Antioquia is a large department in northwest Colombia, with the city of Medellín at its centre. Its people, known as paisas, are closely tied to the story of Colombian coffee, and the region is still one of the country’s biggest producers, second only to Huila in recent years.
How coffee spread through the mountains
In the second half of the 1800s, families from Antioquia began moving south and west in search of new land. In Colombia this is known as the Antioquian colonisation. The settlers cleared steep slopes, founded towns and planted coffee. Mule drivers called arrieros carried the sacks along narrow trails to the rivers and markets. Many of the towns in Colombia’s coffee country were founded in those years.
Mountains and two harvests
Antioquia’s coffee grows on the slopes of the Central and Western Andes, usually between about 1,300 and 2,000 metres. As in many parts of Colombia, the trees flower more than once a year, so farms often have a main harvest and a smaller second one, called the mitaca.
What you taste
Our Antioquia coffee has a balanced profile with medium acidity. Look for brown sugar, plum and apple. It is sweet and fruity, with nothing too sharp or too heavy, and it works at any time of day.
How to brew it
Antioquia is easy to get right. It works in a drip machine, a pour-over, a French press or an AeroPress. If you’re unsure, start with a medium grind and about 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water. It is good black and pleasant with a splash of milk.
For step-by-step recipes, see our brewing guide.
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