You’ve heard of Colombian coffee, it’s world-renowned and some say it’s the best coffee in the world. But is it true? Is Colombian coffee the best in the world? We spoke to Gonzalo Mantilla, caffeologist, coffee connoisseur and owner of the San Fernando brand of Colombian coffee.
Don’t have time to watch the video? Keep reading… and if you want to taste it for yourself, here’s a list of tours where you can get to know Colombian coffee!
Coffee around the world
Over time, coffee farms have become increasingly specialised in specific varieties of coffee, because the market is increasingly differentiated. There is a clientele capable of paying very large sums of money to buy top-quality coffee. Coffee farms around the world are responding to this new demand by producing excellent quality coffees. To achieve this, they use genetic engineering and a variety of processing techniques to create exceptional coffees.
But just as there are very good coffees, there are also average coffees and bad coffees. A ‘good’ coffee will depend on a number of factors: the consumer, his or her expectations and how coffee farms manage to satisfy increasingly demanding expectations. To do this, coffee farms grow specialised micro-lots of so-called ‘special’ coffee species. It all starts with selecting the variety of coffee plant. There are many varieties, such as geisha, moka, tabi, pacamara, maragogype, etc., and then the process continues with a special treatment depending on the variety of coffee.
Colombian coffee
But before this trend towards speciality coffees, countries as a whole used to compete on quality. Countries exported coffee orders grouped together as a country and not as a producer. So 50 years ago it was said that the best coffee in the world was Colombian, and it was true. The National Federation of Coffee Producers, with its logo of Juan Valdez in front, Conchita the mule behind and the mountains representing Colombia’s 3 cordilleras in the background, has had enormous success worldwide. The Federation’s policy has always been to export coffees with no physical or sensory defects. There are times when the coffee looks OK, the defect is not visible but you can feel it when you taste it. Thanks to this policy of high quality, Colombia has succeeded in obtaining a coffee that is widely recognised internationally.
Today, it would be difficult to say that the best coffee in the world is Colombian. However, we can say that some Colombian coffees from certain coffee farms are among the best in the world.
I invite you to come to Colombia and visit the coffee farms of more than 36,000 families. They are spread over 3 main areas: north, centre and south, with harvests throughout the year. I particularly recommend Santander. Here you’ll find some very beautiful coffee farms, with a wonderful climate and landscapes that are unique in the country. The idea is to come and judge for yourself whether Colombian coffee is the best coffee in the world, because in the end it’s up to each person to decide which coffee suits them best.
Would you like to find out more about San Fernando café? Visit their website: http://sanfernandocoffee.comp
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