What is Colombia's Coffee Production? How Should You Drink Medellin Coffee?

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Colombian Coffee Overview

The western region of Colombia is home to the Andes Mountains, which split into three sections: the Western, Central, and Eastern Cordilleras. The Cauca and Magdalena rivers flow from the Caribbean lowlands. Colombia is currently the world's second-largest coffee producer, using wet processing for Arabica coffee beans. It is also one of the largest producers of high-quality coffee globally. Traditional dark roast coffee has an intense and memorable flavor. Coffee was first introduced to Colombia in 1808 by a priest who brought it from the French Antilles via Venezuela. Today, the country is the third-largest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam, with an annual output of 12 million bags (60 kg each), while Brazil's annual production reaches 31 million bags.

The importance of coffee in Colombia is evident from the following example: all vehicles entering the country must be sprayed with disinfectant to avoid inadvertently bringing diseases that could harm coffee trees.

Major Growing Regions

The main growing regions include Huila (San Augustin), Narino, Tolima, Popayan (Cauca), Valle de Cauca, Meta, Antioquia (Medellin), Magdelena (Sierra Nevada), Boyaca, and Santander (Bucaramanga). Colombia has 700 million documented coffee trees, of which 66% are cultivated using modern methods on plantations, while the remainder grows on traditionally managed small farms. The main varieties include Caturra, Colombia, Tipica, Bourbon, Maragogype, and Tabi. Nationwide farms and cooperatives of all sizes are operated by over 500,000 farmers, distributed across 590 municipalities and 14 major coffee-producing regions. A total of 2 million Colombians depend on coffee cultivation for their livelihood, contributing 12.5% to the country's GDP.

Coffee Trade and Distribution

Colombian coffee farm owners can sell all their products to the Coffee Growers Federation at official low prices or to exporters who may offer higher prices. In practice, the Coffee Growers Federation controls overall exports to Europe, while coffee exported to the United States is mainly handled through private exporters. However, all exports are subject to minimum export price controls.

Antioquia Province

Antioquia Province, located in north-central Colombia, has 126,000 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation, producing 2,000,000 bags (60kg each) of coffee beans, accounting for 18% of Colombia's production, second only to Huila Province. Most of this province consists of highland terrain belonging to the Andes Mountains, yet it benefits from the warm Caribbean sea breezes. The provincial capital, Medellin, is Colombia's second-largest city and also an important coffee-producing region.

This region features many small farms producing micro-batch specialty coffees with distinctive regional flavor characteristics. In recent years, with the international market's emphasis on coffee quality and demand for specialty coffee, production has shifted to micro-regional selections organized by small farmers. Dozens of small farmers contribute their individual harvests to form a micro-batch for sale, resulting in better quality control. This approach also allows for cupping each batch individually, selecting many high-quality specific micro-regional small farmer coffees. Their coffee flavors are more vibrant, with fresh ripe fruit and caramel aromas, and a more harmonious balance between acidity and sweetness.

Colombia is fortunate to have both Atlantic and Pacific ports, which helps reduce coffee transportation costs. In South America, it is the only country with this advantage. Colombia's main production areas are located in the Central and Eastern Cordillera regions.

Key Growing Areas

The most important plantations along the Central Cordillera are located in the Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales regions. Among these three areas, Medellin region coffee has the best quality and commands higher prices, characterized by full-bodied, nutrient-rich, aromatic coffee with moderate acidity. These three regions are collectively known as MAM (acronym of the first letters of the three main city names). Among Colombia's premium export coffees, most originate from the MAM region. Along the Eastern Cordillera, the two best areas are around Bogotá and further north around Bucaramanga. Bogotá coffee has lower acidity than Medellin coffee, but both are of comparable quality.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests Colombian coffee brewing parameters:

V60/90°C/1:15/Total time two minutes

Flavor: Plum, caramel

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