The story
Colombia is one of the coffee countries people recognise by name, and much of its coffee comes from very small farms. The importer Sucafina puts the number of producers at about 540,000. It says around 95% of them farm less than 5 hectares, about the size of a few football pitches.
Coffee probably arrived with Jesuit priests. Sucafina says this was roughly a century before the country grew coffee to sell in any quantity. The farms sit on the slopes of the Andes, which split into several ranges across the country. Most coffee grows at about 1,200 to 2,000 metres above sea level.
The country is long from north to south, and that partly explains why harvest times differ so much. Many areas get a main harvest and then a smaller second one, called the mitaca, about six months later. Because each region picks at a different time, freshly harvested Colombian coffee can be found for much of the year.
The main growing areas are departments (Colombia's word for states or provinces). Huila, Antioquia, Tolima, Cauca and Nariño are the ones named most often. Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Valle del Cauca and Santander are also important.
Most of the coffee is Arabica. Common varieties are Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Castillo and one called Colombia. Caturra is a natural offshoot of Bourbon. Castillo and Colombia were bred in Colombia to resist leaf rust, a fungus that damages coffee plants. Many farmers grow these rust-resistant varieties because the older ones catch the disease more easily.
How it's processed
A coffee bean is the seed inside a small fruit called a cherry. "Processing" means how the farm takes the fruit off and dries the seed. That step affects the taste in the cup.
For a long time, most Colombian farms have used the washed method. The skin and fruit are stripped off and the beans are fermented and washed clean. Then they are dried in their papery outer layer, called parchment. Many farms do the first step, removing the skin, without much water, to save it.
Drying often happens right at the farm. Some families spread the parchment out on the flat roofs of their houses and let it dry slowly. In cooler areas higher up, farms more often dry coffee under plastic tunnels that keep the rain off.
Washed coffee is still the norm, but some farms now also make honey and natural lots. A honey coffee is dried with some of the sticky fruit still on the bean. A natural coffee is dried with the whole fruit left on. Both styles tend to taste sweeter and fruitier, and they are still much less common than washed coffee from Colombia.
What it tastes like
A typical Colombian coffee is balanced and easy to like. Tasting notes often mention caramel, milk chocolate and citrus. The flavour still changes noticeably from one part of the country to another.
- North (such as Santander): grown lower down, where it is warmer. These coffees are often described as deeper and earthier, with more body (a heavier feel in the mouth), medium acidity, and notes of nuts and chocolate.
- Centre (Antioquia, Tolima): often described as well balanced, with fruity and herbal notes.
- South (Huila, Cauca, Nariño): often described as smooth and very sweet, with brighter citrus and stone-fruit notes.
"Acidity" here doesn't mean sour. It is the lively, juicy quality that makes a coffee taste bright rather than flat. If you like a gentle, chocolatey cup, a coffee from the north is a reasonable place to start. If you like something brighter and fruitier, try one from Huila or Nariño.
These are general patterns. The farm, the variety, the processing and the roast all change the final cup too, so the roaster's own tasting notes are the best guide to any one bag.