Colombia Santa Rita Washed Specialty Coffee Beans: Differences, Distinctions, and Award Recognition

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Colombia Santa Rita Special Reserve

Country: Colombia

Region: Antioquia Department

Altitude: 1600-2100 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Hacienda Santa Rita is located in the Antioquia Department of Colombia, situated in a micro-production area adjacent to the Andes Mountains. This premium coffee is produced through the collaboration of 9 nearby farms. These 9 farms still use traditional methods to process coffee: hand-picking coffee cherries, then applying traditional washed processing to the coffee fruit, with the processed beans laid out on racks to sun-dry. The environment surrounding the Andes Mountains provides this coffee-growing region with fertile volcanic soil and uniquely advantageous water resources.

Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

Estate: Santa Rita

The History of Colombian Coffee

The history of coffee cultivation in Colombia can be traced back to the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century. There are several accounts about coffee's history in Colombia:

First Account: It is said to have been introduced by water routes from Haiti in the Caribbean Sea, via El Salvador in Central America.

Second Account: In 1808, a priest first introduced coffee beans to Colombia from the French Antilles via Venezuela. One version suggests that Colombia's first batch of coffee seeds entered through the Santander Department from Venezuela.

Third Account: The earliest record of coffee cultivation in Colombia appears in the book "The Illustrated Orinoco" by Spanish missionary Jose Gumilla. He described his experiences while missionary work on both banks of the Meta River in 1730, mentioning local coffee plantations. By 1787, other missionaries had spread coffee to other parts of Colombia.

Flavor Profile: Sugarcane, clean, medium body

Colombia: The Land of Coffee

Located in northwestern South America, Colombia is a beautiful country with a long history. From ancient times, indigenous peoples have thrived on this land. It became a Spanish colony in 1531 and gained independence in 1819. In 1886, it adopted its current name to honor Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent.

Colombia boasts beautiful mountains, pleasant scenery, a comfortable climate, spring-like weather year-round, and fresh air. The country is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds being celebrated as the "Four Treasures." Today, Colombia is the second-largest coffee-producing country 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 having a silky smooth texture. Among all coffees, it has the best balance, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel that makes it enjoyable to drink at any time. It has earned praise unmatched by other coffees: it is known as "green gold."

Coffee Varieties

Caturra

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter and smaller than Bourbon. Due to its Bourbon heritage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for growing there, so it was not cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, with countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua extensively cultivating Caturra.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, people are probably more concerned with Caturra's flavor. The higher the altitude where Caturra is grown, the better the quality, but the corresponding yield is lower. When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can perform exceptionally well, but the coffee body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the flavor profile is somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red berries, but in extremely rare areas, there are yellow Caturras. For example, Hawaii cultivates very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Catuai

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain.

Catuai plants are relatively short. Compared to other coffee trees, Catuai fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to pick. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no significant flavor advantage has been found in yellow fruits over red ones. In fact, some people have discovered in cupping tests that although coffee processed from some yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the coffee flavor is inferior to that of red fruits.

Catuai was developed in Brazil and is now also commonly grown in Central America.

Brewing Recommendations

Hand-pour Colombia Santa Rita. Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Coffee Bean State: Roasted beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Colombia
Coffee Type: Colombian coffee
Roast Level: Medium roast

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473