Famous Coffee Origins in the Americas: Colombia's Coffee as One of the Country's Four Treasures

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Colombian Coffee

Colombian coffee plantations are mostly concentrated in the Andes Mountains at altitudes of 1,300 meters. Here, fertile soil, abundant sunshine, and plentiful rainfall create perfect natural conditions that make many other coffee-growing countries around the world envious. Perhaps when it comes to coffee cultivation and production, God has indeed favored Colombia.

Vast coffee gardens are scattered among lush mountains, where coffee farmers' traditional lifestyles are well preserved in the small towns surrounding the growing areas.

Two towns, Salento and Finlandia, are hidden in the fairytale-like Valle de Cocora, where neat coffee trees and plantations cover the mountainsides. Households in these towns paint their homes with bright and rich colors, while the subtle yet elegant aroma of coffee permeates the quiet streets.

Colombian coffee beans belong to the small-grained coffee variety (the intensity of coffee is inversely proportional to the size of the beans). After washed processing and medium roasting, they exhibit a delicate and silky taste: sweet with hints of acidity, balanced bitterness, with the three flavors of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness perfectly harmonized. Colombian coffee cultivation is primarily based on small farms, with over 300,000 coffee plantations nationwide covering 1.07 million hectares. 30% to 40% of the rural population depends directly on coffee production for their livelihood.

Colombian coffee is generally grown in high-altitude regions above 1,300 meters in the Andes Mountains. Tall trees such as banana trees are interplanted in the plantations to provide shade for the coffee trees. Local people cultivate coffee with great precision, producing coffee that is smooth, balanced, and fresh in aroma—ranging from high-quality commercial beans on average to outstanding specialty coffees.

Today, Colombia has renowned quality-producing regions such as Narino, Medellin, Cauca, and Huila. It is said that Starbucks holds exclusive purchasing rights to special grade Narino, which can be said to guarantee excellent market prospects.

Because Colombian coffee quality is generally very high and extremely reliable, the country has adopted a surprisingly simple grading system with only two levels—Supremo (Special Select) and Extra (Premium).

Additionally, about 5% of round beans called Peaberry or Peabean are selected separately. If buyers are not seeking single-origin coffee but rather commercial coffee, Colombians will mix Supreme and Extra grades in certain proportions for sale. This blend is called Excelso.

Knowledge Point

The cultivation history of Colombian coffee can be traced back to the Spanish colonial era in the 16th century. It is one of the country's famous "Four Treasures" (the other three being gold, emeralds, and flowers).

In Brief

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