Colombian coffee's reputation precedes itself. Colombia has spent tons of money marketing and advertising its coffee with the famous Juan Valdez and his faithful donkey - which has actually become the most widely recognized logo in the world as of last year (according the The Economist). I heard that when they take Juan out on the road, the marketing guy goes and takes the beer out of his hand and put a cup of coffee in its place, they snap a picture, and then put the beer back in his hand. Now that's magic!
Consistent Standards; A Consistent Cup
But back to the coffee. Colombia nationalized coffee processing and streamlined the whole system, establishing strict grading and processing standards - and producing one of the worlds most consistent coffees as far as quality is concerned, year after year. As of late, importers have been able to establish deals with smaller farms and get direct lots that haven't been tagged and bagged into the anonymity of the nationalised system, which is the first step to getting great specialty coffee from a region (we know lot specific information instead of lots getting mixed together and orgin info lost). The government has also started to address this shortcoming and is putting systems in place to ensure they get a piece of this action too, providing government-processed farm specific lots of coffee for the specialty coffee industry.
A familiar crowd pleaser
Colombian coffee is great stuff. Balanced, good body with great acidity, and deep - a crowd pleaser, for sure. It's a bit bolder than the your typical Costa Rican or Mexican, and maybe that's the key to its success.
Fun Facts About Colombia:
| Capital: | Bogota |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 95%; Protestant, Jewish, other 5% |
| Ethnic Groups: | Mixed indigenous-European 58%, European 20%, mixed European-African 14%, African 4%, indigenous 1% |
| Harvest Seasons: | Oct-Mar |
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