Colombian coffee is known for its mild and balanced profile, but in recent years, policies prioritizing yield have caused changes in flavor. This article takes you into the El Arbol estate in the Santander region to learn how local smallholders stick to the traditional Typica variety and cultivate specialty coffee with both aroma and sweetness in a fully organic environment. It also compares the flavor differences between disease-resistant varieties such as Variedad Colombia and Castillo, and recommends Front Street Coffee's Colombian El Arbol estate beans so you can experience the most authentic Colombian flavor.

Coffee production in Colombia is mainly carried out by small-scale farmers. Each household only completes the pulping process, after which the cooperative collects and refines the coffee uniformly, and it is then sold overseas through exporters.

Basic Data on the Republic of Colombia

Area... about three times that of Japan

Capital... Bogota

Language... Spanish

GDP per capita... 480,000 yen (Japan: 4.2 million yen)

Bogota, the capital at an altitude of 2,600 meters

One-third of Colombia's national territory is mountainous. Because it lies on the equator, coffee is almost always grown in high-altitude mountain areas. Traveling all the way from Japan to the capital, Bogota, this large highland city sits at an elevation of 2,600 meters. As soon as you get off the plane, you can feel your heart pounding. (Slightly exaggerated.) Climbing stairs makes you realize even more just how physically demanding a trip to Bogota can be.

Colombian coffee is mostly produced by smallholders. After farmers process the coffee through pulping, the cooperative collects and refines it centrally, and it is then exported through exporters. In recent years, Colombian coffee has followed Brazil in shifting its focus toward yield. Under the guidance of the FNC (National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia), efforts have been concentrated on promoting modern agricultural techniques and high-yield, disease-resistant varieties. In recent years, people are often heard lamenting that Colombian coffee no longer tastes as good as it used to. For an industry prioritizing yield, this may be hard to avoid.

About 70% of Colombian coffee is the Variedad Colombia variety. This variety has high yield and strong disease resistance, but it is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta. Although some lots taste quite good, its quality is still slightly inferior to that of pure Arabica.

About twenty years have passed since this variety was developed, and it has already begun to be infected by coffee leaf rust. Therefore, Castillo, a hybrid of Variedad Colombia and Robusta, was bred.

I tasted Castillo locally, and as for the flavor... this cup of coffee was really hard for me to swallow.

Where on earth has the delicious Colombian coffee that was once known for being mild and smooth gone?

In Search of Delicious Colombian Coffee

Coffee is ultimately an agricultural product, and it can differ greatly depending on the producer's philosophy and soil conditions.

Among the coffee estates I visited, the larger ones mostly grow multiple varieties and adopt modern agricultural methods, giving a very professional and reliable impression. Of course, they also include Variedad Colombia.

The highest-grade Colombian coffee comes from a small village in the municipality of Boyaca, less than a few hours' drive from Bogota. This village has over a hundred smallholder farms. Several households are scattered across a mountain and for generations have grown only the native Typica variety, insisting on extremely small-batch production. The greatest appeal of Typica is also the greatest appeal of coffee itself: excellent aroma and sweetness coexisting. The coffee trees on these farms have been passed down from their ancestors. After old trees die, coffee cherries fall naturally and grow into new trees, making it a true form of "letting nature take its course" cultivation.

In addition, most farmers are poor and cannot afford fertilizer or pesticides, so they can only use organic fertilizer they make themselves.

As a result, these coffee trees have no choice but to grow in a "fully organic environment," steadily bearing fruit in the village's excellent soil.

Coffee flowers · A small mountain village ⟦21⟦Frail Typica trees

The weak Typica tree

Coffee cherries · Naturally growing coffee trees

Transporting coffee by horse · Natural fertilizer

Front Street Coffee recommendation: Colombian El Arbol estate coffee beans, from the Santander region, using the traditional Typica variety, sun-dried processing, with a cup profile of orange blossom, honey, red apple, and toffee sweetness, soft acidity, and a round mouthfeel.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.