Many of us drink coffee every day; we start the morning with that first coffee that tastes like glory and a good awakening. We drink it before or after breakfast, after lunch and even in tea time - why not? Discover all about coffee in South America, in my case, coffee is a ritual similar to mate (the argentinian traditional drink) that accompanies, and invites to talk, conversation, meetings between family, friends and couple.  There is always time for a little coffee. It is taken for pleasure, for the energy and stimulation needs, for exploration, or simply for inertia.  In fact, there are studies that denote coffee for different consumption as I mentioned before, be it for a personal rite or in company; or for economic interests that begin with the cultivation, packaging, distribution, and commercialization of coffee. Most of the coffee consumed in the United States and Europe is imported from South America and other parts of the world. But what do we know about coffee? Have we asked ourselves about its origin, its flavor, its grain, its culture? We have asked ourselves who loves this wonderful beverage, what is coffee in South America? Today October 1st we celebrate the International Day of Coffee in South America and in whole world, and together with Daytours4u I would like to know if when you went to Colombia, one of the most known countries in the world for this product, you get to know the coffee producing plantation in depth. Or if in Bolivia you got to know the coffee that is cultivated in the north of La Paz, becoming the main coffee producer of the country. Or if, in your trip to Peru you tasted the famous Cusco coffee, especially in the mountains of Machu Picchu. I make a call of attention to think if we really realize the richness that the South American continent possesses and how valuable it is to recover that memory in order to show the world what characterizes it, in each of its countries.    Travel Tips: Enjoy the best coffee in the world on the Recuca Park Visit: Tour of the Coffee Culture in Colombia!  
International Coffee Day pays tribute to the most popular beverage on the planet / Photo: Canva Pro
 

A legend about Goats and Coffee

To talk about the history of a millenary product, we always come across many legends. It requires time of investigation and precision, but I found one that, according to the sources, I consider is the one that most points to tell us the origin of coffee.  Although the two legends I found are in dispute with different stories, I find similarities, for example in that the protagonists of the bean's encounter were religious. Not to mention the energy that coffee produced, without knowing what this great discovery was about.   

Ethiopia and Arabia

We have known about the effects of coffee since the 11th century. In eastern Africa, the legend tells of a shepherd named Kadil who used to take his little goats out to pasture. One night he found his flock of goats quite overexcited, not understanding what was going on. The next day he chased them into the bushes where the goats, maddened, were jumping from one side to the other and he found some red grains somewhat fermented in the said pasture, to which he clearly did not dedicate enough time. The shepherd, being a rather curious man, had no choice but to try to understand what was happening. In fact, he realized that the fruit stimulated and left him happy enough. And to "finish" with this legend, it is said that the prepared drink arrived at a monastery, so that the monks did not fall asleep during the night.  When I say "finish" in quotes, it is because the history of coffee is so beautiful and broad that it is worth studying it, but now we are going on another trip.   Travel Tips: Find out more about International Coffee Day: Colombia´s Coffee Regions and What You Can Do.  
Coffee plants generate different seeds, different grains and therefore different coffee. The variety can be appreciated in its flavor, aroma, and texture / Photo: Canva Pro
 

And as another saying goes: "let's get straight to the point"

You surely and recurrently heard talking about the coffee grain as a cherry, sometimes because of its bright red color, when it is ripe. And to mention the terroir, the French term originally used for wine, coffee, and tea to denote the geographic location where it is grown and the great influence it has on the product. I would need to write an article long enough to be able to define step by step how coffee is cultivated and developed; however I am going to choose one of the final processes which is roasting, surely quite heard by many of you. When the bean is roasted, it increases in size and changes from green to yellow and then to a cinnamon color. The different roasting levels of the grain are defined by color: blond, cinnamon, medium, brown, dark brown, French (or semi-black), Italian (black).  When the temperature reaches around 200 °C the grains release an oil, this means that the more oil generated, the more flavorful the coffee will be.   A roaster can follow some models to achieve a desired sensory profile:
  • The intensity of acidity will be lower if the coffee is roasted longer.
  • A person will feel more body on the palate, the longer the coffee is roasted.
  • If you think that the amount of caffeine is involved in the bitterness of the coffee, you are wrong, since it really depends on the roasting process. 
  Flavors can be defined depending on the roasting levels:
  • Light roast: Coffee can be quite acidic, medium sweet and low in texture. 
  • Medium Roast: This is a balanced coffee and is used to analyze how much potential it has.
  • Dark Roast: A good roast will show us a great body with chocolate aromas and low acidity.
 
One of the advantages of coffee beans is that it retains its properties better and longer than ground coffee / Photo: Canva Pro
 

Varieties: Arabica or Robusta?

