Though Colombia as a coffee origin is known for delivering mild lots, each department’s coffee stands apart from the next with varied flavors attributed generally to the region. This is due to the microclimates created by mountainous terrain, wind patterns, soil composition, average rainfall distribution, the amount of sunlight the area receives, proximity to the Equator, and, of course, differences in varieties and processing techniques. For instance, coffees from the towering and cool mountains of Nariño are associated with a juicy cup, filled with bright acidity and floral aromas, while the southern portion of nearby Huila is thought of as offering coffees ripe with citrus, stone fruit, and a more refined acidity. Both may still be considered “clean and mild” overall, but these coffees grown in relatively close proximity distinguish themselves clearly from one another.
The region with its specific growing conditions and its landscape with steep mountain ranges with vertiginous slopes has also substantial cultural and historical importance that become the symbol of the Colombian way of producing coffee. Recognizing the region’s historical significance, UNESCO designated Colombia’s Coffee Triangle a World Heritage Site.
More than 550,000 Colombian smallholder families – the average Colombian smallholder family owns between 2 and 5 acres land to cultivate their coffee – are the engine of the Colombian coffee market and are spread out over the several coffee-growing departments (Caldas, Cauca, Cesar, Narino, Meta, Huila, Tolima, Quindio, Risaralda, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca, Guajira, Madgalena, Boyaca, Sandander and Norte de Sandander).
The country’s northern regions (e.g. Santa Marta and Santander) with their higher temperatures and lower altitudes, offer full-bodied coffees with less brightness and snap; the central “coffee belt” of Antioquia, Caldas, and Quindio among others, where the bulk of the country’s production lies, produce those easy-drinking types, with soft nuttiness and big sweetness but low acidity. The southwestern departments of Nariño, Cauca, and Huila tend to have higher altitude farms, which comes through in more complex acidity and heightened florality in the profiles.
Although coffee growing takes place in many departments throughout the country, the Coffee Triangle typically refers to three departments: Caldas, Quindio, and Risaralda. The capital cities of these departments are Manizales, Pereira and Armenia. The Coffee Triangle is the heartland of the country and known nationally for its longstanding dedication to the coffee trade, its major cities are strongholds for a century-old tradition of coffee farming able to produce nearly a third of Colombian coffee, some of the world’s best Arabica coffee beans, largely thanks to the region’s optimal altitude, climate and volcanic soil.
Main coffee growing areas:
North:
In the north of Colombia, you’ll find the coffee-producing sub-regions of Santander, Norte de Santander, La Guajira, Magdalena, and Cesar.
This region has only one dry season – December to March – and one wet season – April to November – annually. Coffee blooms in March, just as the wet season approaches, and is harvested in October/November, as it ends.
Within the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and the Santander and Norte de Santander regions, crops are more exposed to solar radiation. As a result, producers tend to use more shade. These regions produce coffees with less acidity but more body.
– Santander
Found in north-central Colombia, Santander’s long agricultural history is intertwined with the history of coffee in the country. Some of the first coffee farms in Colombia were established in this mountainous department, and today the region is still dotted with farms where smallholder producers make use of fresh water sources and rich soil, utilizing integrated forests as shade trees on their properties to deliver classically rich lots with low acidity and flavors of chocolate and nuts. Typica and Shade coffee can be found in large quantities in this area, and a vast majority of these have Rainforest Alliance certification. This area has a lower growing altitude and a micro-climate that is drier.
– Sierra Nevada
A mountain range isolated from the Andes, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta reaches an altitude well over 5,000 meters above sea level. Along the northern coast of the country, most of the coffee farmers in this area are part of either the Kogui or Arhuaco native tribes that use naturally organic methods. Coffees with less acidity but more body, often nutty with chocolate notes.
Central North and Central South:
Coffees here tend to produce that typical Colombian coffee taste – sweet coffees with a hint of panela (raw sugar, or caramel) and medium-high body.
