Chocolately coffee from Colombia

Countries whose coffees typically have chocolate notes include Brazil, Sumatra, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Indonesia.

Probably the most well marketed coffee growing country in the world, Colombian coffee has always been one of the most sought after. Thanks to advertising campaigns in the US in the 50’s and 60’s, Colombian coffee has since then been recognised as quality coffee. Nowadays Colombia is the third largest coffee growing region in the World with over 2 million Colombians working in the industry.

Unlike its neighbour to the East, Colombia has many smallholder coffee farmers, with 60% of Colombian coffee farmers cultivating land of less than 1 hectare. This obviously is exciting news to any speciality coffee roaster as there are many different microlots to discover.

With the boom in speciality coffee over the last decade, government or privately funded programs are incentivising Colombian coffee farmers to produce higher quality coffee rather than higher yielding commercial grade coffee.

Colombian coffee as you would expect with the amount of smallholders has an array of flavours and profiles to offer. From the more heavier coffee’s that were traditionally marketed as high quality Colombian coffee in the 50’s through to the more delicate and complex varieties that are more recently coming out of Colombia. A country that has coffee running through its veins is also at the forefront of coffee innovation, with many techniques unique to Colombia producing some fascinating results.

Naturally processed Colombian coffee can result in a richer and heavier body than other naturals, with notes of caramel, vanilla and berries that are common.