What is EA – Decaff
“Ethyl Acetate (E.A.) – This naturally occurring ester (present in bananas and also as a by-product of fermented sugars) can be isolated and used as a solvent to bond with and remove caffeine from green coffee. First the coffee is sorted and steamed for 30 minutes under low pressure in order to open the coffee seeds’ pores and prepare them for decaffeination. The coffee is placed in a solution of both water and ethyl acetate, where the EA will begin to bond with the salts of chlorogenic acids inside the seeds. The tank will be drained and re filled over the course of eight hours, until the caffeine is no longer detected as present. The seeds are steamed once more to remove the ethyl acetate traces, though EA is only harmful to humans in very high quantities (400 parts per million or more). The coffee is then dried and polished for export.”
