Coffee was first introduced to Colombia around the same time Jesuit priests first began arriving from Europe in the mid 16th century. The leaders of Colombia tried to encouraged people to grow coffee, but they met with resistance. Worried that a coffee tree takes five years to provide its first crop, they wondered how they were going to survive during this period?
A priest in a small village named Francisco Romero had an idea, instead of the usual penance at confession, he told them to plant 3 or 4 coffee trees. The Archbishop of Colombia ordered everyone to use this penance thinking it was an excellent idea and it became the general practice. This started Colombia as the worlds second largest coffee producing country built on the penance of its forefathers.
Colombia began exporting coffee and in 1835 exported around 2500 bags to the U.S. By 1875 Colombia was now exporting 170,000 bags to U.S. and Europe. In 1992 exports of coffee topped at 17,000,000 bags, and are currently around 11,000,000 bags per year.
Vietnam has recently taken over from Colombia as the world's second largest coffee producing country but Colombia's coffee still remains some of the best and most well known throughout the world. This is largely due to the very successful marketing campaign created by the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers in 1959. They introduced the world to the fictitious character Juan Valdez. 85% of Americans still associate Juan Valdez with Colombian Coffee.
Colombian coffee is grown at high altitudes and tended to with care inter cropped in the shade of banana and rubber trees. Colombian coffee is known to be among the best in the world, with a rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced taste. The rich volcanic soil in the arid mountains of Colombia produce ideal conditions for growing high quality coffee.
Colombian Coffees are grown in two main regions; The region of Medellin, Armenia and Manizales (MAM), in central Colombian are more heavy bodied, rich in flavor with fine, balanced acidity. The area near Bogot? and Bucaramanga which is more mountainous in the east produce an even richer, heavier and less acidic coffee and are the finest of the two regions.
Columbian coffee first started in the early 1800's. It wasn't long before it was exported to Europe and the United States. Trade between these two countries exceeds more than 11 million bags per year with Starbucks being one of its major clients.
This has changed later on as Starbucks itself decided to buy the plantations since it is much cheaper to own it rather than getting these from a supplier.
Columbian coffee beans are from the Coffea Arabic Tree. These are grown in the mountains under the shade of banana and rubber trees so they are able to get the right amount of nutrients from the sun. People can find most coffee bean plantations in the central and eastern region of the country. These places are not far from civilization given that these near the cities of Medellin, Armenia and the capital of which is Bogota.
It usually takes 4 to 5 years for these to grow so farmers are able to pick the beans. The farmers who tend the fields practice the dry process in order to produce the finished product. Once they are harvested, they are soaked in cold water for 24 hours which is almost the same technique in fermenting grapes in order to make wine.
Not all the beans will meet the standards set by the farmers. It is only after washing that the beans are separated so that only the best will go through the final process of being dried in the sun to lower its acidity level then packed and delivered to the customer.
Despite its flavor, coffee experts will argue that more people prefer the taste and aroma of those coming from Brazil. Regardless of what brand the customer decides to buy, the different products available at the grocery store each have a different taste that people will appreciate.
It wouldn't hurt to try a particular brand then switch to something else later on or better yet try mixing the two and see how it will taste. This practice is sometimes done by cafes to produce new flavors and concoctions that customers will enjoy should they decide to come in and hang out with friends.
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