Colombian Coffee Bean

Colombian Coffee Bean

Consider the lowly Colombian coffee bean, it is quite small, and grown in a poor country. But even with such humble beginnings, it gets brewed into a hot liquid that everyone including kings, and heads of state enjoy. If there ever was an important plant, that meant a lot to every one around the world, the Colombian coffee
plant is one. Millions of people around the world, especially in the west, depend on their coffee to get them going in the morning. There are as many ways to make coffee, as there are ways to enjoy it, from iced mocha's, to coffee cakes, and hot coffee with cream. Let's take a look at the history of Colombian coffee bean, how it is harvested, and how it is imported.

In the nineteenth century, Colombia discovered the coffee bean, and they started growing it to export it in 1836. Coffee that comes from Colombia is also known as Colombian Mild, and is grown on certain types of the Coffea arabica plant. These plants have large white flowers, and equally large green leaves. Certain regions of Colombia, such as the regions of Norte de Santander, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio, and Cundinamarca, are designated as the Protected Designations of Origins. These are protected areas, that the government has designated for planting, and harvesting coffee. Most of the coffee is grown in the regions of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindo, making this area known as the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis. Most of the Colombian coffee beans grown, actually over seventy percent, will be exported to other countries. Such countries are The United States, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and Japan. This covers our lesson on where the Colombian coffee bean grows, now on to how it is harvested.

Colombian coffee beans harvesters, work in the coffee fields, pick the little berries that grow on the coffee plants. They then put the cofee berries in bags, made out of a natural fiber called fique. Then the little berries are taken to the pulp machine, and the resulting coffee beans are left in containers for twenty four hours. After this the beans are washed, and left in the sun to dry, and the harvesters take special care of the beans, even covering them in the rain. This simple step helps to differentiate Colombian coffee, from other countries that do not wash theirs. The next step in the Colombian coffee beans journey from the fields, to our tables, is the way it is roasted.

Colombian coffee beans, are roasted in a special gas oven, for around ten to twenty minutes, at temperatures ranging from four hundred degrees, to four hundred twenty five. Different names are given to the color, and taste of the coffee beans, such as the popular french roast. The beans are roasted to a dark brown, almost black, and the taste is slightly bitter. So the next time you are having your favorite cup of coffee, think of the journey that the Colombian coffee beans have taken.