Colombia Popayan

On the quest for distinguished coffee, you simply cannot pass Colombia. Colombia’s quality reputation stems from hard work and excellent terrain. A unique topographic characteristic also comes into play when talking about the different facets of Colombian coffees: the three cordilleras of the Andes mountain range. Between and within the mountain ranges several microclimates are formed, resulting in excellent conditions for high quality coffee production.

Towards southern Colombia, the three cordilleras find their way back to becoming one mountain range, creating a knot. Shortly before this knot lies the city of Popayán, the capital of the state Cauca. It is also called Ciudad Blanca – the white city – due to its colonial architecture with plenty of white buildings in the city center. To the east, the Popayán plateau borders Huila. Due to the altitude and its proximity to the equator and the surrounding mountains, the so-called Meseta de Popayán provides a very stable climate year and rich volcanic soils – and therefore an attractive environment for growing coffee.

Coffees from the Popayán area are mostly grown on smallholder farms ranging from 5 to 10 hectares. From there, coffee is brought to central washing stations where the small lots are compiled. This coffee from Popayán usually comes with heavy dark berry notes that create a particular cup profile used in many ways.