Colombia Santa Rita Estate Single-Origin Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations, and Estate Introduction

Colombia Santa Rita Estate: Single-Origin Varieties, Brand Recommendations, and Estate Introduction

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Colombia

Population: 47073000

Colombia has well-defined growing regions and produces an impressive range of coffees. Whether you want a round, heavy cup or a refreshing, fruity one, or something in between, Colombian beans are most likely the answer. Colombia is geographically divided, and it is not hard to find that coffees from one region share many characteristics with another; if you like coffee from one area, you will likely enjoy coffee from another. Coffee trees in Colombia give two harvests a year: the main crop and a second crop, locally called "mitaca."

CAUCA

Cauca is especially famous for coffee grown around the Meseta de Popayán near Inzá and the city of Popayán. The high-altitude plateau provides favorable growing conditions, and its proximity to the equator and surrounding mountains shields the coffee from Pacific humidity and southern trade winds. This creates a very stable climate year-round. The region's coffee also grows in notable volcanic soil. Historically, there is a single rainy season from October to December each year.

Altitude: 1700-2100m

Harvest: March-June (main crop), November-December (mitaca crop)

TOLIMA

Until recently, Tolima was one of the strongholds of Colombia's notorious FARC rebel organization. The region has suffered from conflict in recent years, making access difficult. High-quality coffee from Tolima comes from small farmers cultivating very small micro-lots and exported through cooperatives.

Altitude: 1200-1900m

Harvest: March-June (main crop), October-December (mitaca)

Varieties: 9% Typica, 74% Caturra, 17% Castillo

NARINO

Some of Colombia's highest-quality coffees grow in Nariño, producing truly stunning, complex flavors. Growing coffee in many of these high-altitude areas is challenging, with trees potentially susceptible to leaf rust. Nariño is nevertheless close enough to the equator that the climate stays suitable for coffee. Among Nariño's 40000 producers, the vast majority are smallholders, each farming less than 2 hectares (4.4 acres). Many form associations and organizations to support one another and to work with the FNC. In fact, the average farm size is under 1 hectare (2.2 acres), and only 37 producers in the region own more than 5 hectares (11 acres).

Altitude: 1500-2300m (4900-7500ft)

Harvest: April-June

Varieties: 54% Typica, 29% Caturra, 17% Castillo

HUILA

Huila combines excellent soil and geographic advantages for coffee. Some of the most complex, fruit-forward Colombian coffees come from here. The region has over 70000 coffee growers covering more than 16000 hectares (39500 acres).

Altitude: 1250-2000m

Harvest: September-December (main crop), April-May (mitaca crop)

Main varieties: 11% Typica, 75% Caturra, 14% Castillo

A particular mix of factors, latitude, altitude, soil, the origins of plant species, the varieties grown in each region, the climate patterns created by the dual paths of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, terrain and light intensity that shift through the day, favorable temperature ranges year-round, moderate and well-distributed rainfall, and common cultural practices such as selective harvesting and processing by washing and drying, gives Colombia ideal conditions for coffee: a mild climate, humid air, and the possibility of harvest in any season. This is why Colombian coffee quality is so high. Three Cordillera ranges run north to south through Colombia, extending into the Andes, and coffee is planted along their highlands. The mountain terraces create diverse climates, making it a year-round harvest with different varieties ripening at different times. Fortunately, unlike Brazil, Colombia does not have to worry about frost. Colombia has roughly 2.7 billion documented coffee trees, 66% grown with modern methods on plantations and the rest on traditionally managed small farms.

Today, Vietnam's coffee production in Asia has surpassed Colombia's, and Indonesia has developed into the world's fourth-largest coffee-producing country. In 1721, French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu overcame great difficulty to bring the first coffee seedling from Africa to Martinique in Latin America, marking the origin of Latin American coffee cultivation. Because France was under Bourbon rule at the time, the Arabica grown in Latin America gained another name that remains famous in the industry today: "Bourbon." Bourbon is now an important branch of Arabica. The overall flavor profile of Latin American coffee is known for its balance, as every coffee flavor can be found within it. The common use of wet processing for green beans is another hallmark of Latin American coffee, and good processing also makes the beans larger and more uniform than African coffees, with lower defect rates.

