Decaf

El Yalcon

  • Flavour profile Marzipan, candied lemon, sweet pastry, brown sugar
  • Process Washed
  • Varietal Caturra
  • Roast Medium

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  • Colombia El Yalcon

    Here at Ozone, we're always on the lookout for tasty and delicious decaf. It can sometimes be a little tricky to get our hands on, but we aim to always have at least 1 decaffeinated coffee available at all times.

    As crops come and go during the year, our decaf offering changes and rolls with the seasons - right now it is a washed Caturra from El Yalcon in Huila, Colombia that has been decaffeinated using sugar cane. Please note - if you sign up for a recurring subscription to this coffee, you will always be sent our current decaf offering which occasionally changes throughout the year.

    El Yalcón is a Colombian speciality coffee produced by 36 small-scale growers in the municipalities of La Plata and Pitalito. These farms range from 1 to 5 hectares and are mostly located at higher altitudes - above 1,500 metres above sea level.
    They are also mainly cultivated with traditional varieties such as Caturra.

    Last year we finally got to visit our partners in Colombia. We spent time in La Plata and Pitalito in the Huila region of Colombia. Here we visited a few producers who contribute to the collective lot that we know as El Yalcon.

    One of the farmers we visited was Joaquin Eladio Opsina Gil, his farm Finca Los Nogales was situated right up in the mountains at 1900 m.a.s.l. Here we met him and his wife, who showed us around their farm. They grow not only coffee but also Sugar cane and citrus fruits.

    Sixteen years ago, he began his coffee journey as a picker in Antioquia, where he stayed because of his wife. Around 7 years ago, he purchased Finca Los Nogales and is still paying off the loan to this day. He took great pride in his work and showed us his wet mill where he is depulping and washing the coffee and his fermentation tanks.
    Oh, by the way: this coffee is decaffeinated. We say this as a 'by the way' because it really is, we feel, the least important part of this coffee's name.

    Something that might not sound remarkable about this coffee is that It was decaffeinated in Colombia. Why is that remarkable? Because most coffee is decaffeinated in either Canada or Germany which adds food miles to the coffee, which is not good. What decaffeination in a coffee's producing country does is add value at the place where we're very happy to add value; that is, around 40 kilometres from the warehouse where the shipments are collated.

    'SC' stands for sugar cane, because the decaffeination agent ethyl acetate is naturally derived from sugar cane.

    An initial marzipan aroma leads into flavours of candied lemon and buttery sweet pastry. A long brown sugar note lingers in the finish.

    • Country: Colombia
    • Department: Huila
    • Municipality: Pitalito
    • Coffee: El Yalcon
    • Altitude: 1,500–1,900 m.a.s.l.
    • Variety: Caturra
    • Processing method: Washed
    • Drying method: Sun-dried in greenhouses and on raised beds
    • Decaffeination: Descafecol plant in Colombia: uses ethyl acetate derived from a natural source – namely sugar cane
    • Tasting notes: Marzipan, candied lemon, sweet pastry, brown sugar.

      Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

      • Clean cup: (1–8): 6
      • Sweetness: (1–8): 6.5
      • Acidity: (1–8): 6
      • Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6
      • Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
      • Aftertaste: (1–8): 6
      • Balance: (1–8): 6.5
      • Overall: (1–8): 6
      • Correction: (+36): +36
      • Total: (max. 100): 85.5

      Roast Information
      Medium-dark - remember that the appearance may be deceiving with decafs - you're looking to go through first and steadily to the end of the gap, just before second.

    • If you place an order before 07:30, it will be roasted and dispatched that day. If you order after 07:30, it will carry over to the following working day for roasting.

      We offer free UK mainland delivery on all orders over £50.00. One bag sent with First Class postage will cost £3.50, and one bag sent with Second Class postage will cost £2.00. DPD next working day delivery is available for a flat rate of £6.00 for all orders up to 10kg.

      If you would like to enjoy free delivery on orders under £50.00, make sure to check out Ozone Rewards.

      For more information about delivery, please visit our Help Centre.