Arabica coffee (Coffea Arabica) and Robusta coffee (Coffea Canephora) are the two best known varieties worldwide.  The Arabica species originated in the region of Ethiopia. In Colombia, for example, it is the only species that is cultivated; it grows in a tropical climate, on hillsides and mountains, and is a fairly demanding and complex crop to work with, due to manual harvesting, so it requires quite a lot of labor, since it cannot be industrialized. It is the best quality species in the world, it is more aromatic than the Robusta, but its plants tend to be more vulnerable. The Robusta species is a bigger and more robust tree as its name indicates. Its plant is stronger, resistant to pests and grows at lower altitudes. It differs mainly in the taste, is not of very good quality and is used for mixtures. It has more caffeine and is more bitter.    Travel Tips: Discover the richness of the Coffee Culture Landscape from another perspective: aboard an exciting hot air balloon. You can't miss it!  
South America is one of the main coffee export areas in the world / Photo: Canva Pro
 

A coffee journey through South America

Colombia

I feel very proud to be from the country that has one of the best coffees in the world. Not only that, but also of the famous coffee triangle in Colombia known as “eje cafetero” and recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO.  Colombia is a country of small coffee producers. More than 90% of the farms are very small and produce in less than one hectare, making the coffee have totally different flavors. "This is a beautiful rural area that offers its visitors a peaceful journey to enjoy nature and one of the best coffees in the world. After all, Colombia is the second largest producer of coffee after Brazil," says Lucila Runnacles for Daytours4u. But Colombia has more coffee producing regions: among them Boyacá, Cauca, Guajira, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Huila, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Tolima, Santander.   Travel tips: Discover the flavors on Colombia's Coffee Triangle: Tips, Tours and Things to do. Currently brands like Azahar "seeks to give visibility to these small producers through traceability and through work and create continuous relationships with producers so that they can improve their quality, the quality of their product and on the other hand, guarantee them a better yield for that product to ensure that they can continue to improve their processes, maintain quality and have a decent way of life," says Juan Manuel Ortiz in Mantecast.  

Ecuador

Coffee arrived late to this small South American country; for this reason it is not considered an industrially large country and economically speaking, it depends more on petroleum. Its production is not as high as that of its sister countries, and it imports more coffee than it exports. Flavors: Ecuadorian coffee has medium acidity, a lighter body, and fruity and floral notes. Travel Tips: Discover Why include Ecuador in your itinerary to South America and enjoy this great destination.  

Bolivia

The coffee of Bolivia grows in lands of enough height and similar to the one of Colombia. Coffee is recognized for being gourmet or premium if it receives a rating greater than 84 points on a scale of 100, taking into account its aroma, flavor, personality and lack of defects. In the case of Bolivia the coffee produced in Caravani and Cochabamba has obtained a position among the best in the world and is also considered gourmet coffee thanks to the quality of its origin, its floral and fruity characteristics that accompany its perfect level of acidity and light body.  Of course, this is also due to its exquisite flavor, quality and tremendous work of cultivation achieved by the coffee growers. Travel Tips: Learn more about this wonderful destination with the 5 things you should know before traveling to Bolivia.  

Peru

Coffee arrived in Peru around 1700, but the industry did not recover until 1900 when the British colonists began to cultivate coffee crops to move to Europe because it was in constant demand.  This generated an important increase in the coffee industry, and by the end of the 1920's the farms were returned to their local inhabitants. The quality of coffee in this country is high, and it has a light body, medium acidity, and fruity and floral sweet notes. Travel Tips: Delight yourself with our Basic Guide to Peruvian Gastronomy.  
Enjoying a cup of coffee every day is a tradition in most Latin American countries / Photo: Canva Pro
 

Brazil

Coffee arrived in this country in the middle of the 18th century and unlike countries such as Ecuador, by 1830 it already had a worldwide growth in supply, especially at a time when diseases left millions of dead in the coffee industries of Asia and Africa, Brazil came to produce 80% of the world's coffee.  Brazil's coffee occupies the first place in the scale of world production. Not only because of the enormous size of the country, but also because of its diverse landscapes, different flavors are obtained.  One of the most traditional coffee farms, 96km from São Paulo, is Campinas, a municipality that has become famous for its coffee, cotton and sugar cane crops. But in particular for the coffee, to which it owes its prosperity.  The flavor of Brazilian coffee has a heavier body, compared to coffee from other countries, its acidity level is low, smooth, and has spicy and chocolate notes. Coffees that have fruity and floral notes come from higher altitude areas. Unlike a wine or a beer, coffee deserves to be honored in our homes to give it the ending that corresponds to all the hard work of how it was made. Dare to drink more coffee, to prepare it with conscience, to investigate. To recognize and honor the work of the farmer.    When I began to write the article, with a blank page, unconnected ideas in my head and several open computer tabs, I thought, "What if I had a cup of coffee?" It was early in the morning and my solitary ritual promised me a good day.  
By: Mariana Vélez Zuluaga, a passionate and sensitive Colombian for the world. I write, I eat and vice versa. Founder of cometeelcuento blog.