There is a great variety of coffee in the world, however, factors such as climate, rainfall and the types of nutrients of the land in which it is grown influence the taste, acidity and aroma.
Colombian coffee has a sweet, mild and at the same time sour taste, with a very pronounced fragrance thanks to the cultivation of Arabica beans, this being the only species that is currently cultivated, as opposed to other countries that cultivate a lower quality species.
In these articles we want to highlight 5 reasons that make Colombian coffee the best in the world.
The species
In Colombia, Arabica beans are grown exclusively, which produce a soft drink that is widely accepted in the world market. This plant grows between 500 and 2,400 meters above sea level, in humid areas and in a warm climate. It is known for its great variety of tall or short size, and its fruits can be red or yellow.
Among the tall varieties we find the following species:
The typical plant: This plant has elongated leaves with a tan or reddish color, it is susceptible to rust and has a higher percentage of large grains than the caturra and borbon varieties.
The Bourbon has a greater number of branches, unlike the typical one, its leaves are rounded and its buds are lighter green than the other leaves, this plant is also susceptible to rust and produces 30% more than the typical .
The Tabi is a plant that comes from the crossing of a Timor hybrid with the typical and Bourbon varieties, it is resistant to rust and its grain is large with excellent quality, ideal for special coffees.
Among the short varieties are the following species:
The Caturra variety: This species has round leaves, is susceptible to rust, but behaves very well throughout the coffee zone, its species produces less than Bourbon but more than Typical and its buds are lighter green than the rest of the leaves.
The Colombia variety: bears an enormous resemblance to the Caturra in terms of the size of the trees and the shape, however, they differ because the Colombia variety is resistant to rust. The bud of the plants is tanned and its production is equal to or greater than the Caturra.
All species are reduced to a single plant, the emblematic Arabian.
The geography
Colombia is known for a perfect climate for growing coffee, the coffee zone is located in the mountain range that crosses the country from south to north, its altitude ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level, which benefits the planting of coffee. coffee. Its temperature is average that varies between 18°C and 22°C and its climate usually includes two dry periods and two rainy periods in the year.
Soil
The soil is a fundamental factor in achieving high-quality planting, since the speed of growth and development of the trees, its quality and quantity, and its resistance to attacks by pests and diseases depend on it. The more nutrients the soil has, the better the cup
The shadow
Partial shade helps produce better coffees, more than half of Colombia’s plantations are shaded.
The planting and harvesting process
In Colombia, two processes are used to collect the seed, the first requires choosing the plants with the healthiest trees and the best production and then putting them to dry in the shade, while the second involves acquiring certified coffee seed and sow it in sand germinators to start the sprouting of the chapola after 37 days.
55 days after the seed sowing process, the seedbed is carried out, which consists of sowing the plant resulting from sowing the seed (chapola) for approximately 6 or 8 months, during this time the coffee plants with their leaves they form two pairs of crosses indicating that they are ready to be transplanted. The variety of coffee that is going to be planted must be taken into account and the land must be prepared to guarantee a good crop.
18 months after planting, the plants begin to bear their first fruits and the coffee is harvested, separating the red fruits from the yellow ones and the pulping process begins. Currently, many coffee growers use the traditional benefit of the drum pulper.
Once the pulping is done, the fermentation of the coffee proceeds, which must be done in tanks with clean water to break down the mucilage. This part of the process determines the quality of the cup, if the fermentation is good, special flavors can be highlighted in the coffee.
When the coffee is at the appropriate point of fermentation, the washing is carried out, which is done in the running channel and once done, the drying process begins, which consists of watering the coffee on a flat surface. and in layers of 3 cm thick stirring at least 4 times a day, exposing the grain to the sun for a time not less than 30 hours.
Once the grain is dry, the coffee threshing process is carried out, which consists of removing the yellow film from the coffee through physical processes, by friction, and leaving the green grain coffee to be roasted later.
The coffee roasting process must be slow, this process consists of subjecting the grain for a limited time to a high temperature to achieve a weight loss of around 15/20%, an increase in volume between 100 and 130% and its greenish-yellow color changes to a dark brown.
The roasting of this coffee is the vital basis, a good roasting influences the quality of the cup.
All these characteristics are part of the history of Colombian coffee, due to this the mildest coffee in the world is produced, its high quality cultivation makes it a leader among many countries due to the geographical and environmental particularities that allow the cultivation to be very special. , as well as the work of the coffee grower and the rigorous harvesting of mature grains.