Popayan Reserve Decaf is produced by 67 select farms in the Popayan region of Colombia. These farms provide employment for over 400 people. It is grown and milled in Popayan, then transported to Manizales in Caldas to the Descafecol Decaffeination plant to be decaffeinated. This coffees decaffeinated by the sugar cane method. The green coffee is steamed to allow for caffeine extraction, then the coffee is placed in a solution of water and Ethyl Acetate, a natural solvent derived through the fermentation of sugarcane. This is a gentle and natural way to decaffeinate green coffee as this method avoids excess temperatures seen in other processes. It selectively removes 97% of caffeine from the coffee, leaving a decaf coffee that roasts and tastes much closer to a normal Colombia coffee. Ethyl acetate occurs in ripening fruit. A ripe banana contains about 20 times more Ethyl Acetate than decaffeinated coffee using this process. It is also worthwhile mentioning that due to the volatility of Ethyl Acetate, any resi
