Ravine Decaf

Nariño is located in southwestern Colombia, hugging the Ecuadorian border and flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes to the east. Microclimates there are abundant. Tiny coffee farms pepper the mountainsides—while the average farm in Nariño is roughly two hectares (five acres), the majority of farmers hold significantly less land, delivering coffee in small quantities to local purchasing points each season. 

We use ethyl acetate to decaffeinate our selections of washed-process Nariño coffees. This organic compound, derived from ethyl alcohol and acetic acid and present in fruits and wines, binds to the caffeine in coffee and is then washed away by a steam bath. Ethyl acetate decaffeination maintains a coffee’s natural sweetness so well that, cup in hand, you’ll barely be able to tell it’s decaf.