Hacienda Mallorca Estate Introduction Colombia Coffee Information

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Hacienda Mallorca Estate

Hacienda Mallorca Estate is managed by Santiago Londoño, whose father and uncle own the estate. Coffee cultivation began here in 1932. The estate is located in Valle del Cauca, near the border town of Caicedonia. For many years, his family has produced green coffee beans in this region and owns several estates. After completing his MBA studies, Santiago Londoño decided to return to Hacienda Mallorca Estate to implement sustainable development plans. During this period, he replanted shade trees.

Hacienda Mallorca Estate primarily grows Caturra varieties. Four years ago, his family decided to plant Geisha and Yellow Bourbon, two coffee varieties rarely grown in Colombia. These varieties are shaded by banana trees, which also help observe the effects of sun shade on coffee growth and harvest yields. The banana trees serve multiple functions: maintaining soil moisture and slowing the ripening speed of coffee cherries, resulting in more ideal and outstanding coffee flavors.

To manage the estate, Santiago must adopt new green bean processing methods, such as natural and honey processing. This approach allows him to experiment with special flavors through different processing methods while diversifying his products to meet market demands. Santiago's estate management approach focuses on detailed documentation of each production batch to improve green coffee quality and traceability. He has established temperature-controlled warehouses where each batch of green beans is stored at 19°C for maturation. Each batch of matured green beans is sent to the nearby quality cupping company Café Y Procesos for cupping and grading. This company also assists in grading and blending three specialty blends for market sales.

Colombian Coffee Regions

The main coffee-producing regions in Colombia include: Huila (San Augustin), Narino, Tolima, Popayan (Cauca), Valle de Cauca, Meta, Antioquia (Medellin), Magdelena (Sierra Nevada), Boyaca, and Santander (Bucaramanga).

Colombia has documented 700 million coffee trees, with 66% planted using modern cultivation methods in plantations, while the remainder grows on traditionally managed small farms. Main varieties include Caturra, Colombia, Tipica, Bourbon, Maragogype, and Tabi. Across the country, farms and cooperatives of all sizes are operated by more than 500,000 farmers, distributed across 590 municipalities and 14 major coffee-producing regions. A total of 2 million Colombian nationals depend on coffee cultivation for their livelihoods, contributing 12.5% to the national gross domestic product.

In the early 1960s, coffee yield was approximately 600 kg per hectare; this has now increased to around 900 kg, with some farms reaching 2,500 kg. Colombia established the National Coffee Management Association in 1927, responsible for quality supervision. Although the association is a private institution, it acts on behalf of the government. In addition to organizing the industry, the association is responsible for coffee price control, as well as healthcare, education, road construction, employment of agricultural technicians, research, quality supervision, direct management of 50% of total export business, and employment of marketing personnel. Like Kenya's National Coffee Management Association, it serves as a management model for coffee organizations.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper with Komatsu R440 grinder at setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French press: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature between 90°C-91°C

AeroPress: Recommended grinder setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

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