Colombia is one of the biggest coffee producers globally, contributing more than 10% of the world’s coffee production. It’s well-known for its high-end Arabica coffee, which is considered the best coffee beans. Colombian coffee is world-renowned for its quality and rich and delicious taste.

But why is Colombian coffee unique? Let’s explore the various factors that make Colombian coffee the world’s favorite.

Here’s our top 5 picks for Colombian coffee:

1) Folgers 100% Colombian Medium Roast Ground Coffee

Made by one of the famous brands, this Colombian flavored coffee product is specially suitable for cold brew coffee making and French press, although a variety of home coffee makers could be worked with.

With this coffee, you could expect a mix of lively and rich flavors coming from medium roasted Arabica beans.

To buy this Colombian coffee by Folgers go to https://www.amazon.com/Folgers-Colombian-Ground-Medium-Dark-24-2-Ounce/dp/B07FMY5L94/

2) Gevalia Medium Roast Ground Coffee, Colombian

When trying Gevalia Colombian coffee you could expect no bitter flavor while providing a touch of acidity, and a bright and balanced taste.

More key features:

  • Certified Kosher ground coffee
  • Fresh flavor of ground coffee retained because of the reseal-able bag
  • Mountains of Colombia is the source of Arabica beans which were used to make the ground coffee

More information and the purchase options for this Colombian coffee by Gevalia could be found at the Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/GEVALIA-Colombian-Coffee-Medium-Ground/dp/B009PIJ3QA/

3) Café Sello Rojo Premium Colombian Coffee

For decades, one of the bestselling coffee brands in Colombia has been Café Sello Rojo, which is a brand preferred the most by many Colombians.

With this coffee, you just experience delicious and smooth taste with no bitterness.

Also, the gourmet rich flavor, lush aroma, and freshness of this Colombian coffee is preserved due to the fact that at the origin, it is roasted and vacuum-sealed.

The product is manufactured by ColCafe and is caffeinated.

To purchase this Colombian coffee just visit: https://www.amazon.com/Sello-Rojo-selling-Colombia-Colombian/dp/B004HHEF12

4) Don Pablo Colombian Supremo

This coffee is suitable for those loving rich, sweet and mild flavors coming with a bit of cocoa toned finish.

They’ve used Arabica coffee beans roasted medium dark to prepare this product.

One of the great things about Don Pablo Colombian Supremo coffee is that it’s refundable. It means that for any reason if you don’t like the coffee, your order will be refunded by Cafe Don Pablo Store. You have to use Amazon to directly contact them if that’s the case.

In order to be highly fresh, the coffee has been roasted in small batches. It has low acidity and is GMO free.

To order this coffee product from Amazon just check out https://www.amazon.com/Cafe-Don-Pablo-Colombian-Supremo/dp/B00JSUCSJE/

5) Melitta Colombian Supreme Coffee

With decades of experience in producing coffee products with a great selection of flavored, ground, whole bean, and so on, here comes Colombian coffee by Melitta with a bright finish and a smooth flavor.

The pack sizes are different ranging from about 11 ounces to 22 ounces.

To get Melitta Colombian Supreme Coffee from Amazon open the https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Coffee-Colombian-Supreme-22-Ounce/dp/B008EL7MNU/ page in your browser.

What Makes Colombian Coffee Unique

Several factors contribute to the unique taste of Colombian coffee and why it’s the best coffee in the world. Colombia sits perfectly on the coffee-belt of the world.

The weather, the soil, and the landscape all work in synchrony to produce this distinct and unique flavor. Also, the type of coffee that mainly grows in Colombia is the coffee shrub species coffea arabica (arabica), which is considered to have the best flavor with less caffeine.

Another thing that makes Colombian coffee unique is that most coffee is grown on small family-run farms, using mainly traditional techniques. A lot of expertise and care goes into ensuring only the best coffee beans are harvested and processed.

Flavor profile of Colombian coffee beans

Coffee is grown in mainly 22 regions in Colombia, offering you 22 distinct flavors. However, you can differentiate and categorize into three different flavor profiles based on the region they are grown:

  • Northern: Traces of chocolate and nut flavor. Lower acidity and fuller body.
  • Central: Herbal and fruity tasting.
  • Southern: Higher acidity and a strong citrus taste.

