Colombian Coffee is a
Protected designation of originProtected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are geographical indications, or more precisely regimes within the Protected Geographical Status framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods...
granted by the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
(September 2007) that applies to the
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
produced in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste. The main importers of Colombian coffee are
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, The Netherlands and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
.
Colombian coffee, also known as Colombian Mild, is characterized by its soft
terroirTerroir was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique...
. Only crops of
Coffea arabicaCoffea arabica is a species of coffee indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee". Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, being grown in southwest Arabia for well over 1,000 years...
of Maragogype, Caturra, Typica and Bourbon cultivars, among others, are grown.
Colombian Coffee is a
Protected designation of originProtected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are geographical indications, or more precisely regimes within the Protected Geographical Status framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods...
granted by the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
(September 2007) that applies to the
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
produced in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste. The main importers of Colombian coffee are
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, The Netherlands and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
.
Description
Colombian coffee, also known as Colombian Mild, is characterized by its soft
terroirTerroir was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique...
. Only crops of
Coffea arabicaCoffea arabica is a species of coffee indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee". Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, being grown in southwest Arabia for well over 1,000 years...
of Maragogype, Caturra, Typica and Bourbon cultivars, among others, are grown. When Colombian coffee is freshly roasted it has a bright acidity, is heavy in body and is intensely aromatic.
History
Coffee was first introduced to the country of Colombia in the early 1800s. The cultivation of coffee for trade purposes began around 1835 in Salazar de las Palmas, Norte de Santander. Throughout the 20th century, coffee was the main export from Colombia. In 1999, coffee represented 3.7% of the national income. The Protected Designation of Origin regions of coffee production in Colombia are: Antioquia,
CaldasCaldas may refer to:*Çaldaş, Azerbaijan* Caldas Department, in Colombia.* Caldas, Antioquia, a town in Antioquia, Colombia.* Caldas, Minas Gerais, a town in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil...
, Cundinamarca, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Quindío,
RisaraldaRisaralda may refer to:* Risaralda Department, in Colombia* Risaralda River* Risaralda, Caldas a town and municipality in Caldas Department...
,
TolimaTolima may refer to:* Nevado del Tolima, volcano in Colombia* Tolima Department of Colombia.* Tolima Valley* Deportes Tolima a Football team in First Division...
and Valle del Cauca.
The region comprised of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío is known as the
Colombian Coffee-Growers AxisColombian Coffee-Growers Axis a part the Colombian Paisa region famous for the growing and production of a majority of the Colombian coffee, which is renowned as some of the best coffee in the world. The axis is comprised of three departments: Caldas, Quindio and Risaralda...
, because of the many high-quality cultivated crops grown here. In 1999, an
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph...
severely affected this region, but the area enjoyed a quick economic recovery (see 1999 Armenia earthquake).
Nearly 75% of the production is exported. The international market for coffee is regulated by
Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de ColombiaThe Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia , often abbreviated Fedecafé, is a non-profit business association, popularly known for its "Juan Valdez" marketing campaign. The federation was founded in 1927 as a business cooperative that promotes the production and exportation of Colombian coffee...
. Today Colombia accounts for about 12% of the coffee market (by value) in the world, Brazil is in second.
Harvesting process
The harvesters pick the coffee berries individually from the plant and pack them in
fiqueFique is a natural fiber that grows in the leaves of the fique plant , a xerophytic monocot native to Andean regions of Colombia. From here it was extended to Venezuela and the east coast of Brazil. Common names: Fique, Cabuya, Pita, Penca, Maguey, Cabui, Chuchao or Coquiza.The fique plant is...
sacks, carrying the fruits on their backs, or with help of
pack animalA pack animal is a beast of burden used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back; the term may be applied to either an individual animal or a species so employed....
s, to the depulping machine. The pulp is used as
compostCompost is a combination of food material and other organic material that is being decomposed through aerobic decomposition into a rich black soil. The process of composting is simple and practiced by individuals in their homes, farmers on their land, and industrially by cities.Compost soil is...
, while the coffee beans are fermented in containers for 24 hours to enhance their quality.
After the fermentation, the coffee beans are washed with water to remove vegetative matter and damaged coffee beans. This step differentiates Colombian Mild Coffee from other mild non-washed coffees such as Mild Brazilian. The coffee beans must then be dried under direct sunlight, and covered during the night and when raining.
Roasting
The coffee beans had been roasted with
charcoalCharcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood, sugar, bone char, or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
in saucepans from the fourteenth century to the late nineteenth century, when the rotary gas-ignited oven was developed, which is still in use today. The oven roasts the beans at temperatures between and for 10 to 20 minutes. Roasting the coffee beans converts the
starchStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds.Starch is produced by all green plants as an energy store and is a major food source for humans....
es into the aromatic oils which give the coffee its characteristic flavor.
According with the type of roasting, from low roast to high roast, the coffee beans are classified as:
- Level: Cinnamon Roast. Aspect: Slightly roasted, Light cinnamon color. features: Nut flavor, High acidity
- Level: American Roast. Aspect: Mid Roasted, Chestnut color. Features: caramel flavor
- Level: City Roast. Aspect: Mid Roasted, medium brown, no oils on surface. features: Full coffee flavor, mid acidity.
- Level: Full City Roast. Aspect: Mid Roasted, medium-dark brown. Features: Full coffee flavor, low acidity
- Level: Vienna Roast. Aspect: Intense Roast, dark brown, traces of oil on surface. Features: Slightly bitter flavor
- Level: French Roast. Aspect: Intense Roast, dark brown-black, oily surface. features: Bitter flavor
- Level: Italian Roast. Aspect: Intense roast, bitter, black, oily surface. Features:Smoked flavor
- Espresso Roast. Aspect: Intense Roast, specific for espresso
Caffè espresso, espresso, is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee....
machines. features: Smoked sweet flavor. This is not an actual roast level, since there are many different styles to roast espresso from Full City to Italian.
Café de Colombia logo
Juan ValdezJuan Valdez is a fictional character that has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1959, representing the Colombian coffee farmer. He typically appears alongside his mule Conchita, carrying sacks of harvested coffee beans...
is the logo of Colombian coffee (Café de Colombia).
The Juan Valdez logotype was created by Doyle Dane Bernbach in March 1959. It includes the fictional character Juan Valdez, his mule Conchita, and the Colombian mountains in the background. It identifies the coffee products made with 100% Colombian coffee and approved by the National Federation of Coffee Growers.
Coffee research in Colombia
The National Center for Coffee Research (Spanish acronym CENICAFE) conducts research to modify varieties of Arabica for natural resistance to pests; one such improved varietal is the Colombia Variety (a modified Caturra which is resistant to Roya (
Hemileia vastatrixHemileia vastatrix is a fungus of the order Uredinales that causes coffee rust, a disease that is devastating to coffee plantations. Coffee serves as the obligate host of coffee rust, that is, the rust must have access to and come into physical contact with coffee in order to...
). CENICAFE also develops defenses against the
coffee borer beetleThe coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is a small beetle native to Africa. It is recognised as the most harmful pest to coffee crops worldwide. The insect affects over seventy countries, mainly in Latin America...
with biologic controls such as the
Beauveria bassianaBeauveria bassiana is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various insect species, causing white muscardine disease; it thus belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi...
fungus.
The Tiwun Coffee
The Tiwun (from the Arhuaco language word for "origin") is an organic coffee produced by the Arhuaco people of the
Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaThe Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
. The Colombian government established this and other programs to prevent the production of narcotic crops, and to preserve the cultural heritage of the environmentally friendly agriculture of the indigenous people. The Tiwun is currently exported to
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, USA and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
External links