Coffee History

Today we travel to five different countries with our Allegro blend: Colombia, India, Brazil, Tanzania and Congo.

You will have already tasted the single origins, now taste them in a blend and discover how they enhance each other creating a unique and complex taste.

Colombia

Let’s start with Colombia, one of the most evocative coffee-growing areas in the world, so much so that its landscapes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

L’Eje Cafetero is a rural area that extends in several departments towards the south of the state, beyond Medellin. The best known are those of: Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda, Tolima and Valle del Cauca.

Here life flows slowly, in contact with and respecting nature, made up of simplicity and centuries-old cultural traditions.

Coffee has conditioned the economy, the lifestyle, the traditions, the uses and customs of the small historic villages of the farmers, who hand down knowledge and skills from father to son.

When I drink a cup of Colombia Supremo Finca la Meseta I imagine myself in the beautiful spa areas, immersed in the vast plantations of an intense emerald green, embraced by cloud forests, between steep valleys and peaks with glaciers, kissed by the sun and overlooking the national parks of the Andes.

Here is the hacienda from which we buy our Colombian coffee, from the Finca called La Meseta.

Region dotted by the Andean forest, with a climate between 8° and 24° centigrade, between 1100 and 2000 m of altitude and with constant rains all year round. All this makes the land perfect for growing a very high quality coffee.

And to honor their product, the recognedores, i.e. the pickers of the red berries, always work manually, making a careful selection and picking only the cherries that are perfectly ripe.

The taste is soft, fresh, fruity, floral and almondy. Smell the cup of Blue Diamond and you will feel this intense almond note!

India

We pass through India among the Baba Budan Giri hills, below the Tropic of Cancer, constituting the main region for the production and consumption of the dark drink.

Specifically, with our Kalledevarapura, we are located in the region of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

These regions are cool throughout the year and enjoy abundant rainfall. The soil is deep and fertile. Furthermore, the peculiarity of this territory is the presence of tall trees, which allow coffee plants to be grown in the shade, sheltering them from the strong and hot direct sun.

These conditions create fertile ground for growing great coffee!

The same plantations then not only cultivate coffee, but also pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and 45 other types of plants. This botanical heterogeneity gives the beans a great aromatic variety and intensity in taste.

In short, I imagine a trip to the Indian plantations with the nose turned up, ready to grasp all the imaginative aromatic nuances and the heady scent of flowers, fruits and spices.

Overall, Indian arabica coffees have good acidity and a good creaminess, rich in aromas: from tea leaves to chocolate, from ripe pulp fruit to red fruits, from chocolate to honey and from nuts to spices and tobacco. In short, a riot of taste.

Brazil

Let’s go back to America landing in Brazil, the number one country for the quantity of coffee produced and sold in the world, and for this reason it is also one of the most consumed and well-known coffees!

In Brazil there are a multitude of crops, both large as far as the eye can see, which use industrial means and produce poor quality coffee, as well as micro-farms of Specialty Coffee. In short, the coffee growing area is vast and varied.

The two departments known for producing quality coffee are the Cerrado region, where our Bom Chocolate comes from, and the Minas Gerais region slightly southeast of the former.

The Cerrado region obtained the IP mark (Indication of Origin) in 2005 and the DO, therefore also recognized with the Denomination of Origin mark, since 2014. This is characterized by the quality of the raw beans and by the unique climatic combinations. Furthermore, the coffee plants have intense blooms, with uniform ripening of a concentrated crop, which together with a perfect definition of the climatic seasons, with hot and humid summers and mild and dry winters.

A set of perfectly synchronized variables that create unique and ideal conditions for our beloved plant with bright red fruits.

The authentic Cerrado Mineiro coffee has intense aromas, with a caramel taste and hints of dried fruit, with a delicate citrus acidity and a preponderant flavor of very persistent chocolate.

I imagine Brazil as vast, made up of hills and plateaus between 900 and 1600 meters above sea level. Greenery and fields as far as the eye can see with a clear sky that contrasts with the land.

Africa

We conclude our journey in Africa, the cradle of human civilization, birthplace of the coffee plant, the only land that seems to tell us the beginning of every story.

The first natural Robusta comes from Tanzania and is a Superior, from the Bukoba region, grown at over 800 meters above sea level.

Tanzania is a state that I am very fond of and that I have had the pleasure of visiting both along the coast and inland. In the midst of giraffes, lions and other animals of the savannah he shows us some of the wonders of the world, rich contrasting colors: the red earth, the savannah with green trees and a clear blue sky.

Even people always have colorful clothes and a beautiful smile on their faces.

The coffee-growing area of ​​Kagera and Bukoba, in the north-east of the country on the shores of Lake Victoria, in which areas mainly natural Robusta with an intense aroma and a chocolaty taste are grown.

The second natural Robusta comes from the Congo, from the Mombasa area, in the north-east of the state, cultivated over 600 meters above sea level.

Beans sourced from the Congo often have a rich flavor and high caffeine levels. This gives it a greater charge of bitterness and a truly intense roundness and body.

The coffee-growing area called Great North, perhaps one of the most fruitful areas of the state, both of great Arabica coffee, but also of quality Robusta, offers full, intense, creamy and full-bodied coffees, with aromatic notes that revive the taste of the plant: light woody notes, flowers and toasted cocoa.

So, with a taste of our Allegro you will first find yourself in Colombia, with the most delicate notes of red fruits and almonds. 

Soon after comes the aromatic complexity of Indian spices together with a hint of tobacco. And finally in Brazil, with toasted notes, such as caramel and chocolate.

In the aftertaste, on the other hand, you will travel to Africa with persistent aromatic notes of bitter cocoa that characterize the selected Robusta. 

This blend is excellent in mocha, espresso and capsules. Find out below how to best prepare it with all the tools.

https://www.caffeernani.com/en/category/how-to-make-coffee/

Safe travels!