Most people know the name. Colombian coffee is on supermarket jars, café menus and adverts. But if you have only tasted it as a dark, milky drink, you may not know why so many people drink it black and leave it alone. This guide explains what Colombian coffee is, how it tastes, and how to brew it so you taste what makes it different.
What Colombian coffee is
Colombia grows its coffee on the slopes of three Andean mountain ranges. Different slopes, heights and weather mean one country can produce coffees that taste quite unlike each other. It is all Arabica, the species known for sweetness, aroma and a wide range of flavours.
Washed, not dried in the fruit
Nearly all Colombian coffee is washed. The fruit around the bean is stripped off and fermented away before the bean is dried. That is the opposite of most Brazilian coffee, which dries inside the fruit.
Washing gives a cleaner, brighter cup. There is less of the heavy, sweet body you get from coffee dried in the fruit, and more room for acidity and fruit flavours to show.
Supremo and Excelso
You will see these words on Colombian bags. They describe bean size, not quality. Supremo beans are larger, Excelso slightly smaller. A smaller bean is not a lesser coffee, whatever the label suggests, so do not pay attention to the grade alone.
How it tastes
Colombia from Steep tastes of orange and plum. It is clean and bright where Brazil is round and heavy.
"Bright" is coffee shorthand for acidity. Not sourness, but the lively, juicy quality you get from a good orange. It makes the coffee feel fresh in the mouth rather than flat.
Colombian coffee is clean, bright and fruity - the coffee to try when you want to taste something other than roast.
If you are coming from instant or very dark coffee, the first sip can surprise you. Give it a second cup before you decide. Most people find the brightness stops seeming strange and starts to taste of fruit.
Why it is so good black
Milk softens acidity and covers fruit. That is exactly why low-acid coffees like Brazil are so good in a latte. Colombian coffee works the other way round. Its best qualities are the ones milk hides.
Drunk black, you taste:
- The orange at the start of the sip
- The plum as it cools a little
- A clean finish that does not linger as bitterness
You can still add milk, and it will be a perfectly good cup. But try it black at least once.
How to brew it
Colombian coffee rewards a little care. Because its flavours are delicate, a brew that is too strong, too long or too hot pushes it towards bitter and hides the fruit.
- Pour-over: medium grind. The cleanest way to taste it. Our guide to pour-over at home covers what you need.
- AeroPress: medium or fine. Short brew, clean cup, very forgiving.
- French press: coarse. A fuller cup with the fruit still there. Plunge at four minutes and pour it all out straight away.
- Cold brew: coarse. Steeped overnight, it turns soft and sweet, with the orange note still clear. Good over ice in a Karachi summer.
Water and temperature
Hard tap water flattens bright coffee more than heavy coffee, because the minerals dull its acidity. If your Colombian tastes flat, try filtered water or bottled water low in minerals. Let boiled water sit for half a minute before you pour, so you do not scorch the grounds.
Which roast to order
Every Steep coffee comes in Light, Medium, Medium Dark or Dark. Roast changes Colombian coffee more than most.
- Light keeps the orange and plum at their clearest, with the most brightness.
- Medium is the balanced choice. Fruit still shows, with a little more sweetness and body.
- Medium Dark and Dark trade fruit for roasted, bitter notes. Choose these only if you plan to drink it with milk.
If you are not sure, start with Medium.
Colombia or Ethiopia?
Both are bright Arabicas, so people often ask which to try. Colombia is the steadier of the two: orange and plum, clean and balanced. Ethiopia Sidamo goes further into fruit, with blackberry, orange and chocolate. Colombia is a good step from Brazil towards brighter coffee, and Ethiopia a good step after that.
Try it black
Order a Medium roast, grind it for your brewer, and drink the first cup without milk or sugar. If it tastes too sharp, try a little less coffee or a slightly coarser grind next time. Order Colombia, ground for your pour-over or French press, delivered across Pakistan with cash on delivery.