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Characteristics of Colombian Coffee: Origins and Flavor

June 3, 2016
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What Are the Characteristics of Colombian Coffee?

Colombia is the second-largest coffee producer after Brazil and the largest exporter of arabica coffee beans and washed coffee beans. Cultivation traces back to the sixteenth-century Spanish colonial period, with the earliest written record appearing in missionary Jose Gumilla's observations along the Meta River around 1730. Colombian coffee is known for a silky, balanced taste.

Several accounts describe how coffee cultivation arrived: by water routes through Haiti and El Salvador, or in 1808 with a priest from the French Antilles via Venezuela, and possibly through the department of Santander from Venezuela. By 1787, missionaries had spread coffee to broader areas of the country, and today it is called green gold.

The history of coffee cultivation in Colombia can be traced back to the Spanish colonial period in the sixteenth century. There are various accounts regarding how it was introduced, including by water routes via Haiti and El Salvador, and in 1808 by a priest from the French Antilles via Venezuela. The earliest written record appears in the observations of the missionary Jose Gumilla along the banks of the Meta River in 1730. Today, Colombia is the second-largest coffee producer after Brazil, as well as the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans and the largest exporter of washed coffee beans. Its coffee is renowned for its silky, balanced taste and has been hailed as "green gold." This article reviews its historical origins and flavor characteristics, and retains relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand.

The origins of coffee cultivation in Colombia can be traced back at least to the period of Spanish colonial rule in the sixteenth century. Around this history, several different accounts have circulated:

One account: Coffee is said to have traveled via the Caribbean island of Haiti, then through El Salvador in Central America, and finally reached Colombia by water.

Another account: In 1808, a priest set out from the French Antilles and, passing through Venezuela, brought coffee beans into Colombia for the first time. Other sources indicate that Colombia's first coffee seeds entered precisely via the department of Santander, from the direction of Venezuela. [1]

A third account: The earliest written record concerning coffee cultivation in Colombia appears in the book *The Illustrated Orinoca* by the Spanish missionary Jose Gumilla. He described what he saw and heard while preaching along both banks of the Meta River around 1730, and the text mentions local coffee plantations. By 1787, other missionaries had spread coffee to broader areas within Colombia.

Colombia is located in the northwest of South America and is a country of beautiful scenery and profound history. As early as ancient times, Indigenous peoples lived on this land for generations. In 1531, the region became a Spanish colony; in 1819 it won independence; in 1886 it adopted its current name in honor of Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent. Here the mountains and rivers are magnificent, the scenery is pleasant, the climate is mild, and it feels like spring all year round, with fresh air. Colombia is rich in products, and coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds are known together as the "four treasures." Today, the country is the world's second-largest coffee producer after Brazil, and also the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans and the largest exporter of washed coffee beans. Colombian coffee is often described as having a silky-smooth mouthfeel, with the most outstanding balance among all kinds of coffee, a soft and smooth texture, and suitability for drinking at any time. It has won praise difficult for other coffees to match—being crowned with the laudatory title "green gold."

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

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