Colombian Coffee

Colombian Coffee Beans are grown at high altitudes and tended with painstaking care in the shade of banana and rubber trees. This coffee is among the best in the world, rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced. Coffea Arabica L., more commonly known as the Arabica bean, prefers higher altitudes and drier climates than its cousin, the lower quality Robusta bean (C. Robusta). Therefore, the arid mountains and the well-drained, rich volcanic soil of Colombia provide ideal conditions for growing high quality coffee.

Colombian Coffees are grown in two main regions, the central region around Medellin, Armenia and Manizales, known as MAM to aficionados, and the eastern, more mountainous region near Bogotá and Bucaramanga. MAM varieties are known for their heavy body, rich flavor and fine, balanced acidity while the mountain grown eastern beans produce an even richer, heavier, less acidic coffee. The finest coffee comes from this region.


It is not known for sure when coffee first reached Colombia. Many historians believe it to be around the same time Jesuit priests first began arriving from Europe in the mid 16th century. The first exports of coffee from Colombia began in 1835 when around 2500 bags were exported to the U.S.

By 1875 170,000 bags were leaving the country bound for the U.S. and Europe. The exports grew exponentially over the next hundred years or so and peaked in 1992 at around 17 million bags. Today, Colombian coffee exports are around 10 million bags per year.

For many decades Colombia was the world’s second leading producer of coffee behind Brazil. Recently, Vietnam surpassed Colombia in coffee exports to take the number two seat and move Colombia into a close third. However, the old adage of quality over quantity certainly applies here.


The Arabica bean does not grow well in Vietnam. Only the hearty, yet inferior, Robusta is suited for the low, wet climate of Vietnam. Colombian Coffees are far superior and is considered by many coffee experts to be the finest in the world.

Any discussion on Colombian Coffee would not be complete without mentioning the wildly successful marketing campaign created by the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers in 1959. They introduced the world to the friendly and affable Juan Valdez. Though a fictitious character, the poncho clad, sombrero wearing Juan Valdez gave a face to the humble coffee picker and created a mystique and aura of romance that still survives today.


A recent survey reported that 85% of Americans still associate the name Juan Valdez with Colombian Coffee. Quite an accomplishment, especially considering that only 75% acknowledged recognizing the name Dan Quayle.

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Brazilian Coffee

Brazilian Coffee was brought about by adultery, deceit and politics, all the makings of a modern-day best-seller, yet this story is over 250 years old. In 1727 a Brazilian official named Francisco de Melho Palheta was invited to mediate a heated border dispute between French and Dutch Guiana. Both governments were actively growing coffee in Guiana and closely guarded their financial interests by not allowing the exportation of viable coffees seeds.

Palheta quickly accepted the invitation with hopes of somehow obtaining some seeds for planting coffees in Brazil. While in Guiana Palheta became romantically involved with the French Governors wife. Upon his departure, after successfully mediating a solution to the border issue, the Governors wife presented him with a bouquet of flowers in which she had disguised several coffees seedlings.


The Brazilians quickly learned the rudiments of growing coffee with emphasis on quantity over quality, which is still the prevalent philosophy when it comes to growing Brazilian Coffee. Brazil is by far the largest producer of coffees in the world with over forty percent of all coffee coming from this country. However, the vast majority of Brazilian Coffee is of marginal quality and what the major commercial processors such as Folgers, Maxwell House etc… rely on as the base product for their blends. By adding small amounts of higher quality coffee they are able to enhance flavor, body and aroma and provide a product that is acceptable to the masses at a reasonable price.

The production of this product had a dark side. As the cultivation of coffee in Brazil grew, so did slavery. Without enough local labor to handle the ever increasing demand for coffee, the government of Brazil imported slaves by the tens of thousands. By 1828 well over a million slaves, nearly a third of the population, labored on the brazilian coffee plantations.

In response to pressure from the British Government, who had outlawed slavery and were boycotting slave-grown coffee, Brazil half-heartedly outlawed slavery. Though importation of slaves declined, it did not cease and the two-million or so slaves that were already in the country remained in bondage. It would be another fifty years before slavery was truly abolished.

As production of Brazilian Coffee modernized, modern being a relative term for a third-world country. A few growers established a reputation for providing high-quality coffee and edged their way into the American specialty market.

The best Brazilian Coffee comes from the region around San Paulo and is named for the port through which it is exported, Santos. Santos is known for its smooth flavor, medium body and moderate acidity. While Santos has the best coffee, it is still far from extraordinary when compared to other gourmet coffees of the world.

Even with the reputation of providing low-grade coffee to the masses, the impact Brazil has had on the world coffee trade is undeniable. Without this crop to stabilize the market, coffee prices could be three to four times what they are. Imagine paying $15-20 for a one pound can of Folgers. I, for one, am grateful to Brazil for providing the world with cheap coffee.

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Arabica Coffee

As you may have guessed, Arabica Coffee gets its name from Arabia, the land of kings. When it comes to coffee, Arabica is definitely king. As legend has it, a goat herd named Kaldi discovered coffee on the Arabian peninsula around 500-600 A.D. He observed his goats excited behavior after eating the red cherry-like berries of a coffee plant.

Hence the name Arabica, however, scientific evidence indicates that coffee first grew in Kaffa, what is now Ethiopia, in Northeastern Africa and was transported shortly afterwards across the mouth of the Red Sea to Yemen.

One could assume that the name coffee comes from the word Kaffa which would support the evidence that coffee first appeared in this region. Semantics aside, it is accepted that Arabia was the origin of commercial coffee trade so Arabica Coffee is appropriately named.


Of the more than forty species of plants in the Coffea genus only two are suitable for making coffee, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora the latter of which is more commonly known as Coffea robusta. Of the two, Arabica is definitely the premium bean.



