DECAF | Piendamó by ACC Association | Colombia
DECAF | Piendamó by ACC Association | Colombia
For best results we would always recommend purchasing whole bean and grinding fresh before brewing. You can find great grinder options on our webshop.
If you don't have a grinder, we can grind according to your preferred brewing method just before shipping.
This coffee will suit most brewing methods from espresso and stove-top to aero press and cafetieres. Expect full body and syrupy mouthfeel. Will work well with various amounts of milk too.
RESTING TIME:
For better flavour experience, we recommend resting your wholebean coffee for at least 7 days after roasting before brewing. Our ideal brewing window seems to be around 2-3 weeks post roast.
SHIPPING & DISPATCH:
Our e-commerce orders are shipped Mon - Thu. Same day dispatch cut off is 12pm Mon - Wed and 3pm Thursday. Orders places after 3pm on Thursday are dispatched on Monday.
Key Origin Info:
Producer: Small-holder producers working with the ACC association based in Piendamo town
Processed at: each farmer’s wet mill and consolidated in dried parchment stage at ACC’s facilities
Region: Piendamó municipality, Cauca department
Altitude: 1700 - 1900 masl
Variety: Field blend of predominantly Castillo, with small amount of Caturra and Colombia
Process: Washed processed and E.A. “Sugarcane” decaffeinated
Exporter: Siruma | Importer: Falcon
Cup profile: Creamy body, caramel & raisins
More about this coffee and the ACC Association:
This lot is a regional selection of coffees produced by members of the ACC association based in the town of Piendamó, Cauca region. Selected by Siruma our export partner who work directly with the association, the name Akumajaa is a word taken from the indigenous language of the Wayuu people from the north of Colombia and it translates “to build” or “to create”, symbolic of the goals and efforts of ACC association to build a better future for its community.
The ACC association was set up in 2016 by growers for growers, to produce and export high quality coffees and improve value for its farmers. Under the leadership of Robinson Rivera, Robinson’s brother and their friend Alex, the association’s goal is to continue improving their coffee quality and foster positive change within the farming communities, safeguard the natural environment and peace in their territory.
With 77 associates who each cultivate an average of 1.5 hectares of land between 1,700 and 2,100 meters above sea level, the ACC believes in the power of collaboration. They tirelessly work to alleviate poverty and social conflicts in their region, aiding members with commercial strategies and crop-related technology. The association encourages each member to tailor the coffee processing techniques to their liking, allowing for innovative fermentations.
ACC's coffee varieties include Castillo, Cenicafé, Tabi, Bourbon, Caturra, and Colombia. The coffee is dried primarily through parabolic and mechanical silos. Housed in a rented facility in Piendamó, the association boasts a coffee laboratory equipped with all the essential tools for coffee selection and cupping, conducted by a certified Q-Grader.
Siruma Coffee (Falcon’s and now also our exporter partner in Colombia through whom all our Colombian coffee is currently purchased) started working with ACC after Robinson approached them directly in their office in Manizales to showcase the quality of the association’s coffee and start a partnership. Since then the group has been going strong and growing, experimenting and investing in advanced processing methods and equipment with some outstanding results. After having had the chance to visit in may 2023, we were very impressed not only by the determination of ACC and its leader but also by the curiosity they have to understand the markets and consumers and willingness to evolve and adapt for the benefit of all involved.
We’ve been lucky enough to showcase some of their special preparation natural and honey processed lots in the past as part of our Feature Coffees range and currently we’re roasting their regional blend as our House Filter option. The outstandinng quality of their recent harvests is testament to all the hard work these growers continue to put it and we couldn’t be happier to add this decaffeinated lot from them to our offering, further supporting this supply chain.
About the “Sugarcane” decaffeination process
Also known as E.A. - “ethyl acetate” decaffeination is a natural process that not only maintains great integrity of green-coffee flavour, but also allows us to offer a decaffeinated coffee that best supports a vertical supply chain. This is due to the fact that the growing, processing, and even the full decaffeination process all happens at the source in Colombia, meaning all value added by these processes stays within the country of origin and its communities.
How does it work:
The washed and dried green coffee is received at the decaffeination plant and it is steamed for approx. 30 minutes. A low-pressure steaming process opens the pores of the coffee, allowing for caffeine extraction.
Coffee is placed in a solution of water and Ethyl Acetate (E.A.), a naturally occuring compound and solvent derived through the fermentation of sugarcane. While submerged in the solvent, E.A. naturally bonds to the salts of chlorogenic acids within the coffee, allowing for the extraction of caffeine.
Once the solvent is saturated, the tank is drained and fresh solution is introduced. This continues for about 8 hours.
After the last of the caffeine has been extracted, the coffee is removed from the solution and prepped for another steaming. The final low-pressure steaming removes the remaining traces of E.A.
Decaffeinated coffee is then dried, physically polished to ensure cleanliness, and packaged for export.
