What Is Colombian Coffee?

Arabica only. Colombia grows Coffea arabica, not robusta. The federation's specifications for Café de Colombia require 100 percent arabica, which is a large part of why the country's coffee has a reputation for sweetness and acidity rather than the heavier, more bitter profile of robusta producers.

Washed processing. The fruit is removed from the bean soon after picking, the beans are fermented briefly in water to loosen the remaining sticky layer, then washed and dried. Washed coffees taste cleaner and brighter than naturals, which are dried inside the fruit, and that clarity is the Colombian signature.

Altitude. Most Colombian coffee grows between about 1,200 and 2,000 metres on the three branches of the Andes. Cooler temperatures at altitude slow the ripening of the cherry, and slower ripening generally means more sugars and acids in the bean.

Two harvests. Because the country straddles the equator and its regions have different rainy seasons, much of Colombia has a main harvest and a smaller second one, called the mitaca. Fresh crop arrives at different times from different regions, so there is good Colombian coffee available most of the year.

These are broad tendencies, not rules. Variety, altitude, processing and roast all change a cup more than a map does.

The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia, the FNC, was founded in 1927 and has organised the industry ever since: setting quality standards, buying coffee from farmers at a guaranteed price, funding research and marketing the national name. Few coffee countries have anything comparable.

Its best-known creation is Juan Valdez, the fictional farmer with a moustache, a poncho and a mule called Conchita, created for the federation's advertising at the end of the 1950s. The character made Colombian a household word for coffee in North America, and the name now also belongs to a chain of Colombian cafés.

In 2007 the European Union recognised Café de Colombia as a protected geographical indication, the first product from outside Europe to receive that status. In practice it means coffee sold in the EU as Café de Colombia must be Colombian, washed arabica meeting the federation's specifications.

In 2011 UNESCO added the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia to its World Heritage list: farms, towns and steep hillsides across parts of Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca, recognised for the way a century of small-scale coffee farming has shaped the land and the culture. The region, often called the Coffee Axis, is now one of Colombia's main destinations for visitors who want to see coffee grown.

Coffee leaf rust, a fungus that has destroyed coffee industries before, hit Colombia hard from around 2008. Production fell sharply over the following years. The country's response was to replant on a vast scale with rust-resistant varieties developed by Cenicafé, the federation's research centre, above all one called Castillo. Production recovered through the 2010s.

Castillo divided opinion at first, with some buyers arguing it tasted less complex than older varieties like Caturra, Typica and Bourbon. Grown well and processed carefully, it now produces many excellent coffees, and the older varieties are still widely grown alongside it.

• Pour-over: a medium roast Colombian in a V60 shows off its brightness and sweetness best.
• French press: a darker roast gives the chocolate and nut side. See French press.
• Espresso: Colombian makes a balanced, sweet shot and is a common base for espresso blends. See espresso.
• The Colombian way: a small cup of light, sweet tinto, brewed in a pan with panela.