notably, coffee – one of the area’s most valuable resources.

Coffee is grown in the remote highlands surrounding the town, at ideal elevations between 1,400 and 2,000 meters above sea level. These high-altitude farms benefit from nutrient-rich soils, cool breezes, and abundant rainfall, all of which contribute to exceptional coffee production.

https://caravela.coffee/en/brochures/brand/la-virgen


PRODUCERS:
Coffee growers in Guadalupe are very traditional coffee growers. They work with their families and their communities to grow and produce coffee how they’ve learned through their lives from their parents and grandparents. Additionally, coffee growers in this region are very committed to the environment, some of them having achieved the Rainforest Certification. Each farm has their own wet mill and drying infrastructure or at least one per family in which they all share their spaces. They own farms with an average of 5 hectares. In the last few years, we’ve noticed an interest in improving their quality, changing some varieties and processes with the objective of achieving better quality for their coffee.
In Guadalupe, Caravela works with many aging producers. However, many of the sons and daughters of these producers are stepping up to support and continue with the family traditions with greater energy, innovation and care for the environment.

THE THREE DECAF PROCESSES

Coffein Compagnie - Ethyl acetate (EA) decaffeination

Ethyl acetate is used in decaffeination because it is highly selective with respect to caffeine and can physically extract it from green coffee beans in a gentle, but targeted manner.

First, the green coffee beans are steamed to remove the silverskin and increase their water content, opening up their cell structure. The water-ethyl acetate-solution selectively extracts caffeine from the beans in several stages. Finally, steam is used to remove any remaining ethyl acetate from the beans, which are then dried to their original moisture content.

Ethyl Acetate is a natural component of sugar cane, coffee, and fruits such as musk, strawberries and bananas, but is also produced synthetically.

https://www.coffein-compagnie.de/en/

CR3-Kaffeeveredelung M. Hermsen - CO2 Subcritical Decaffeination

This unique process was developed by CR3 in the late 80s. It uses natural carbon dioxide, under subcritical conditions (i. e. relatively low temperature and pressure), to gently and selectively target caffeine, so as to retain the full taste potential of the green coffee. This process is all organic certified.

Raw, unroasted coffee is moistened and placed in a vessel with pressurized liquid carbon dioxide, which circulates through the coffee to extract caffeine. Once the desired caffeine level is achieved, the CO2 circulation stops, and the coffee is gently dried to its original moisture content. The caffeine is extracted from the liquid carbon dioxide, allowing both components to be reused.

https://www.cr3-kaffeeveredelung.com/en/

Swiss Water® Process

The Swiss Water® Process uses water, temperature, and time to gently remove caffeine, while preserving all the coffee’s original characteristics.

The green coffee, rehydrated to the target moisture level for decaffeination, is put into contact with a Green Coffee Extract (GCE). GCE is made out of fresh water and all of the soluble solids within coffee (minus the caffeine). The GCE is continuously circulated around the green coffee, triggering the diffusion process, which removes only the caffeine (the only element of imbalance) and none of the flavor components of the coffee. The process takes place over 8-10 hours until there’s no more than 0.1% of caffeine remaining. Caffeine is then removed from the GCE using a proprietary carbon filtration system, so that the GCE can be reused.

https://www.swisswater.com

THE ROASTING PROFILE

We have adjusted the roast to suit each batch. We prefer a medium-light roast wherever possible.

The coffee sets will be roasted on 4 December to arrive in time for the live tasting with James Hoffmann, scheduled for 15 December.

Only a limited number available, you can preorder your set and confirm payment now.