FAQ´S About Colombian Coffee

colombia: COUNTRY PROFILE

Size – 1,138,910 sq km

Capital City – Bogotá

Main Port City – Buenaventura, Cartagena

Population – 47,220,856

Language/s Spoken – Spanish (official)

colombian COFFEE PRODUCER PROFILE

Population Involved in Coffee – 600,000 farmers (estimated)

Typical Farm Size – 1–5 hectares

Bags Exported Annually – 11–13 million bags

Colombian Coffee PROFILE

Growing Regions – Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, Cesar, Caquetá, Casanare, Cundinamarca, Guajira, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle

Common Varieties – Bourbon, Castillo, Catimor, Caturra, Colombia, Typica

Processing Methods – Washed

Bag Size – 70 kg

Harvest Periods: Cauca + Nariño – May–July (main), November–January (fly); Huila – November–January (main), May–July (fly)

Typical Arrival – Year-round

Why is Colombian Coffee so special in the world?

What makes it so special is the deeply rooted tradition of the selective harvesting of Colombian Coffee, the post-harvest process which includes the drying, classification, threshing and roasting processes, are the basis for the optimum-quality Colombian coffee. Whole families have grown in coffee-producing farms, making them craftsmen and artesans of coffee.

colombian COFFEE CERTIFICATIONS

The types of coffee certificates that exist in Colombia

Several decades ago, a special program called “The 100% Colombian Coffee Program” was lauched by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. The coffee brands that are part of this program guarantee traceability and guarantee of origin through verious certification that vary basically by área of acceptance though they all guarantee more or less the same points: origin and quality. The group of certificates are:

Denomination of Origin, the  Protected Geographical Indication, and the Certification Marks. Depending on the country, one or other certificated may be the one accepted or recognized.

1)- Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): (Spanish: Indicaciones Geograficas) used in South America and Europe. This certificate demostrates connection between the origin claimed and the qaulity of the product. Non authorized users are not allowed to use the PGI even if their product comes from such geographic place, given that not only the origin of the product is guaranteed but also the high-quality standards implied by the PGI.

2)- Denomination of Origin Colombian Coffee (Spanish: denominación de Origen Protegida): certification accepted in Europa

3)- Certification of Marks – (Spanish: Marcas de Certificacion MC): accepted mainly in the USA.

4)- Fair Trade-this allows us to know that the farmers have sold their coffee through a cooperative, thus receiving a fair rate for their coffee.

What exactly is Colombian Coffee?

It is the denomination given to a 100% washed arabica coffee that has been produced in coffee growing regions in Colombia. It a superb coffee with a history. To be a Café de Colombia, the coffee must be of Premium quality, 100% Arabica coffee, produced in Colombia´s coffee growing zone and at specific altitudes that can even surpass 2000 meters above sea level.

What is the function of Coffee Q Graders?

Q graders look for complex flavor profiles, roasters selecting different toasting curves or baristas. All coffee beans can be classified over 100.  According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), specialty coffee is an Arabica coffee with a cup score of 80+ points.

When reading about Colombian Coffee, I see FNC. What does it stand for?

Colombian Coffee Grower’s Federation (FNC)

Where was Colombian coffee was first grown commercially?

Colombian coffee was first grown commercially in Colombia, in Salazar de las Palmas, north of Santander.

What is The Colombian Coffee Region or Coffee Triangle?

It is the name of the región in Colombia where most of the best Colombian coffee is produced, supposedly the best coffee in the world.

What coffee-producing regions are those?

They are as follows: Nariño, Norte de Santander, Antioquia, Valle del, Cauca, Huila, Tolima, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio and Cundinamarca and the ciities: Pereira, Armenia, Manizales.

Where is the best place to grow the best Colombian Coffee?

The best coffee comes from the mountains. Coffee plants love the shade, therefore banana trees are a common plant that can be seen in coffee plantations.

Why is Colombian Coffee expensive compared to other coffees in the world?

Mainly for two reasons: Colombian Coffee is hand-picked, one bean at a time, thus ensuring that the ripeness of all beans is the same instead of using machines that just strip each branch, no matter whether the ripe beans are mixed with green, which lead to a bitter taste in many cases. On the other hand, the rainy season is when we harvest the most.  So, the rain, combined with the slopes of the mountains where the Premium coffee plantations are, make it a very difficult business. Most plantations are small, 2/3 hectares, given that it is practically imposible to hand-pick more quantities per family.

how many coffee cherries are requiered to make 1 pound (450 grams) of colombian coffee?

Approximately 1,700 coffee cherries! One tree can produce 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of dry coffee per year.

How is the process of producing Colombian coffee?

1- Planting: The best seeds are selecting for planting.

2- Flowering: The flowering process takes 4-6 months

3- Ripening: Beans ripen in 6-8 months.

4- Harvest: the picking by hand, one by one, of the ripe beans.

5- Wet-processing (depulping): the pulp separated from the coffee vean

6- Wet-processing (fermentation and washing): beans are left to ferment and later wash.

7- Wet-processing (Drying): the beans are left out to dry

8- Milling: Shell es removed from the coffee converting it into green bean.

9- Milling: The coffee is filtered by size and quality.

