Colombia Excelso EA Sugar Cane Decaf
EA decaf, or as it's commonly known, sugar cane decaf, is coffee that has been decaffeinated using the natural byproducts of sugar processing. It's environmentally friendly, leaves no residual added compounds on the coffee and most importantly, leaves a cup that's truer to it's caffeinated counterpart than any other decaf we've tried so far. This tasty Colombian blend is fairly balanced with a pleasant brightness and creamy texture. Look for notes of cherry, lemon, cocoa powder and brown sugar.
Look, we get it, "Death Before Decaf" is a funny tagline for t-shirts, but you don't have to be particularly long in the tooth to understand that if you want to enjoy coffee all day, you're gonna have to get cozy with decaf. And for some folks, decaf is the only option no matter what time of day it is! These coffee enthusiasts are the truest coffee fanatics to us: they love coffee without the added benefit of an energy boost. For years now we've kept our decaf selections to Water Processed coffees, whether they be from the Canadian Swiss Water facility or the Mountain Water facility in Mexico. Compared to older decaf methods, water processed decaf is significantly more environmentally friendly and leaves behind, in our opinion, the best flavor profile post decaffeination. Well consider that opinion officially changed because there's a new competitor for that title now.
EA stands for Ethyl Acetate. It's a naturally occurring compound that's a byproduct of sugar cane processing. Sugar cane is found commonly in the wild and also grown alongside coffee by farmers, so the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Explaining exactly how the EA decaf process works deserves it's own lengthy article (coming soon), but the big takeaway here is that it removes over 97% of the caffeine and leaves no EA on the coffee once the process is completed. What it does leave behind is potentially the truest cup profile we've tasted yet to conventional (caffeinated) coffee. Try it and let us know if you agree! This hand selected Colombian blend is creamy in texture and full-bodied in the cup. It's also fairly balanced with a moderately clean finish. There is a pleasant brightness and sweetness coming through the cup with flavor notes of cherry, lemon, cocoa powder and brown sugar.
Arrival Date: February 29th, 2024 Harvest season: 2023
Acidity & Brightness: Moderate brightness and sweetness
Balance & Finish: Fairly balanced with a moderately clean finish
Body & Texture: Full body and creamy texture
Flavors: Cherry, lemon, cocoa powder & brown sugar
Grade: Excelso, SHG - Strictly High Grown
Processing: Fully washed, EA (sugar cane) decaffeinated
Grower: Blend of various Colombian producers hand selected by Royal New York
Recommended Roast Range: City+ to Vienna (light to dark)
Start with a Full City (Medium), or in between 1st and 2nd crack. Feel free to take it darker for more emphasis on chocolate (leaning into dark chocolate) and a bit more body. Lighter roasts will feature more honey sweetness and cherry along with a bit of added lemon zest. This coffee roasts very evenly, but like most decafs, the roast tends to accelerate quickly, so pay close attention.
Royal New York - "Decaf Colombia Excelso EA Sugar Cane coffee is decaffeinated using Ethyl Acetate (EA). In this method the green beans are steamed or soaked to expand the beans for caffeine extraction. The expanded beans are then soaked in EA, a naturally occurring organic compound found in many fruits and vegetables which can be synthesized for coffee decaffeination. In the presence of EA, caffeine bonds with the compound and is drawn out of the bean. The decaffeinated coffee is then removed from the EA solvent, rinsed thoroughly, re-dried and re-bagged for transport."
