Commercial or Specialty Coffee?
Accounting for roughly 10% of the world’s coffee supply and revered around the world, Colombia is one of the big players in the global coffee industry both in commercial and specialty. Colombia is world # 1 Arabica coffee producer and world # 3 coffee exporter.
No one knows exactly when coffee arrived in what is now Colombia. Some think the bean came with Jesuit priests in the seventeenth century. The first crops were harvested in the Northeast part of the country, but coffee was quickly adopted across the nation by small, family farms as a local cash crop. In 1835 the first shipment of coffee overseas when 2500 pounds of coffee headed from Colombia to the United States.
Richest and Most Diverse Region on Earth
Colombia is bisected by the Andes Mountains which splits into three parallel cordilleras (mountain ranges) as they run south to north. Much of the nation’s coffee is grown in this area. Colombia contains two of South America’s most “biodiversity hotspots”. The Tumbes-Choco hotspot occupies all of Colombia’s coast, while the Tropical Andes hotspot covers nearly all its mountain ranges. With this special geography, Colombia has “richest and most diverse region on earth,” to grow coffee. It is estimated that there are over 600,000 coffee producing farmers in the country. Most of them are small and rurally located, and there are several coffee cooperatives to help link small farmers together.
Different Flavor Profiles per Region
In the Northern and Central regions, the lower altitude and higher temperatures result in coffee with a full body, well-rounded with Nutty and chocolate flavor. On the contrary, In the Southern region of Nariño, Cauca, Huila and Tolima, the high elevation tends to produce coffee with a higher acidity, floral aromas, and complex flavor profiles. Most of specialty coffee in Colombia comes from this region.
Our Coffee Selection from Colombia
Belux Coffee Roasters selects Colombia coffee from Nariño, Cauca and Huila. We taste and rotate it every year base on the year production, quality and flavor. Direct trade and partnership with coffee farm is our target. Other than Esmeralda estate in Panama which we bring delicious and luxury Geisha coffee in, in 2018 we met Café Granja La Esperanza owner, Rigoberto in SCA EXPO in Seattle to start some projects. In 2019 we start to Cerro Azul Geisha and Geisha cascara. At same year, Café Granja La Esperanza’s sales and marketing director, Camilo Hadad, visited our store and held coffee tasting together. We learnt more about the coffee farm about coffee plant, varietals, process and their future plan. Meanwhile we tasted Geisha XO, Sudan Rume and Larina several different rare varietals and new process coffee from Granja.
Our Newest Product
This year 2020, we select another Colombia coffee from Nariño with good body, acidity and sweetness that we decide to develop this coffee as our first S.O.E. (single origin expresso). Next time make sure to give it a try!