The region of Huila, located in the southwest of Colombia, has a deep-rooted coffee tradition. At the end of last year, we were in this coffee-growing region as were honored to be part of the jury of the 6th Platinum Cup Competition organised by the Cadefihuila Cooperative. In addition, we were able to see first-hand the great work that the producers are carrying out on the farms in this Colombian region, considered the largest coffee-producing region in the country.

The right combination of climate, soil and altitude is essential for specialty coffees. Besides, Peruvian producers take good care of their coffee trees. Selective picking and careful processing of the cherries are the final steps in a process that results in exceptional profiles from this South American country.

Water is the main component of any brewed coffee beverage, working as a solvent for the soluble components responsible for the aroma and flavour of the coffee. Using an inappropriate water can change the sensorial profile of a coffee, dulling or increasing its acidity to undesirable proportions or adding flavours or odours that do not really belong to the resulting brew.

Over the years, Costa Rica has placed special emphasis on positioning its coffee within the specialty market, focusing on quality rather than quantity as a production strategy. Research and innovation in growing techniques and training oriented towards the specialisation of the people involved in each stage of production join both environmental conservation measures and strong commitment to the rights of all the actors involved in the coffee activity.

Caffeine is found naturally in coffee and is one of more than 400 chemical substances that make it up. The methods for obtaining decaffeinated coffee have evolved over the years with the purpose of not only extracting the caffeine from the coffee beans, but also keeping the rest of the beverage´s properties as intact as possible.

In the last years, the term microlot has become more frequent in the specialty coffee market. Quality, traceability and size are the main criteria taken into account when cataloguing these lots. Moreover, there is no general agreement on what exactly a microlot is and this term can have different meanings throughout the supply chain.