On this tour of Colombian coffees , it's essential to take a closer look at the most representative region for coffee lovers: the coffee belt, which gives its name to the union of several representative departments in the history of Colombian coffee and where, traditionally, the best coffee in the world has been grown. Quindío is one of the departments that forms part of the coffee belt, and the smallest of them all, but that doesn't make it any less important. Traditionally, it is the symbol when talking about Colombian coffee.
The land of the wax palm.
Quindío is the second smallest department in Colombia, at just 1,845 km². It is located in the center-west of the country in the heart of the Andean region, bordering Tolima, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca. Within its small area, there are only 12 municipalities, all of them coffee-growing, with a departmental population of approximately 550,000. The department can be considered high-altitude, lying between 1,400 and 4,760 meters above sea level. As expected, a department with all its municipalities focused on coffee cultivation has its economic base there. Although agriculture in general also contributes to the domestic GDP, in recent years coffee tourism has taken over the region, bringing new income to the people of Quindío.
The coffee of Quindío
This department, 100% coffee-producing, but small in area, has only 5,600 coffee farms, belonging to 5,076 coffee growers and nearly 19,000 hectares planted with coffee trees. Among the characteristics of the region's coffee are its fruity or nutty aroma, a pronounced medium-high fragrance, equally fruity acidity, a medium-round body, and a lingering bitter chocolate flavor.
The quindianas in the coffee
In this region, everyone is involved with coffee, whether men or women, all have extensive knowledge and participation in what happens around the bean that makes their department famous. Of the more than 5,000 coffee growers in the region, the strength and empowerment of women is represented in Quindío by at least 1,000 women coffee growers, approximately 300 of whom are heads of household. Between them, they are responsible for cultivating approximately 6,000 of the 19,000 hectares. Each municipality has its own women coffee growers association.
A coffee in the land of coffee
It's impossible to go it alone. This is an area that can drive coffee lovers crazy. On every corner of the different towns, we can find a new variety, a new cup, and a single-origin coffee to try. Traveling through Quindío long enough to discover as many varieties as possible is a plan every coffee lover should undertake. That's why it's important to know our tastes when it comes to coffee and what kind of flavors we hope to taste when we raise our cup, because when visiting Quindío, coffee should be the star.