naturally organic coffee from colombia

Bywww.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

Naturally Organic Coffee from

Colombia

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

In our continuing search for healthy organic coffee I was visiting Colombia.

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In the heart of the Colombia coffee district, the Cafetero, is the mountain town of Manizales.

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A million people live in and around this city at elevations of 7000 feet more or less.

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Elevations in the city vary by 500 feet above and below the average! An active volcano, Nevada Ruiz, looms over the city at a height of 15,000 feet.

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The high altitude, plentiful rainfall, nearly continual cloud cover during the rainy season, volcanic soil and moderate temperatures make the area idea for growing coffee.

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There are lots of Colombian coffee brands and most are not labeled organic despite the fact that the vast majority of growers abide by organic standards.

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When I first asked around for where I could buy organic coffee people seemed confused.

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Then they became upset. Here I was in the premier coffee growing region of the entire world and I was asking for something different than basic, good, Colombia Arabica coffee!

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The story about naturally organic coffee from Colombia continues.

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Organic Coffee, Certified or Not

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Some time back we wrote about the Arabica coffee brand.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

This coffee comes from Finca Eliza west of Medellin.

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It is UTZ certified and the grower abides by organic standards.

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He simply has not bothered to deal with any of the agencies that certify coffee on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture, such as Bio Latina.

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It is often the case that small coffee growers cannot afford the $500 a year fee to retain their certification.

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After all they produce naturally organic coffee from Colombia and have buyers locally and internationally without being certified.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

If one drives from Manizales, down the mountain, to the city of Pereira one sees coffee being grown on gentle slopes and virtual mountainsides.

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One sees coffee growing in back yards, tucked in under shade trees.

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This is naturally organic coffee from Colombia but the small growers simply do not have the wherewithal to cough up $500 to get USDA certification.

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Finding Organic Coffee

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

Juan Valdez is a trademark of the Colombian Coffee Growers Association.

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It is also a brand name for organic coffee.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

In my first attempts to find organic labeling on coffee I found that I was irritating the good people of Manizales by suggesting that somehow their coffee was not as good as it is.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

Then I went to the movies at the new Fundadores mall. And there it was, a Juan Valdez coffee kiosk adjacent to the theater boasting several varieties of naturally organic coffee from Colombia and in this case coffee labeled with the USDA seal.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

Nevertheless, I also found virtually unlimited brands of naturally organic Colombian coffee at the Exito supermarket in the same mall.

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That is where I first ran across the Arabica brand, Aguila roja from Cali, sello rojo which is my brother-in-law’s favorite, Café Quindia from the Corazon of Colombia and many others.

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Bringing Coffee Home from Colombia

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And, of course, there is the issue of bringing bags of coffee out of Colombia.

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Fly out of Pereira or Bogotá and they will pin prick your coffee so that both the dog and the mechanical sniffer can check it out.

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Leave from Manizales with your wife’s family all around and the checkers are less likely to insult the local folks by being overly intrusive with your luggage or that of your wife.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

For now, my supply of naturally organic Colombian coffee is almost out so I will have to do with Panama Mountain Grown Organic coffee available here in Panama City, Panama at the El Rey supermarket, naturally organic coffee from Panama.

http://buyorganiccoffee.org/963/naturally-organic-coffee-from-colombia/

I am looking forward to next year and our trip to see family in the Cafetero of Colombia.