In the central north and central south zones of Colombia lie the regions of South of Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Chocó, Risaralda, Quindío, North of Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca, and North of Tolima.
Antioquia is the second-biggest producing region in Colombia, and Tolima the third, making these two zones a large and well-known area. According to Juan Carlos, 263,000 producers grow coffee on 492,000 ha. However, most of these are in the Central North region: the Central South zone is home to just 28,500 producers.
The two regions have two dry seasons and two wet seasons every year: it’s dry from December to February and June to September; it’s wet March to May and September to November. This leads to two harvest seasons.
In the Central North zone, they have a main harvest season from October to December, at the end of the second wet season. They have a secondary harvest during May and June, however, when the first wet season ends.
The Central South zone has similar harvest periods: May to June and October to November. However, it doesn’t have a main and secondary harvest. The two periods are equally sizeable.
– Caldas
Caldas, one of Colombia’s major coffee regions, produces one of the world’s finest Arabica beans. The province is located in the center of the country and is part of the famous “Coffee Triangle.” The climate is warm and humid throughout much of the year. The average annual temperature ranges from 13°C to 24°C (55°F to 75°F). Because of its proximity to the Equator, Caldas has no large temperature fluctuations during the year.
Part of Colombia’s coffee axis, or eje cafetero, along with Risaralda and Quindío, Caldas is a hub of coffee activity in the country. The region’s rolling landscape is defined by slopes dotted with coffee, with near-constant misty cloud cover protecting the crops from excess sun. Coffees from Caldas are typically known for their cup profile of milk chocolate, brown sugar, and berries, embodying a sweet take on classic Colombian Mild flavors.
– Risaralda
Risaralda Province is south of Caldas and part of the “Coffee Triangle.” The region consists of clay and volcanic soils. Clay is common in the western part of the region, while volcanic soils are found in the eastern parts. These soils make Risaralda Coffee taste more acidic than other Another factor that affects the taste of Risaralda Coffee is its altitude. Coffee plants grow better at higher altitudes. As a result, Risaralda Coffee has more intense flavors than other coffees from Colombia.
Another part of Colombia’s eje cafetero, Risaralda is the only deparment of Colombia recognized as a Model Forest by the International Model Forest Network. The region’s soils have their origin in igneous rocks and volcanic ash, benefitting the nearly 20,000 coffee producers who maintain their farms on slopes descending toward the Río Cauca. Coffees from Risaralda often showcase flavors of apple, cocoa, and berries, with fine floral notes in the cup.
– Quindio
The Quindio Valley is located south of the Risaralda Region and is the third destination of the Colombian Coffee Triangle. Armenia is one of the leading centers of the Colombian coffee in The area is known for its high-quality Arabica beans and for producing some of the country’s best coffee. It became a center of coffee plantations during the 19th century. By the early 20th century, it was one of Colombia’s most important coffee regions.
– Antioquia
Antioquia is best visited from Medellin. Coffee is produced in all parts of the highlands of the province. An excellent place to start your exploration for coffee in Colombia is the city of Medellin. Antioquia is known for its rich soil and ideal climate that produces high-quality coffee beans. Famous coffees include Antioqueño, which has a lighter body and a sweeter taste than other Colombian coffees. Other favorite coffees include Caturra Pacamara and Caturra Bourbon. Most of Antioquia’s coffee farms are small family-owned operations that grow their crops organically and use sustainable practices.
Located in the northwest corner of Colombia, Antioquia is perhaps Colombia’s most traditional coffee producing department. Farms ranging from small single-producer plots to large scale estates cover the mountains that run through the department, many of which have been modernized with the latest agronomic innovations to their production. Antioquia’s coffees are often characterized by flavors of red fruits and chocolate, delivering rich flavors from the steep slopes of the Western Andes.
Formerly the “wild west” of Colombia for many years, Antioquia was almost entirely settled by gold miners. During the late 19th century, coffee was introduced to the fertile, mountainous borderlands of the department, and Antioquia became Colombia’s most important coffee-producing area. Because of the western and central mountain ranges that crossed the region, it offers ideal growing conditions for coffee.
