Knowledge · geography
Tolima, Colombia
Colombia growing region
Key facts
- Location
- Eastern slopes of Colombia's Central Cordillera
- Altitude
- 1,400–2,100 metres above sea level
- Main varieties
- Caturra, Castillo, Colombia, Tabi
- Processing method
- Mostly washed
- Flavor profile
- Clean and sweet with red apple and caramel
- Harvest months
- April, May, June, October, November
- Beans we stock
- 418 from Colombia
Tolima, on the eastern slopes of Colombia's Central Cordillera, was for years difficult to reach and develop because of the country's internal armed conflict, which left many growing areas isolated well into the 2000s. As security improved, organisations and cooperatives helped reconnect thousands of Tolima smallholders — many farming under two hectares between 1,400 and 2,100 metres — to specialty markets. The coffees, mostly washed Caturra, Castillo, Colombia and Tabi, are clean and sweet with red apple, caramel, and balanced acidity. Tolima's story is closely tied to Colombia's post-conflict rural recovery and the spread of traceable smallholder coffee.
At a glance
- Altitude: 1400–2100 masl
- Typical varieties: Caturra, Castillo, Colombia, Tabi
- Common processes: Washed
- Harvest: 4, 5, 6, 10, 11
Climate
Two-harvest Andean climate with reliable rainfall.
Soil & terroir
Mountain soils over the Central Cordillera.
See also