Introduction to Santa Rita Washed Specialty Coffee Beans: Growing Conditions, Location, Climate, and Altitude

Santa Rita Estate sits in the Antioquia department of Colombia, in a micro-producing region that hugs the Andes Mountains. This premium coffee is a collaboration among 9 neighboring farms, and those 9 farms still work the traditional way: cherries are hand-picked, then washed processed, and the dried beans are laid out on racks to dry naturally in the sun. The Andean environment surrounding the growing region provides fertile volcanic soil and exceptionally abundant water resources.

Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

Estate: Santa Rita

The History of Colombian Coffee

Coffee cultivation in Colombia can be traced back to the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century. There are several accounts of how it arrived:

One theory holds that coffee traveled by sea routes from the island of Haiti in the Caribbean, passing through El Salvador in Central America.

Another says that in 1808, a priest first brought coffee beans to Colombia from the French Antilles via Venezuela. One version of this story has Colombia's first coffee seeds entering through Santander province from Venezuela.

A third account points to the earliest written record of coffee cultivation in Colombia, found in a book titled "The Illustrated Orinoca" by the Spanish missionary Jose Gumilla. He described his missionary work along both banks of the Meta River in 1730 and mentioned local coffee plantations. By 1787, other missionaries had spread coffee to other parts of the country.

Flavor: Sugarcane, Clean, Medium Body

Colombia Santa Rita Special Reserve

Country: Colombia

Region: Antioquia Province

Altitude: 1600-2100 meters

Process: Washed

Colombia occupies the northwestern corner of South America-a beautiful country with a long history. Indigenous peoples have lived and flourished on this land since ancient times. It became a Spanish colony in 1531 AD and won independence in 1819. In 1886 it adopted its current name, in honor of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent.

Colombia enjoys gorgeous mountains and rivers, pleasant scenery, a comfortable spring-like climate year-round, and fresh air. The country is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds celebrated as the "Four Treasures." Today Colombia is the second-largest coffee producer after Brazil, the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans, and the world's largest exporter of washed coffee beans.

Colombian coffee is often described as silky. Among all coffees it sets the benchmark for balance, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel you can enjoy at any time of day, and it has earned praise no other coffee can match: it is acclaimed as "green gold."

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee covers the whole spectrum-from fruit-forward to full-bodied to intensely aromatic-which makes it one of the most versatile origins for both single-origin pour-overs and espresso blends.

To get to know Colombian coffee, start with the FrontStreet Colombia Huila washed beans. Huila, in the southern part of Colombia's central mountain range, is the country's most famous specialty coffee region: a landscape of hills enclosed by mountains, planted at elevations above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge to supply rich water resources. Roasted medium-dark, FrontStreet Huila brings out the mellow sweetness of dark chocolate and nuts, with moderate body and richness. It works beautifully as a pour-over or French press, and also pulls a lovely shot in a moka pot or espresso machine-americano or latte, no problem.

If you prefer bright fruit, look for the FrontStreet Colombia Boundary Line Estate Sidra with its anaerobic natural process: roasted medium-light, it reveals complex passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried-fruit aromatics, and shines as a pour-over, cold brew, or drip bag. For grind size, go medium-fine for pour-over and finer for espresso; the clean, balanced Colombian profile is forgiving and rewarding either way.