Coffee varietals in Colombia

MAM

Coffee varietals get their names from the region where they grow. A major varietal is MAM – which is short for Manizales, Armenia, and Medellin -, an aggregation of all coffee varieties grown in these regions, marketed as one brand.

Medellin Supremo

Medellin Supremo is one of the most popular and finest coffee varietals coming out of Colombia. It is known to have a pleasant aroma with a sweet taste and intense acidity. It is likened to Jamaica Blue Mountain, but with a higher acidity level.

Caturra coffee beans

First discovered in Brazil, Caturra is now the most common Colombia coffee varietal, accounting for roughly half the Colombia’s coffee trees. This coffee varietal has a medium body and hints of citrus like lime and lemon.

Other Colombian coffee varietals

Typica

Originally from Yemen, Typica was the first coffee varietal brought to Colombia and many other countries which grow coffee. It has long since been displaced by the Caturra varietal, making up only about one quarter of Colombian coffee. Typica is a little sweet with a hint of citrus.

Castillo Beans

Castillo is one of the newest varietals of Colombian coffee. It was created by Cenicafe (the research arm of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation) and cultivated for its resistance against coffee rust and ability to flourish in the climate of Colombian coffee-growing regions. Castillo’s flavor profile is almost similar to that of Typica – citric overtone with a sweet taste.

Growth conditions for Colombian coffee

Most of the Colombian coffee is grown in what is known as the Colombian coffee-growing axis. The region comprises the area between the cities of Medellin, Cali, and Bogota. The highlands of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta are also a prominent coffee-growing region. These areas have a high elevation and rich soil that is ideal for producing high-quality coffee beans.

The coffee is grown at high altitude farms up to 6,400 feet with temperatures ranging from 46 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Coffee plants are shade-grown, ideally surrounded by trees and banana plants. Colombia’s tropical climate, which alternates between wet and dry seasons, allows for two similar harvestings each year – September to December and April to June.

Coffee beans processing in Colombia

Coffee beans in Colombia are harvested by hand. While other coffee-growing region uses strip picking, Colombian farmers favor cherry-picking, allowing only the fully ripe cherries to be harvested. Although time-consuming and inefficient, the hand-picking method is one of the factors that contribute to the high-quality of Colombian coffee beans.

Colombian coffee is predominantly wet-processed. The method involves the use of water to separate the coffee bean cherries from their pulp. It helps reduces acidity levels and purify the beans, resulting in a richer, smoother taste.

FNC and Juan Valdez

The Colombia Coffee Growers Federation (Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia) was founded in 1927 to represent Colombian coffee farmers’ interests. It has since evolved into a not-for-profit organization with the mission to create a positive societal impact and better the lives of the half-million Colombian coffee growers.

In 1958, the iconic character of Juan Valdez was introduced by the Federation to represent the Colombian coffee farmers. Juan Valdez has now become a well-known mascot, which is identified with the uniqueness and top-quality of Colombian coffee.

Why Colombian coffee is so great?

  1. The first reason that makes Colombian coffee the best is the type of coffee beans mainly grown in the country. Colombian coffee is 100% Arabica beans, and the country’s topography is perfect for it. Arabica beans are well-known in the world for their low levels of caffeine and having the best flavor. Most other countries produce robusta coffee due to its bigger yield, but it’s also cheaper and contains more caffeine. That leaves Colombia as one of the very few countries that produce coffee of the best quality.
  2. Colombia coffee production is strongly connected to the country’s history. Therefore, it is seen as both a commercial activity and a tradition.
  3. The introduction of the fictional character Juan Valdez was a successful marketing gamble, which transformed the Colombian coffee industry and made the brew universally known.
  4. Colombia has the perfect geography and climate for coffee to thrive. Its high altitudes, tropical climate, high rainfall, rich soils of volcano, and locations without frost make it the ideal coffee-growing country.
  5. Colombia offers several distinct coffee flavors, depending on the region in which they are grown. These offer varieties of coffee flavors, all within one country.