The coffee of Colombia.

Colombia coffee is renowned for its quality, but what makes it so special?

Coffee was introduced into Colombia in the middle of 1700 by the Jesuit friars, one in particular named Francisco Romero found a brilliant solution. Legend has it that whenever a believer went for confession, penance to plant from 3 a 4 coffee plants. As soon as the archbishop of the Colombia he learned what Francisco was doing, he made sure that all Jesuit priests did the same. This firmly paved the way for the beginning of the history of Colombian coffee. It was only in 1835 that this delicious coffee began and be marketed outside the Colombian borders with the former 2500 bags to the United States.

To date the Colombia it is the third largest coffee producer in the world behind Brazil and Vietnam. All production is of Arabica species and mostly Bourbon variety, Typica, Maragogype e Caturra. In addition to these varieties, Colombia and Castillo have also been introduced, two hybrids resistant to diseases such as Roya also called coffee rust. The plantations are mostly located in an area nicknamed “coffee axis” in the center of the country and includes the regions of Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda.

It was in the Quindìo region that we got to know Sebastian Ramìrez, plantation owner Pleasure located in the town of Calarcà. The Ramìrez family started growing coffee 130 years ago, or since Sebastian's grandfather, Ernesto Ramìrez Valencia started planting the first coffea arabica shrubs Typica and Bourbon. The plantation is managed by Sebastian and his father Ernesto who is also a great coffee lover. In this region of the Colombia coffee grows all year round and is harvested weekly with production peaks from April to June and from September to December.

At the moment, the cultivation of coffee consists of micro lots of Colombia varieties, Castillo, Caturra and more exotic Geisha, Bourbon yellow and pink. The Caturra and Castillo varieties are cheaper than Geisha and Bourbon and are mostly used for the preparation of espresso, while the other two varieties are more valuable and are used both in espresso and in filter where they can release the multiple aromatic nuances. Sebastian guided us in visiting their plantations praising the love and dedication that the Ramirez family has for this fruit.

As often happens in Colombia, also the coffee collected from the El Placer plantation is mainly processed with the washed and semi-washed methods. The washed method consists in stripping the drupes and subsequently in soaking them to start the fermentation process which will allow the detachment of the mucilage from the grain. Instead the semi-washed method also called honey process consists in stripping the drupes without washing them and then drying them. The coffee is dried in the sun for about twenty-five days or until it has reached a humidity of’ 11%-12%. Mainly two methods are used, one is carried out by spreading the coffee on a concrete slab named Elbas or through a parabolic solar dryer which consists of a concrete panel covered by a plastic structure that allows air to circulate.

Over the years many innovations have been introduced such as experimental anaerobic fermentation methods that allow you to obtain clean cups of coffee with a fruity and floral aroma but also with a good body and with a moderate sweetness. Specifically, this method isolates the micro organisms present in the crop and then introduces them during the fermentation process.

Sebastian explained to us how this process occurs for the fermentation of his coffee. There are two methods, one is to introduce the cherries in barrels of about 200 liters where carbon dioxide is introduced to start fermentation in the absence of oxygen. Another method consists in making the carbon dioxide develop independently of the coffee with a fermentation that can last from 24 all 250 hours playing with variables such as time, temperature, PH of the coffee mass and degrees brix.

We had the opportunity to taste together with Sebastian a Geisha coffee worked with natural method and extracted with Chemex. This coffee is rich and complex and has aromatic blueberry notes, red fruits and cinnamon, the body is good and has a moderate acidity reminiscent of that of tamarind, while cooling down tend to appear hints of green spices.

If you work in the coffee sector and you are in Colombia you can write to Sebastian, will be very happy to show you the plantation and to tell you about the many stages of coffee cultivation and processing. For overnight stays and visits to other plantations you can contact Hacienda La Pradera, they organize coffee bike tours and trekking routes in this beautiful area.