Manhattan Coffee Roasters - El Vergel Decaf | Colombia
Description
Colombia — Elias & Shady Bayter El Vergel Estate Red & Yellow Caturra (Natural / EA Sugarcane Decaf)
Tastes Like — 🍎 Sweet Baked Apple • 🍑 Prunes • 🍫 Dark Chocolate
DETAILS
- Producer: Elias & Shady Bayter
- Farm: El Vergel Estate
- Region: Tolima, Colombia
- Varietal: Red & Yellow Caturra
- Process: Natural / EA Sugarcane Decaffeinated
- Altitude: 1,450 MASL
- Size: 250g
INTRO
El Vergel Decaf is back — and in exceptional form. Naturally processed Red and Yellow Caturra from one of Colombia's most innovative and celebrated specialty farms, decaffeinated using the EA Sugarcane method: a chemical-free, naturally derived process that preserves the coffee's full aroma, sweetness, and complexity without compromise. Silky, smooth, and deeply satisfying. In the cup: sweet baked apple, prunes, and dark chocolate.
THE PRODUCER
El Vergel Estate's story begins in 1995, when the Bayter family embarked on an agricultural venture in Tolima — initially focusing on avocado cultivation before a devastating disease in 2006 forced a decisive pivot. Martha Bayter introduced coffee cultivation between 2009 and 2010, planting Catimor, Red Caturra, and Yellow Caturra and learning the craft from the ground up. The family's passion deepened rapidly — and with the guidance of Miguel Jimenez, a specialist in coffee varieties, El Vergel planted Geisha, Java, Pacamara, Red Bourbon, and Laurina by 2016, producing its first exceptional harvests in 2017.
Today, El Vergel cultivates more than 28 coffee varieties and is recognised as the first coffee farm in Colombia to develop the Koji fermentation process — a groundbreaking innovation that has transformed the possibilities of green coffee production. Under the leadership of siblings Elias and Shady Bayter, the farm conducts ongoing research into bacteria and yeast management, continuously pushing the boundaries of what Colombian specialty coffee can achieve.
THE PROCESS
The Natural and EA Sugarcane Decaffeination process involves:
🍒 Hand-picking — Red and Yellow Caturra cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness ☀️ Natural drying — Cherries dried whole-fruit, allowing natural sugars and fruit character to integrate fully into the bean 🌿 EA Sugarcane decaffeination — Caffeine removed post-processing using ethyl acetate derived from sugarcane molasses — a naturally sourced solvent that selectively extracts caffeine while preserving the coffee's aromatic complexity, sweetness, and flavour integrity, free from synthetic chemicals
The EA Sugarcane decaffeination is the defining step — by using a naturally derived solvent rather than synthetic chemicals, El Vergel preserves the baked apple sweetness, prune depth, and dark chocolate richness that the natural processing built into the bean, delivering a decaf experience that makes no concessions to flavour or mouthfeel.
THE CUP
A silky, smooth, and deeply satisfying EA Sugarcane decaf from one of Colombia's most pioneering specialty farms — sweet baked apple warmth, prune richness, and a long dark chocolate finish in a cup of exceptional mouthfeel and full complexity. Everything you love about El Vergel, without the caffeine.
Flavour Notes
🍎 Sweet Baked Apple 🍑 Prunes 🍫 Dark Chocolate
