How Much Does Colombian Santa Rita Coffee Cost - Colombian Santa Rita Coffee Price

Flavor: Sugarcane, clean, medium body

Colombia: The Land of Coffee Excellence

Located in northwestern South America, Colombia is a beautiful country with a long and storied history. From ancient times, indigenous peoples thrived on this land. In 1531 AD it became a Spanish colony and gained independence in 1819. In 1886 it was renamed to its current name in honor of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent. Colombia boasts magnificent mountains, beautiful landscapes, pleasant climates, spring-like weather year-round, and fresh air. The country is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds known 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 shows the best balance, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel that makes it enjoyable at any time. It has received praise unmatched by other coffees: it is acclaimed as "green gold."

Caturra: The Natural Bourbon Variation

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

More relevant than these botanical characteristics is Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the altitude where Caturra is grown, the better the quality, but the correspondingly lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra shows distinct acidic aromas and overall brightness, and with proper processing its sweetness can be remarkably well expressed. Compared with Bourbon, however, Caturra has a relatively lower body and somewhat lacks mouthfeel cleanliness.

Typically, Caturra produces red berries, but in very rare regions there are yellow Caturra varieties; Hawaii, for example, grows very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Catuai: The Hybrid Variety

Catuai is a coffee variety resulting from artificial hybridization between Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain.

The Catuai plant is relatively short. Compared with other coffee trees, Catuai's fruit grows more firmly and is harder to harvest. The fruit comes in both red and yellow varieties, and to date no significant flavor difference has been found between them. Some cuppers have discovered, however, that although coffee processed from yellow fruit may have good acidity, its mouthfeel cleanliness is inferior to that of red fruit.

Catuai was developed in Brazil and is now also widely cultivated in Central America.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted coffee
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Colombia
Coffee Type: Colombian coffee
Roast Level: Medium roast

Brewing Guide

Hand-poured Colombia Santa Rita: 15g of coffee, ground to medium (using a Fujiyama sharp burr grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Colombia Santa Rita Special Reserve

Country: Colombia
Region: Antioquia Department
Altitude: 1600-2100 meters
Processing Method: Washed

Santa Rita Estate is located in the Antioquia Department of Colombia, in a micro-region 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 their coffee: hand-picking the cherries, applying traditional washed processing, and then laying the beans out on racks to sun-dry. The environment surrounding the Andes provides this coffee-growing region with fertile volcanic soil and uniquely advantageous water resources.

Varieties: Catuai, Caturra
Estate: Santa Rita

Historical Origins 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 of how coffee reached the country.

One theory suggests that coffee was introduced via sea routes from the Caribbean island of Haiti through El Salvador in Central America.

Another account states that in 1808 a priest first introduced coffee beans to Colombia from the French Antilles via Venezuela. One version suggests that Colombia's first coffee seeds entered through the Santander Department from Venezuela.

A third account mentions that the earliest record of coffee cultivation in Colombia appears in Spanish missionary Jose Gumilla's book "The Illustrated Orinoca." He described his experiences while preaching along both banks of the Meta River in 1730, mentioning local coffee plantations. By 1787, other missionaries had already spread coffee to other parts of Colombia.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil grows a huge range of coffees. Brazilian beans carry moderate acidity, and the balance of sweetness, bitterness, and body they bring makes them ideal for a medium roast, which draws out a nutty aroma and a smooth, mellow cup with a light acidity; they work well as a single origin or in a blend.

For a first taste of the Brazilian profile, FrontStreet Coffee's Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic single-origin choice. Cerrado is a well-known local region prized for high-quality beans, and this lot is the red Bourbon variety common in South America. Under a medium roast it shows rich aromas of cream peanut, toast, caramel, and hazelnut, with a round body, low acidity, and a light bittersweet note, and it suits pour-over as well as moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon, and French press.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate comes from Mogiana, near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil lets the coffee cherries take in abundant nutrients and develop a full aroma. Part of the area still follows traditional farm practices while another part has adopted modern, standardized management, greatly improving local coffee quality. The estate grows the rare Yellow Bourbon, a mutation of Red Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character. Brewed by pour-over, moka pot, or home espresso machine, it shows a sugarcane sweetness found in no other region, along with fruit and chocolate notes.

Brazilian coffee's low-acid, balanced profile and accessible price have also made it a first choice in many espresso blends. FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend, with its rich crema; the nutty Signature Blend; the balanced Black Cocoa Blend recommended by many baristas; and FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend made for coffee shops all contain Brazilian beans. The Brazilian component not only supplies chocolate and cream aromas but also a soft sweet-sour-bitter balance that helps keep extraction stable.