From Bean to Cup: The Ultimate Guide to Colombian Coffee

When buying a bag of coffee beans or browsing a coffee shop’s menu, it’s nice to know what makes each type of coffee unique.

You may be curious to try something different than your usual choice, such as Colombian coffee, but you may be hesitant because you don’t know much about it. Well, let’s change that!

Short Answer: Colombian coffee is farmed and grown on Colombian soil. This tropical country is known for producing world-class coffee beans due to its altitude.

Colombia exports a lot of its best beans to the global market. While visiting Colombia to taste their excellent coffee is a terrific idea, you can also get your hands on Colombian beans and brew them at home to learn what’s so special about it.

Let’s delve a little more into what Colombian coffee is and learn why it is so exceptional.

What is Colombian coffee?

Colombian coffee is coffee that is cultivated in Colombia. It commands a premium price because it is largely made up of a variety of superior arabica beans.

This kind of coffee bean has deep flavors of nuts and chocolate or lighter floral or fruit overtones, depending on the area where it was grown.

It’s solely grown in Colombia and is globally recognized for its rich taste and superior grade.

If you’re interested to know more about coffee beans in general, I have a post you can check out right here.

What’s so special about Colombian coffee?

Coffee cherries in different hues of green and red still attached to its tree.

When we talk about Colombian coffee, we’re not necessarily talking about a method of roasting or brewing, but rather about the way the beans are farmed.

Colombia has a near-ideal climate for coffee growing, and as a result, a unique variety of coffee beans is produced. Colombia gets a lot of rain, and the temperature never drops below freezing at any time of year.

The special coffee beans are mostly hand-picked by around 600,000 coffee growers in Colombia.

All of these characteristics contribute to the distinctive flavor and aroma of Colombian coffee, which has become the country’s specialty.

Is Arabica coffee the same as Colombian coffee?

Many people mix up Arabica and Colombian coffee. These two, however, are not the same.

Colombian coffee is grown exclusively in Colombia, whereas Arabica coffee is a common term for Arabian coffee. There are numerous distinctions between the two coffees.

Arabica coffee is mostly grown in:

Africa
Latin America
India
Indonesia.

It has a very strong flavor because the beans are not washed during processing.

Colombian coffee is grown in Colombia only, and the coffee beans go through highly skilled processing, which includes washing the beans, so this coffee retains a milder taste than Arabica coffee.

Colombian coffee beans are Arabica beans that are grown completely in Colombian fields.

Even though Colombian coffee is Arabica beans, the taste and strength differ from typical Arabica beans due to climate, soil, and the manner the beans are processed.

Parameter of Comparison	Arabica Coffee	Colombian Coffee
Origin	Arabian coffee originated in Arab countries such as Yemen, Egypt, and Syria. where it was first grown.	Colombian coffee is entirely made from Arabic coffee beans harvested in Colombian farms.
Taste	It has a strong flavor that is less bitter and caffeinated than Robusta coffee.	It has a softer and milder taste as compared to Arabica coffee
Processing	The coffee beans derived from dried cherries are roasted without being washed.	Before roasting, coffee beans from dried cherries are washed for 2-3 days to remove the pulp.
Preparation	It needs to be brewed before consumption	It’s more of an ‘instant coffee,’ and it may or may not be brewed before consumption.
Service	It can be put in a larger kettle called ‘Della’ and served in decorative ‘finjns’ or cups.	There’s no traditional or specific way of serving Colombian coffee
Side snacks	Dates, dried fruits, or candied nuts are served along with this coffee, in accordance with the traditional Arabic culture	There are no set complimentary snacks served with this coffee

To learn more about the distinctions between Arabica and Colombian coffee, watch the video below.

Which is better: Brazilian or Colombian coffee?

A whole container containing roasted coffee beans.

Both coffees have distinct flavors and aromas, and it’s up to the coffee drinker’s preference. Let’s examine what each brings to the table in terms of distinctiveness.

What’s great about Brazilian coffee?

Brazilian coffee is typically dark-roasted and lower in acidity. Because of the dark roast and lower acid content, this coffee is perfect for coffee drinkers with sensitive stomachs. Brazilian can also be brewed hot or cold.

Cold-brew produced from Brazilian beans is not only refreshing, but it also has a rich, satisfying flavor.

What’s great about Colombian coffee?

Colombian beans are fruitier in flavor and higher in acidity than Brazilian beans. These beans are more well-known. Colombian Supremo beans are popular in the specialty coffee world for being a well-balanced cup.

Even though Brazil produces more coffee, Colombian coffee is more readily available. Brazilian coffee is more commonly used in blends than in single-origin coffee.

How much caffeine does Colombian coffee contain?

Depending on the degree of roasting, high-quality Colombian coffee has 30–50 mg of caffeine in a single espresso serving and up to 200 mg of caffeine in an 8-ounce cup.

The amount of caffeine in coffee varies depending on the type of beans used and how much they are roasted. Even beans plucked from the same tree can have varying levels of caffeine.

In addition, the method by which coffee is prepared influences how much caffeine ends up in your drink.

Is Colombian coffee stronger than regular coffee?

A top shot of espresso in a white cup with coffee beans underneath.

Although there’s a general perception that Colombian coffee is stronger than regular coffee, this is not the case. Colombian coffee is actually a little weaker than other coffees.

Colombian coffee is made from Arabica beans, which are regarded as the highest-quality coffee beans in the world of coffee. Because the Arabica bean is lighter than the Robusta bean, your cup of Colombian coffee will be a little weaker than a cup prepared with Robusta beans.

I can help you more in understanding the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans in my article here.

Obviously, the strength of the coffee is determined by the brewing and roasting of the beans. A darker roast will have a more bitter and bolder flavor, and more grinds will create a stronger cup than fewer grounds.

Colombia’s mild coffee flavor is nevertheless preferable to some of the more bitter and stronger coffee varieties cultivated around the world.

To sum it all up

Colombian coffee has a superb reputation, and it certainly lives up to its promise as one of the best coffee beans in the world. Regardless of your present coffee-drinking preferences, there’s a good chance you’d enjoy the brew made from these unique beans.

It’s made up of 100% Arabica beans and is noted for its nutty or chocolatey flavors, as well as its floral or fruity overtones, depending on where it was cultivated. This is because of Colombia’s near-ideal climate for farming coffee and its altitude.

Though Colombian coffee tends to be a bit weaker than regular coffee, its flavor and quality surpass many of the bolder-tasting varieties.

If you haven’t tried Colombian coffee yet, I recommend you give it a try and I’m sure it’ll not disappoint your coffee taste buds.