Cauca

Cauca, in the south-west of Colombia, grows its coffee high in the Colombian Massif, on soils of volcanic ash. Its coffee is known for bright, high acidity and sweetness, and since 2011 it has been a protected origin, Café del Cauca. It’s also Colombia’s fourth-largest producer, with about a tenth of the national crop. Here’s what’s in the cup, and why.

The short version

• High acidity, with caramel, floral and fruit notes.
• Volcanic soils in the Colombian Massif.
• One main harvest, mostly April to June.
• Fourth in Colombia: 10.48% of the crop, about 94,500 coffee families.
• A protected origin since 10 August 2011.

What does Cauca coffee taste like?

Bright, sweet and clean:

Description	Source
Caramel aroma; sweet, floral and fruity flavour; high, citric acidity; medium, creamy body	FNC regional profile
High acidity, medium body, balanced, clean, smooth, with sweet and floral notes and strong caramel aromas	FNC, the Café del Cauca denomination of origin

Why does Cauca coffee taste that way?

The FNC, which applied for Cauca’s protected name, gives three reasons:

• More hours of sunshine.
• A steady climate through the year.
• High mountains that protect the farms from the strong winds and humidity coming off the Pacific.

Spanish Wikipedia’s account adds the geology. The region lies in the Colombian Massif, with soils derived from volcanic ash and cold air flowing down from the Sotará and Puracé volcanoes to the east, which it says helps the beans hold on to the acids and sugars behind Cauca’s acidity, sweetness and smoothness. Strong sun in July and August creates a water deficit that sets the trees up to flower, and one heavy rainy season follows in the second half of the year; average rainfall is about 2,069 mm.

When is coffee harvested in Cauca?

Mostly once, in the first half of the year. The sources differ on the details:

Harvest	Source
90% of the main crop picked between April and June	Wikipedia (Spanish)
Main harvest March–June; a small second crop November–December	Sample Coffee Roasters
One main harvest a year, unlike Tolima’s two	Tolima’s coffee committee, in El Espectador

How high is Cauca coffee grown?

The sources don’t agree:

Altitude	Source
Up to 1,700 m	Wikipedia (Spanish)
1,700–2,100 m	Sample Coffee Roasters

How much coffee does Cauca grow?

Figure	Value	Source
Production	1.545 million bags projected for 2026, its highest in recent years	El Liberal
Share	10.48% of Colombia’s production, fourth nationally	El Liberal
Area	95,000 ha, 72,000 (76%) in full production	El Liberal
Area, 2024	94,442 ha	FNC coffee information system, via Agronegocios
Families	About 94,500, in 33 of the department’s 42 municipalities	El Liberal
Value of the 2025 harvest	Over COP 2.8 trillion	El Liberal
Renewal	About 19,000 ha renewed in two years	El Liberal

Coffee makes up 37.5% of Cauca’s farm economy and about 7.6% of its whole economy, El Liberal reports, and reaches more than 100 countries: 39% goes to the United States, 32% to Europe and 26% to Asia.

Cauca and other Colombian origins

• Coffee in Colombia: the whole country, its harvests and its figures.
• Nariño: even higher, on the border with Ecuador.
• Huila: Colombia’s biggest producer, next door.
• Tolima: two harvests a year.