The El Paseo farm is located in the municipality of Buesaco Nariño, it has 7 hectares of Castillo variety coffee cultivated at an altitude of between 1,700 and 1,800 meters above sea level, with an average production of 16,000 kg of dry parchment coffee.

Huver Castillo is a second generation coffee farmer and has been working in the industry for 20 years. Hand in hand with his wife and son they have undertaken the adventure of venturing into the production of specialty coffees. This idea arose as a result of the crisis that the industry was going through in 2014, where there was a drop in prices that made their work unsustainable. They began to incorporate protocols into post-harvest handling that would allow them to improve the organoleptic characteristics of our coffee.

The path in the search for the production of differentiated coffees was not easy since Huver started the process in 2015 carrying out different experiments without obtaining positive results, but perseverance and discipline were their watchword and by 2018 they had obtained their first batch of coffee.

With very good characteristics in the cup, this prompted Huver to continue researching and studying the variables and types of fermentation. They somewhat tried to emulate some industries such as wine, beer, cheese, among others to establish protocols that standardize processes and make the coffee an excellent quality drink, allowing them to provide customers with a unique and unforgettable experience.

Thus, to this day they continue to work and improve their processes, always in search of excellent quality coffee, the result of the work and love of Huver and his family.

The DECAF Process

Sugar cane ethyl acetate (E.A.) processing, also commonly referred to as natural decaffeinated, starts by fermenting molasses derived from sugar cane to create ethanol. This alcohol is then mixed with acetic acid, to create the compound ethyl acetate.

In Colombia, where sugar cane is readily available, it makes great economic sense to use this plentiful resource to complement the coffee industry. E.A. is also found in wine, beer, fruit, vegetables, and other food and beverage.

When the coffee is received it is first submitted to a condition of water and steam. This elevates the moisture contained and swells the bean in order to facilitate the extraction of caffeine. It is at this point, that the bean experiences an E.A. wash, which dissolves the caffeine. The beans are then cleaned with water, followed by steam, to clean the innermost portions of the bean. Finally, the beans are dried until reaching the moisture similar to which they had prior to the process.

This method avoids excessive heat or pressure, which can radically disrupt a green bean's cellular structure. One downside of this process is that since the pores of the seed are opened up through steaming, the coffee does tend to age more quickly (both as roasted and green) than our regular offerings. You may even see the occasional "sweat" on the roasted bean within several days of roast. In non-decaffeinated coffee, this typically occurs many more days after roast.