On this tour of Colombia, we can't leave out a department filled with beautiful places, lovely people, and delicious coffee flavors. It's the southernmost department of our country on the Pacific coast, but the most accessible and friendly of all. Nariño is a land of coffee, full of wonders, so many that even its capital is considered the surprise city.
Let's get to know Nariño
This department in southwestern Colombia is named after one of the pioneers of Colombia's independence, Antonio Nariño. It is located in the Andean and Pacific regions, bordering Cauca, Putumayo, the Pacific Ocean, and the border with our sister country, Ecuador. Its geography is diverse, and its climate even more so, depending on the altitude. It is hot in the plains near the Pacific, while cold is the dominant factor in the Andean region, although this is the most populated area and where our beloved coffee is found. Nariño is home to more than 1.6 million Colombians, spread across a total of 64 municipalities. It is a department that slopes upward, with areas at sea level and other moorlands at over 4,700 meters above sea level. Its main economic sources are livestock and agriculture, with crops such as potatoes, beans, cocoa, and, of course, coffee.
Nariño coffee
In this department, 41 of its more than 60 municipalities are part of the region's coffee tradition and production. There, we find more than 54,000 families dedicated to cultivating 36,000 hectares of coffee, primarily Arabica coffee. Among the denominations we find are, of course, the Colombia variety, as well as Castillo, Caturra, Típica, and Borbón. Ninety-nine percent of these families are considered small coffee growers, meaning they have no more than 5 hectares planted. This indicates that this is a region of great collaborative work and a large supply.
Although the department is characterized by small producers, high quality standards are maintained, guaranteed through controls and innovative processes throughout the entire production and marketing chain. All of this is done to maintain the best flavor and quality characteristic of this region.
The department's location makes its coffee-growing region very special. It enjoys unique conditions thanks to a combination of important factors, such as the number of hours of annual sunlight, long rainfall cycles, and soils with a high organic matter content. These factors make it possible to grow coffee at high altitudes, which are around 2,300 meters above sea level. This also implies a low temperature of around 16°C, while the region's temperatures range between 19°C and 26°C. These low temperatures, which coffee in this area can withstand, have a positive correlation with the acidity and sugars of the plantations in other crops. In the case of coffee, the plant protects itself from what it considers an adverse environment by developing a slower metabolism. As the cultivation process slows, the development of acidity, sweetness, and smoothness can be felt much more in our cups, and the waiting time also contributes to the development of greater fruit attributes.
The region's Designation of Origin defines it as a coffee with a strong, very strong, and caramelized aroma. In the cup, it presents high acidity with a medium body, giving a very balanced and clean overall impression, smooth, but with some sweet and floral notes.
A cup with the touch of Nariño women
In a department with half of its municipalities producing coffee, women must be part of this process to infuse flavor into every cup of coffee produced in this region. It's no small feat that there are more than 13,000 women among the nearly 40,000 coffee growers, and the vast majority of them, despite the country's adverse circumstances, have literally taken their families on their shoulders and gotten ahead with good coffee. Together, they manage to cultivate more than 10,000 hectares of coffee throughout the department and are associated with three women's coffee grower associations.
A traditional coffee shop
Discovering that the Colombian coffee tradition can be found in every department is a task that we enjoy in every cup. The flavors of our country are so rich and so unique that it is impossible not to want to discover in every cup the full flavor of Nariño , the full flavor of Colombia.