We've always heard that Colombia is a coffee-producing country, but most often this product is associated with a single region: the Coffee Region. And although it's one of the largest and best coffee-producing regions in the country, we have many areas within it that produce high-quality coffees. Therefore, it's time to discover and learn about coffees from different regions of the country. Today, we'll learn about coffee from Huila, a department surrounded by the Andes mountain range and home to coffee that has the power of the Nevado volcano.
Let's start by talking a little about the department
Huila is a department located in the southwest of the country, whose capital is Neiva, in the Andean region and bordering Tolima, Cundinamarca, Meta, Caquetá, and Cauca. It has more than one million inhabitants spread across 37 municipalities, 35 of which are coffee-growing, making it a department with a coffee-producing majority.
Throughout the department, we have different altitudes, ranging from 600 to 5,000 meters above sea level. This highest point is the Nevado del Huila. Due to these highly variable altitudes, the department's climate is equally diverse, with a number of thermal zones, where we find warm, moderate, cold, and even very cold climates. The number of thermal zones in this territory also varies in terms of humidity, wind speed, and the amount of sunlight. As we know, these factors are decisive and influential in the coffee process.
But now it's time to start talking about coffee.
As previously mentioned, coffee is present throughout this department, and only two of its municipalities do not have the pleasure of being coffee growers. Currently, there are a total of 83,709 registered coffee growers, who own 100,672 farms dedicated to coffee cultivation and processing, with a total area of approximately 144,122 hectares. This indicates that more than half of the department is planted with coffee, and therefore 75% of the inhabitants of rural areas are dedicated to coffee growing. Different varieties are grown in this large expanse of coffee-growing land, mostly Arabica coffees such as Castillo and Colombia, native varieties of our country, and also varieties such as Caturra, Típica, Borbón, and Tabí.
Furthermore, since 2013, the region's "Denomination of Origin" has been certified, which has very balanced characteristics, with sweet notes, medium acidity, as well as the body of the coffee, like the region itself. Its fragrance and aroma are strong and intense, and we recognize fruity and caramel notes in it.
Its regions
Center: With nearly 28,000 hectares cultivated by more than 16,000 families, this region is characterized by its high level of technological development and productivity. Its coffees are considered high-altitude, with the region's average location at 1,600 meters above sea level. Cups are characterized by floral fragrances and fruity, caramelized flavors. It has a creamy body and a citric acidity, providing a well-balanced coffee with a very clean flavor.
North: With an area of just over 3,000 hectares, more than the northern region, and also some 16,000 coffee-growing families, its cup is characterized by its citrus and aromatic fragrance, notes that also appear in its flavor, accompanied by a touch of panela, red berries, and dark chocolate. Its acidity is medium, as is its body, which is creamy.
South: Under the unique climate generated around the source of the country's largest tributary, the Magdalena River, nearly 40,000 families are dedicated to growing coffee in 10 municipalities in this subregion. These include the two municipalities with the largest coffee-growing areas in the country, Pitalito and Acevedo. The most notable characteristics of the cup are the chocolate aroma and fragrance, a good sweetness, and hints of red berries and other fruity notes, in addition to a medium-high acidity and a medium-balanced body.
The West: The region with the smallest cultivated hectares, with only 18,000 hectares, employing around 12,000 families, almost all of them indigenous. Cups from this region feature a citrusy yet floral fragrance and aroma, a sweet and sour flavor with yellow fruits, and a medium acidity accompanied by a medium body and a persistent, residual balance.
A coffee with the touch of Huila women
Among the more than 83,000 coffee growers in the department are around 25,000 women coffee growers, who are responsible for cultivating approximately 35,000 hectares and are members of 15 women coffee growers' associations.
Traveling through Colombia will always be a pleasure. Discovering its diverse landscapes and everything this country has to offer is a delight we all deserve, and that pleasure should always be accompanied by exploring the region with a good cup of coffee.