10- Roasting: The Green coffee is roasted which brings out the aroma and flavor of the coffee.

Where does Colombian coffee come from?

All coffees come from a cherry. Inside the cherry are two coffee beans. It does not grow on a tree but on a coffee plant. First a white flower comes out, then a cherry. Coffee beans are like the pit of a cherry.

Why does grounded coffee get old before roasted coffee?

When grounded, more coffee particules are in contact with the air and therfore will lose freshness sooner.

What you should watch out for when buying coffee:

Do not buy coffee per kilo from open sacks. Coffee beans in open sacks are in contact with heat, light, moisture and air, and therfore get old sooner. Also try to buy coffee from well-sealed and thick packages. The ideal packages are those with one-way valve. When roasted, the coffee beans expell gases. With these one-way valeve bags, the gases leave (that way we avoid bags exploding as used to happen before) but air does not enter, thus maintaining the coffee bean fresh for longer periods of time. Watch out for packages in see-through or thin paper bags or paper-bags with windows.

What to look for when buying your Premium colombian coffee from a store:

Nowadays, buying coffee can be a challenge. There are coffee shops or super markets that make it very difficult to choose with so many options.

Packages might probably mention the following:

Country of origin

Region (area in the country)

Grade (that is the size of the bean, the bigger the better quality). The best Colombian is the Supremo, then the Excelsos.

Variety: each variety has different flavor.

What are some typical roast levels?

Some names in the market, from lightest to darkest, are: City Roast, Full City, Vienna, French Roast, Italian Roast, Spanish Roast, Turkish coffee roast (charred).  We present numbered chart to pick from.

How many coffees can I get out of 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of coffee?

It depends on how many grams used per coffee, but we can estimate 130-140 expressos.

How long does it take for a newly-planted coffee tree seed to be able to give coffee beans?

Estimate around 2-3  years.

Who is Juan Valdez in Colombia?

Juan Valdez is a fictional marketing icon. He is a farmer with a mule.

did you know?

… that a coffee bean does not grow twice in the same spot?

How long can a colombian coffee plant produce coffee beans?

A Colombian coffee plant will produce coffee beans for around 20 years before being replaced, though it can live to be 100.

The different colors of Colombian roasted coffee

Roasting basically means cooking coffee. The lighter the toast, the less time it has been “cooked”. The lighter-colored coffee has usually been roasted for 3 minutes, and the darkest 15-16 minutes. They start to crack at around 6 minutes. Starbucks usually uses the darkest roast. Their quality of coffee is usually not the best and roasting until dark camouflages the quality of the bean. When coffee beans have been highly-roasted, the coffee has a sweeter taste due to the oils and caramels released.

What is better for a Premium or Supremo Colombian coffee? Lightly-roasted coffee or dark-coffee?

It all depends on your palate. If you wish to taste the coffee bean and savor its earthly flavors, better lightly roasted. If you are looking for a more caramely flavor, then darkly-roasted coffee.

What are the requirements to export Green Colombian coffee?

Almacafé is the organism responsible for authorizing the export of the Colombian coffee beans. The coffee to be exported has to have gone through:

Analysis of sensory quality, granulometry and humidity in accordance with the existing regulations in Colombia.  A Colombian Coffee can only be exported if it meets all the minimum existing quality parameters, which are checked over at all the ports where the coffee is exported in Colombia. That task is carried out by Almacafé.

Where does coffee originally come from?

Ethiopia

What is a form of differentiating types of coffees?

One way es by looking that the plant. Measuring the nodes, the plant height and shape, fruit and seed appearance.

What was the name of the first coffee to leave Ethiopia?

Typica es the first name given to the first coffee to leave Ethiopia, to Yemen, then Java then France, then to different parts of the world including Central and South America. The name Typica soon took the names of the places where it was planted, including Arabica. Another group, like Typica, is the Bourboun, a bigger and busier and more productive plant. Then other variation was  Bourboun, the second largest family that grew outside of Ethiopia after Typica. From the Bourboun we get the Caturra.

What is the best way of understanding types of coffees?

Take, as an example, apples. Coffee is like apples. We have the red delicious Apple. Then we have the Green Apple. Then we have the pink Apple, which is a mix of both. Each one has its distinctive taste and look. The same goes with the coffee.

What is Arabica and what is Robusta Colombian coffee?

Arabica beans are grown at high altitudes, on very steep slopes and over 1000 m above sea level. Robusta beans are harvested at lower altitudes and easier to produce and pick. Arabica coffee is therefore more prized for flavor and rarity.

What is gourmet coffee?

Gourmet coffee is used to describe quality coffee. Gourmet coffee uses Premium Arabica Colombian coffee beans.

What is Specialty Coffee?

A Specialty Coffee is an Arabica coffee that has been graded and has obtained a score of over 80 points out of 100, according to the Specialty Coffee Associaton (SCA).

What is a blend coffee?

Blend is a mix of coffee beans. Blends are usually lower-quality coffee beans from different farms, as opposed to high quality coffee beans that are from single farms, that are mixed together. They are usually roasted before being mixed. Blending coffees are usually dark coffees for they have been roasted to the máximum point until acheiving a caramely sabor which hides the lower-quality of the bean.