Colombia is one of the world's largest producers of high-quality coffee, a shining gem on the world coffee map, a coffee land blessed by God. Arabica is grown on steep slopes at altitudes of 800-1900 meters in the foothills, all hand-picked and wet-processed.

Colombia's suitable climate provides a true "natural pasture" for coffee. Its coffee trees are grown mainly in the Andes on steep slopes around 1300 meters above sea level, where the year-round temperature is about 18°C, annual rainfall is 2000-3000mm, at latitude 1°-11°15' N and longitude 72°-78° W, with specific altitude ranges that can exceed 2000 meters.

Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

Estate: Santa Rita

History of Colombian Coffee Cultivation

The history of coffee in Colombia can be traced back to the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century. Several theories explain how it arrived:

One theory holds that it arrived by sea from the Caribbean island of Haiti, via El Salvador in Central America.

Another states that in 1808 a priest first introduced coffee to Colombia from the French Antilles by way of Venezuela. One version suggests Colombia's first coffee seeds entered through Santander Province from Venezuela.

A third points to the earliest record of Colombian coffee cultivation appearing in Spanish missionary Jose Gumilla's book "The Illustrated Orinoca." He described his experiences during missionary work along both banks of the Meta River in 1730, mentioning local coffee plantations. By 1787, other missionaries had spread coffee to other parts of Colombia.

Hand-poured Colombian Santa Rita: 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fuji Royal hand grinder with ghost teeth), 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 drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Flavor: Sugarcane, clean, medium body

Located in northwestern South America, Colombia is a beautiful country with a long history. Since ancient times, indigenous people have lived and thrived on this land. It became a Spanish colony in 1531 and gained independence in 1819. It was renamed to its current name in 1886 to honor Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent. Colombia features beautiful mountains, pleasant scenery, a comfortable climate, spring-like weather year-round, and fresh air. It is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds known as its "four treasures." Today the country is the second-largest coffee producer after Brazil, the world's largest exporter of Arabica beans, and the world's largest exporter of washed coffee. Colombian coffee is often described as silky and smooth. Among all coffees it has the finest balance, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel to enjoy at any time. It has earned praise unmatched by other coffees: it has been hailed as "green gold."

Coffee Varieties

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

Compared with these botanical traits, people may care more about Caturra's flavor. The higher the altitude where it grows, the better the quality, but the lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra shows obvious acidity and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be excellent, but the body is relatively low compared with Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the cup is somewhat lacking.

Caturra usually produces red cherries, but in rare regions there are yellow Caturra varieties. Hawaii, for example, grows a very small amount of yellow Caturra.

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

Catuai trees are relatively short. Compared with other coffee trees, Catuai's fruit grows more firmly and is harder to pick. The fruit comes in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no significant flavor difference has been found between yellow and red fruit. In fact, some cuppers have found that although some yellow-fruit coffees have good acidity, the cleanliness of the cup is worse than that of red-fruit varieties.

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

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee, Ingredients: In-house roasted, Shelf life: 90 days, Net content: 227g, Packaging: Bulk, Taste: Aromatic coffee beans, Raw/roasted degree: Roasted coffee beans, Contains sugar: Sugar-free, Origin: Colombia, Coffee type: Colombian coffee, Roasting degree: Medium roast

Colombia Santa Rita Special Reserve

Country: Colombia

Region: Antioquia Department

Altitude: 1600-2100 meters

Processing: Washed

Santa Rita Estate is located in Antioquia Department, Colombia, in a micro-region adjacent to the Andes. This premium coffee is produced collaboratively by 9 nearby farms. These 9 farms still use traditional methods: hand-picking the cherries, then traditionally washing the fruit, with the processed beans laid out on racks to sun-dry. The Andes setting gives this growing region fertile volcanic soil and unique water resources.

