Description
Café de Colombia PGI is a coffee obtained from the exclusive Arabic species cultivation, specifically the varieties Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Maragogipe, Tabi, Colón, San Bernardo and Colombia (currently known as Castillo); it can be composed of a single variety or a mixture of those.
Production Area
The production area of Café de Colombia PGI includes 800,000 hectares and falls mostly within the territory of the Republic of Colombia, in areas qualified for coffee cultivation, especially mountainous ones.
Production Method
harvest starts after approximately 210-224 days after the flowering of the plant and is carried out selecting only the ripe fruits and plucking every bean by hand. The cleaning phase is a wet process carried out with water, following various stages: coffee winding, mucilage removal, washing and drying. After the threshing, beans are classified mechanically by size, colour and density. Subsequently, the toasting is carried out, which can also take place outside of the production area. The toasting procedure gives coffee beans the necessary characteristics so they can be used for the beverage preparation.
Appearance and Flavour
after its processing, Café de Colombia PGI is sweet, shows no defects, has medium-high acidity and body, and a pronounced and complete aroma.
History
The origins of Café de Colombia PGI are vague, since there are no specific references regarding the period or the modalities that characterised the introduction of coffee in Colombia. There are various hypotheses, amongst which one that ascribes the introduction of coffee beans to the Jesuit priests, around 1736. Since 1850, the cultivation spread out from the Santander area towards other areas in the country. This expansion became more substantial between 1874 and 1900, and had a particular thrust after the inauguration of the railway in 1893, which facilitated product transportation.
Gastronomy
Café de Colombia PGI should be stored far from humidity, heat sources and unrelated smells. Once the packaging is opened, the product should be kept in airtight containers and in a fairly cool and dry place. The traditional preparation of the beverage in Colombia is carried out using a cloth filter, pure water and fresh coffee. The water is brought to the boil, one spoon of coffee is used per cup, placed in the filter, and the boiling water is poured on the filter with circular movements. Culinary use of coffee is wide ranging; it can be used in the preparation of an infinite number of deserts, cakes, ice creams and even sauces to be served with meat or chicken dishes.
Marketing
The product is commercialised as Café de Colombia PGI. It is sold in classic packets that guarantee its freshness - up to one month for ground coffee and up to two months for coffee beans. It can also be found in hard packaging or in special vacuumpacked containers, or with special valves that extend its preservation to one or two years.
Distinctive Features
The production area of Café de Colombia PGI is characterised by rains that are particularly abundant and well distributed throughout the year. This assures a sufficient quantity of water to complete the entire cultivation productive cycle and to guarantee coffee harvesting all year round, conditioned furthermore by the influx of the mountain range distribution and the local circulation between valleys and mountains.
