Zen Decaf

Francy Castillo oversees the Berruecos project, which centralizes parchment coffee from small producers at a collection point, giving them access to the specialty coffee market and premium prices. This project supports producers in Arboleda and San Lorenzo. Francy visits their farms to assess community needs, offering technical assistance on specialty coffee practices, and providing tools and resources for daily work in the field. The goal is to promote the sustainable development of the coffee industry by improving quality, environmental preservation, inclusion, and competitiveness, benefiting producers, youth, and women.

Nariño, located in the Andes mountain range, is a mountainous department with diverse landscapes, ranging from the Andean highlands to tropical rainforests and Pacific Ocean beaches. Its volcanic soils, rich in minerals from the eruptions of the Galeras Volcano, are essential to the exceptional quality of the coffee grown in the region. Today, Nariño coffee is not only a pillar of the local economy, but also a key player in the global reputation of Colombian coffee.

The decaffeination process takes place at the Descafecol factory in Colombia. EA decaffeination is a method that uses ethyl acetate, a natural compound found in fruits like apples, to decaffeinate coffee beans. In this process, the beans are soaked in ethyl acetate, which binds to the caffeine molecules and helps remove them. This method is often considered gentler on the beans and is sometimes referred to as "natural decaffeination" because ethyl acetate is a naturally occurring substance. Thus, "EA washed decaffeinated" coffee refers to beans that have undergone the washed processing method and are then decaffeinated using the ethyl acetate process. This combination results in decaffeinated coffee that retains much of its original flavor profile, with a clean, bright taste.

Each producer involved in this blend follows a two-step fermentation process to ensure high-quality beans. The cherries are hand-harvested at peak ripeness and sorted using the flotation method to remove damaged cherries. The first fermentation phase lasts 70 hours while the cherries remain intact, followed by natural decay. A second fermentation, lasting 50 to 60 hours in closed tanks, further develops the flavor. After drying on raised beds or concrete patios for 14 to 18 days, the beans are stored in bags and transferred for decaffeination.