– Cundinamarca
The province of Cundinamarca encircles the city of Bogota. Cundinamarca coffee is typically grown at high altitudes (above 2,000 meters above sea level). These high altitudes result in an environment conducive to growing coffee trees. Because the region is so mountainous and hilly, it requires skilled workers working with heavy machinery and equipment. The hilly area is easily accessible from Bogota. Many plantations can be visited on a day trip from Bogota.
South:
This area is closer to the equator, so coffee is grown at higher altitudes where the temperature is lower. At night the temperature lowers, associated with relatively high altitudes, slow how fast the coffee beans ripen. That helps develop the sugar in the beans and give it higher levels of acidity.
It’s a region particularly associated with quality, producing higher quality coffees that are known for their impressive acidity.
The south of Colombia sits closer to the equator, and coffee is grown at higher altitudes. It’s a region particularly associated with quality: coffees are known for their higher acidity and distinctive cup profiles.
What’s more, Nariño, Cauca, and Huila make up what Juan Carlos describes as a new Colombian coffee triangle. Not only are Nariño and Huila huge producers, but they’re also common origins within the specialty industry. In fact, Huila received Denomination of Origin in 2013. The fruit and caramel notes, sweet acidity, and intense aromas characteristic of its coffees led to this official recognition.
Within the South Zone, 211,000 producers grow coffee across 282,000 ha of land. This makes the average farm size much smaller than in other areas of the country.
Like in the North Zone, there is only one wet and one dry season. Juan Carlos tells me that the dry season lasts from June to September, followed by the appearance of coffee blossoms. The rainy season strikes in October and can last until May, but harvest season usually begins in April and continues until June.
This is in contrast to the north of the country, where coffee is harvested in the autumn. With the harvest also extending until December in central Colombia, roasters can offer their customers Colombian coffees for much of the year.
– Huila
Found where the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes mountains meet, the coffee growing areas of Huila center around the city of Pitalito in the south of the department. Split between the northern and southern portions of the region, the region sees two cycles of main and fly crops, with coffee harvested nearly every month of the year. Huila’s coffee have earned their reputation with a usual cup profile featuring stone fruit, citrus, a fine acidity, and pleasant floral tones. Huila is an important coffee producing area in terms of production and quality. People look to this area for good specialty coffee, and many growers have won local and national competitions.
– Cauca
Nestled between Nariño, Tolima, and Huila, the department of Cauca is home to more than 90,000 coffee producers who average just over one hectare of coffee production each. The region’s soil is rich with nutrients due to volcanic ash, and the climate includes warm days and cool nights as winds from the high plateaus of the Central Andes blow across the landscape. Coffees from Cauca typically offer confection-like sweetness, with a creamy cup filled with flavors of caramel and sugar cane. Cauca has Indigenous communities and African Colombian communities that use their traditional methods of processing coffee.
– Narino
Bordering Ecuador in Colombia’s southwest corner, Nariño is home to the convergence of all three branches of the Colombian Andes. This natural feature creates a multitude of microclimates and provides some of the highest growing elevations of any region in Colombia, resulting in coffees that often present with bright acidity, sweet and juicy flavors, and pronounced floral notes.
This region can be found in the far south area of the country bordering Ecuador in the high peaks of the Andes mountain range. Because it is so close to the Equator, coffee can be grown at very high altitudes in this area. Several farms can be found on mountainsides with altitudes of 2000 meters above sea level.
East:
This is a smaller area (includes the regions of Arauca, Casanare, Meta, and Caquetá) with just 5,500 producers grow coffee on about 10,500 ha of land. Many of these producers have been hard hit by high levels of poverty and social instability, making the growth of coffee somewhat complicated.
In general, there’s a similar climate and results in the cup as the northern region. However, there is also more rainfall and humidity throughout the year.
Further reading: Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (Unesco.org)