The main variety of Colombian coffee is Coffea arabica. The plant is a small tree or large shrub, 5-8 meters tall, usually branching near the base; old branches are grayish-white with swollen nodes, while young branches are hairless and flattened. The leaves are thin and leathery, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 6-14 cm long and 3.5-5 cm wide, with a long acuminate apex of 10-15 mm, a cuneate or slightly obtuse base, rarely rounded, entire or shallowly wavy, hairless on both surfaces, with or without small pits in the vein axils beneath; the midrib is prominent on both surfaces with 7-13 lateral veins per side; the petiole is 8-15 mm long; the stipules are broadly triangular, those on the upper young branches with a conical long apex or awn tip, those on old branches often abruptly tipped, 3-6 mm long. Several cymes cluster in the leaf axils, each inflorescence with 2-5 flowers, without peduncles or with very short ones; the flowers are fragrant with pedicels 0.5-1 mm long; the bracts are partially fused at the base, of two types, two broadly triangular with nearly equal length and width, and two lanceolate, twice as long as wide and leaf-shaped; the calyx tube is cylindrical, 2.5-3 mm long, the calyx limb truncate or with 5 small teeth; the corolla is white, its length varying by variety, generally 10-18 mm, usually 5-lobed at the apex and rarely 4- or 6-lobed, the lobes usually longer than the corolla tube with an often obtuse apex; the anthers extend beyond the corolla tube, 6-8 mm long; the style is 12-14 mm long with a 2-lobed stigma 3-4 mm long. The berries are broadly elliptical when ripe and red, 12-16 mm long and 10-12 mm in diameter, with a hard-membranous exocarp and a fleshy, sweet mesocarp; the seeds are convex on the dorsal surface and flat on the ventral surface with a longitudinal groove, 8-10 mm long and 5-7 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs in March-April.

[Colombia Santa Rita] (Washed, Medium-Dark Roast) - Sugarcane, clean, medium body. Santa Rita Estate sits in Antioquia Department, Colombia, using traditional methods: hand-picking the cherries, then traditionally washing the fruit, with the processed beans laid out on racks to sun-dry. The Andes setting gives this growing region fertile volcanic soil and unique water resources.

Coffee cultivation also needs sunlight and appropriate shade, and grows best in fertile or volcanic-ash soil. Coffee is therefore widely distributed across South America, Central America, the West Indies, Asia, Africa, Arabia, the South Pacific, and Oceania. Major producing regions include Ethiopia and Tanzania in Africa; Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica in Central and South America; and Vietnam and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. In South America, Brazil accounts for 30-50% of world production, while Colombia accounts for 10-20%.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For anyone exploring Colombia, FrontStreet Colombia Huila is the natural next step after Santa Rita. Huila is the country's most famous specialty region, a cluster of hills ringed by mountains where coffee grows above 1500 meters and the country's most important rivers converge, bringing abundant water and humidity. This washed Huila is roasted medium-dark, which draws out sweet black chocolate and nut aromas, moderate oil, and a full body; it works as a pour-over or French press and is equally suited to a moka pot or espresso machine for an Americano or latte. If you want to taste how far Colombian coffee can go, FrontStreet Colombia Finca La Frontera Sidra uses an anaerobic natural process. Anaerobic fermentation, sometimes called carbonic maceration, is fermentation in a low- or no-oxygen environment, usually in a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank where temperature, time, pH, and other variables are controlled. The anaerobic natural process develops far more tropical fruit aroma, and at a light-medium roast the Sidra shows complex, intense notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and candied fruit in a pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot.

For a 1:15 pour-over, use 15g of coffee, medium grind, and 88-89°C water: bloom with 30g for 27 seconds, pour to 105g, then continue slowly to 225g and finish around 2:00.