Colombian Coffee History, Coffee Development, La Divisa Hacienda Sidra, and Geisha Coffee Beans Introduction

Colombia is a coastal nation located in the northern part of South America. The country's terrain is generally divided into the western mountainous region and the eastern plains region. The west is mainly the Andes mountain range with several coastal plains, while the east is primarily the Orinoco Plain and the Amazon Plain.

According to some records, coffee may have been introduced to Colombia in 1723 by Jesuit missionaries and gradually spread throughout the country. However, it was not until the late 19th century that it truly began to develop. But during the period of 1899-1903, Colombia experienced civil unrest, leading to a sharp decline in coffee farming population and numerous abandoned plantations. After the unrest ended, the government, in order to save the coffee industry, began consolidating wasteland and dividing it into small plots, selling them to farmers at extremely low prices to cultivate coffee and other crops for a new life. By 1912, coffee had developed and accounted for 50% of Colombia's total exports.

However, coffee produced by small coffee farms had little say in the international coffee market. Therefore, in 1920, at the suggestion of coffee farmers, the Colombian Coffee Federation was established to protect the interests of small coffee farms. Later, the organization continued to grow and develop, and in 1927 facilitated the formation of the more authoritative and standardized Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers, abbreviated as FNC. After its establishment, the FNC implemented a series of initiatives, including strict quality control, establishment of a national coffee research center, and the creation of Juan Valdez and his mule Conchita to promote Colombian coffee, enhancing the global competitiveness and influence of Colombian coffee. Currently, Colombia has become the world's third-largest coffee producer and exporter, but coffee cultivation is still dominated by small estates. Among them are many famous estates, such as Finca El Diviso.

Nestor Lasso with Family and Friends

Finca El Diviso is located in Colombia's most famous producing region—Huila, and is a coffee estate situated at an altitude of approximately 1,700 meters. The estate is a family enterprise that has been producing coffee for 27 years, founded by Jose Uribe Lasso in 1996, with 14 hectares of planting area. The main staff are almost all family and friends, and the estate is currently operated by the founder's son, Nestor Lasso. Each year from May to July is the small harvest season, and from September to December is the main harvest season. The estate mainly grows twelve coffee varieties including Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Castillo, Sidra, and Caturra.

Australian Contestant Anthony Douglas

At the 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC), a contestant from Australia, Anthony Douglas, used Sidra coffee beans from Finca El Diviso and won the championship. This made Finca El Diviso and Sidra variety coffee instantly famous.

FrontStreet Coffee's Selection

Of course, FrontStreet Coffee has also acquired coffee beans from Finca El Diviso. In addition to the championship-winning Sidra coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee has also obtained Geisha coffee beans from the estate. FrontStreet Coffee's Finca El Diviso Sidra coffee beans are processed using double anaerobic natural method. After brewing with V60 at a 1:15 ratio, it presents fermented notes with flavors of grape, passion fruit, dried apricot, and citrus, with a smooth and mellow mouthfeel. Meanwhile, FrontStreet Coffee's Finca El Diviso Geisha is processed using the washed method. After brewing with V60 at a 1:15 ratio, you'll smell jasmine flower aromatics, and taste flavors of red grapefruit and citrus, with a smooth, tea-like mouthfeel.

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