Many factors determine the quality of the end product. Such as, where the coffee is grown, soil, climate and elevation, not to mention harvesting, processing and roasting of the mature beans. However, one fact is undisputed, the finest coffees in the world come from Arabica Coffee plants.

Arabian Coffees accounts for about 80% of all coffee produced in the world. It prefers higher elevations and drier climates than its cousin C. robusta.

The tropics of South America provide ideal conditions for growing Arabica Coffee which grows best between 3,000 and 6,500 feet but has been grown as high as 9,000 feet. Generally, the higher the plant is grown the slower it matures. This gives it time to develop the internal elements and oils that give coffee its aromatic flavor.

Within the C. Arabica species there are three main varieties; Typica, Bourbon and Caturra. Each has subtle differences that add character nuances to body, acidity, balance etc… that are detectable to the discerning palate.

More importantly, the sub-species have been bred to adapt to a specific growing region to be resistant to certain afflictions such as fungus, parasites, insects etc… that differ from region to region.

Interestingly, C. Arabica, is self-pollinating as opposed to C. Rrobusta, which is not. This might explain why this coffee is more abundant throughout the world. Also why it does well at higher elevations where bees might be less active due to cooler temperatures and why Robusta prefers lower, hotter, climates where bees are more plentiful. Just a theory but food for thought.

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Arabian Coffee

Arabian Coffee is the quintessential coffee of the world. Arabia lends its name to the highest quality coffee plant in the world, Coffea Arabica. This coffee accounts for about 80% of all coffee produced in the world. It prefers higher elevations and drier climates than its cousin C. Robusta.

The tropics of South America provide ideal conditions for growing Arabian Coffee which grows best between 3,000 and 6,500 feet but has been grown as high as 9,000 feet. Generally, the higher the plant is grown the slower it matures. This gives it time to develop the internal elements and oils that give coffee its aromatic flavor.

Coffee was originally discovered in Ethiopia, just across the Red Sea from Arabia. It soon made its way to Yemen where it was embraced by the Islamic people. Soon it became a beverage endorsed by the Islamic clerics as drinking alcohol was prohibited in their religion. This particular blend soon came to be known as an Islamic beverage.

Coffee from Arabia was exported to Europe where the people embraced it. However, the Catholic Cardinals shunned it as the ‘Devil’s drink’ and tried to have it banned.

But then Pope Clement VIII decided that it would be imprudent to ban the beverage without having tasted it, so he summoned a sample. As legend has it, the Pope was immediately enamored by the distinct, pungent aroma and taste. He decided that to banish the delightful drink would be a greater sin. So he baptized it on the spot claiming that it would be a shame to let the impious ones have this delightful drink all to themselves.

Coffee from Arabia is still a part of the Islamic faith and is use in ritualistic ceremonies.

The coffee growers of Arabia protected their monopoly on the prized plant. They were the exclusive providers of coffee throughout the world for several hundred years.

That is until a coffee plant finally made its way to the Caribbean. This began a new legacy of high-quality coffee in Latin America.

It is said that all the Arabica Coffee grown in the world started from this plant as cuttings were transplanted all over the world. Coffee from Arabia is truly the source of coffee throughout the world.

The word mocha comes from the name Mokha, the shipping port in Yemen where all Arabian coffee was exported. Mocha has become a term used for describing a coffee beverage in which chocolate is added. But originally it had nothing to do with chocolate.

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American Coffee

American Coffee? Technically there is no such thing, at least none that is grown in North America. There is such a thing as the American coffee consumer which might as well be an institution all their own for it’s their money that drives a substantial portion of the market. So, if you want to learn more about the history of coffee in america, read on.

Americans consume more coffee than any other nation on earth. Coffee companies in America revolutionized coffee marketing, packaging, distributing, and even processing and roasting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The US has sent troops to other countries to protect coffee growers and exporters from civil unrest. Yes, America is in love with coffee.

Coffee even played a role in the birth of America. Early British colonists revolted against Britain taxing tea. They exerted their independence by throwing cases of English tea into Boston Harbor during the famed Boston Tea Party. The early American coffee drinker was seen as patriotic and independent.

US coffee retailers like Starbucks® have created huge multi-billion dollar companies. They did this by providing the public not only a good cup of coffee but a relaxing place to socialize and drink their coffee. Starbucks® did not invent the coffee house by any means. The earliest known coffee house opened in 1475 in Constantinople. But Starbucks® definitely revolutionized the experience for American coffee drinkers and carried the modern coffeehouse into the 21st century.

Americans have taken coffee with them into every war since the Revolution of 1776. Whether to stay awake in battle or as a comforting, soothing reminder of home in the midst of bleak and frightening conditions or both.

In fact, many wars have been fought over coffee and the lands on which it is grown. From small scale turf wars to full blown civil wars and political revolt. Such as in Nicaragua in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Coffee has become an integral part of every society it has ever been introduced to from the time it was discovered about 600 A.D. There is definitely something about the dark, mysterious and tantalizing beverage that captivates the spirit and captures the imagination. US coffee drinkers are no different and have adopted the age old addiction with gusto.

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History of Coffee

Coffee is a stimulant beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.Coffee is the second-most-traded physical commodity in the world, ranking second only to petroleum.

Coffee was first consumed in the 9th Century, when it was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia.From there, it spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the 15th Century had reached Azerbaijan, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia and to the Americas.



Coffee berries, which contain the coffee bean, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora (also known as Coffea robusta) and Coffea arabica. These are cultivated in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted, undergoing several physical and chemical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout modern history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia.It was banned in Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century for political reasons,and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries,and in 2005, it was the world's seventh largest legal agricultural export by value.

Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions; whether the effects of coffee are positive or negative is still disputed.

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