Colombia consistently ranks amongst the top five countries for coffee production. Colombian coffee has a reputation for being high-quality and Colombians are quite proud of this. They even dubbed their national soccer team “Los Cafeteros” — “The Coffee Growers.” What makes Colombia such a coffee haven? The South-American country has perfect geographic conditions for growing some of the richest coffee in the world.

Colombia’s Coffee Conditions

Like all plants, climate, soil, altitude, and drainage have impacts on coffee growth.

Constant Rain & Volcanic Soil

Climate-wise, coffee grows best in places that receive at least 80 inches of rain each year. Colombia’s climate provides the constant rain coffee plants need to thrive. However, never-ending rain can also deplete the soil of its nutrients. Thankfully for Colombia’s soil, volcanic ash is abundant and it serves as an all-natural fertilizer to revitalize and improve it.

Sand, silt, and clay make up the soil surrounding volcanoes. This special soil contains enough sand to drain well and plenty of clay and silt to hold in necessary moisture. The different-sized particles also leave spaces in the soil for air and water to flow. The roots can then feed on the minerals in the suspended water and easily penetrate the soil. Rich in nutrients like phosphorous and all sorts of necessary minerals, volcanic soil produces the most flavorful coffee in the world.

Altitude & Drainage

Volcanoes provide more benefits than grade-A soil. Where there is a volcano there is an increase in altitude. The higher the altitude, the more complex the flavor and fine acidity. Additionally, while coffee plants love to receive ample rainwater, they don’t like when their roots remain wet for long periods of time. Luckily for Colombia’s coffee plants, volcano slopes encourage excess water to run downwards, improving drainage. Ultimately, the perfect combination of rain, volcanic soil, a high altitude, and good drainage provides for the happiest coffee plants which produce some of the best-tasting coffee in the world.

Speaking of happy coffee plants, we get our Colombian coffee from a farm called “Campoalgre,” which means “Happy Field.”

Campoalgre — Happy Field

Photo by Traviesa Coffee

Campoalgre, or Happy Field, is located in the village of Libano, in Huila, Colombia. Mr. Ivan Quinayas, who has been growing coffee all his life, owns the seven-and-a-half acre farm. That’s a lot of fields growing a lot of happy coffee in Colombia’s perfect geographic conditions. Sweet notes, good acidity, and an intense fragrance characterize Huila coffee. It is one of the most recognized regional coffees in Colombia.

Like Colombia’s many farms, Campoalgre gets nearly constant rain, ensuring the Arabica coffee plants always receive the water they need to grow. In addition to the ideal water conditions, we know that coffee grows best 1400 and 2200 meters above sea level. As such, the altitude of Campoalgre, which ranges between 1700 and 2000 meters above sea level, is ideal for growing coffee. And of course, Campoalgre is comprised of volcanic soil.

In addition to the ideal geographic conditions of Campoalgre, Mr. Quinayas harvests the coffee at peak ripeness. After harvesting, Mr. Quinayas selects only the very best coffee beans. Then, he removes the fruit skin and pulp from the beans and ferments them in natural spring water. Once Mr. Quinayas soaks the beans, he filters the water to remove 99% of the impurities before he returns it to the source. He then sun-dries the freshly washed beans.

The Result

The result is an eco-friendly coffee that is medium and juicy bodied, with orange citric acidity, and a hint of spice. Coffee Review, one of the world’s leading coffee guides, rated our Colombia Finca Campoalegre a 94 out of 100 in 2017. According to Coffee Review, a score of 94 indicates a coffee that has “Exceptional originality, beauty, individuality and distinction, with no negative issues whatsoever.”

Coffee Review describes this coffee as “Brightly sweet-savory, richly layered. Narcissus, roasted cacao nib, dried apricot, sandalwood, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Juicy, lively acidity; deeply sweet structure with savory undertones. Plush, syrupy mouthfeel…"

Coffee Review also ranked this coffee #28 on their list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2017.

The bottom line is that our Colombia Finca Campoalegre is "a nuanced, complex Colombia cup that leads with lush floral notes and stone fruit grounded by suggestions of rich cocoa.”

Get some of Colombia’s best coffee for yourself today.