About the Coffee
The Sugarcane E.A. process is unlike any other in its ability to retain exceptional flavour while using natural extraction methods. We find the process produces a more stable, sweeter coffee which, works particularly well for espresso and customers who drink coffee with milk.
Meet the Farmer
Our Sugarcane decaf beans are grown by our long-standing partner, La Marianela – a coffee farm we’ve been working with for nearly a decade and are proud to call friends. Using coffee from La Marianela means that, in addition to growing one of our most sustainable coffee partnerships, we can improve quality and give 100% traceability from crop to cup.
Locally grown sugarcane is fermented to produce Ethyl Acetate compounds. Green (unroasted) coffee is steamed then soaked in water with the EAs which remove the caffeine. The water is drained and the coffee is rinsed, re-steamed (to remove any traces of the EAs) then sent to us for roasting.
Another benefit is the smaller supply chain – this allows for fewer food-miles, and therefore a smaller carbon footprint, and directs more funds to the country of origin. A win-win-win.
Meet the Roasters
Our Sugarcane Decaf coffee is roasted on Bertha, a 120kg Probat roaster which we rescued from Bosnia in 2012. When we found her, Bertha was completely decommissioned, a pile of parts destined for scrap.
Over four years we rebuilt this machine, retro-fitting an afterburner to eliminate VOCs from it’s emissions and drastically improving fuel efficiency. Today, Bertha runs on just 40% of her original fuel consumption - a beautiful and efficient machine.
