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The Coffee Atlas
Colombia Sierra Nevada
Colombia Sierra Nevada coffee: Fairtrade and organic washed lots from smallholder and indigenous co-ops on a Caribbean coastal massif, with sourced data.
Flavor profile
avg. of 1 published reviewScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. This is an illustrative editorial composite, not a decomposed average of five-axis cupping scores. No coffee reviewed under a Sierra Nevada name carries a published Aroma/Flavor/Acidity/Aftertaste/Body breakdown that we could find. The placements are anchored to three real sources: Coffee Review's Cafe Sierra Nevada - Green (Colombian Coffee Federation, Aug 1999, overall 81, soft and fragrant with chocolate and buttery toffee, body called thinnish; the one review counted in nReviewsAveraged, and only its overall score and notes are published, not per-attribute scores), the importer Interamerican Coffee's cupping notes for a Fairtrade organic Tayronaca lot (caramel, grape, floral, citric acidity, medium plus body), and the official Denomination of Origin cup description (medium-high, uniform body; medium acidity; chocolate; sweet, nutty aroma). Treat this as a directional category profile, not a graded score for any specific lot.
What it tastes like
Most Colombian coffee comes from the Andes. The Sierra Nevada’s does not: it grows on an isolated massif that rises about 5,700 meters within 42 kilometers of the Caribbean, the highest coastal range in the tropics, home to roughly 30,000 Kogui, Arhuaco, Kankuamo and Wiwa people. For a closer look at the Magdalena side and its growing statistics, see the Santa Marta entry linked below; this page is about the coffee as it is sold, under the Sierra Nevada name.
That name is protected. The Denomination of Origin “Cafe de la Sierra Nevada” spans 33 municipalities across Magdalena, Guajira and Cesar, and describes a clean, balanced cup with medium-high, uniform body, medium acidity and chocolate flavors. Much of what reaches importers is Fairtrade and organic washed coffee from producer associations, such as the Tayronaca lot Interamerican Coffee lists with caramel, grape and floral notes over a citric acidity.
Cupping evidence for this origin is thin. The one Coffee Review entry we found under the name, a 1999 Colombian Coffee Federation submission, scored 81, praised its chocolate and toffee, and marked down a thin body. So the profile above is a directional composite, not a measured average, and individual lots will differ.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
The caramel, grape and citric acidity described for washed lots read cleanly in a filter brew without being sharp.
Medium-plus body and chocolate notes suit milk drinks, though the soft acidity gives a quieter shot than higher-altitude Colombians.
Immersion emphasizes body and sweetness, at the cost of some of the fruit and floral nuance.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects brew guidance commonly published by specialty roasters for medium-body washed Colombian lots, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
The 1,000-1,700 m range is sourced directly from one producer association's published lot page (see Sources & data) and varies by seller and farm. Colombia Huila, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Brazil Cerrado are shown for scale using the commonly published bands already used elsewhere in this Atlas, not lot-specific measurements.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, or processing: Robusta beans contain almost twice as much caffeine as Arabica (see Sources & data). This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so any comparison is by species only, not a measurement of this specific lot.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Single-origin listing of certified-organic, Fair Trade Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta coffee.
View lot→Small Washington-state roaster offering an organic-certified Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta lot.
View lot→Search results mix in generic 'Colombian' bags; look for Sierra Nevada by name, and check roast dates and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Cafe de Colombia: Regional Designation of Origin (Cafe de la Sierra Nevada)Denomination covers 33 municipalities in Magdalena, Guajira and Cesar; published cup profile (clean, balanced, medium-high uniform body, medium acidity, chocolate flavors, sweet and nutty aroma); no altitude, harvest or variety data on the page
- Interamerican Coffee: Colombia Sierra Nevada Fairtrade OrganicTayronaca Association lot: 1,000-1,700 masl, Sep-Mar harvest, Caturra/Colombia/Typica/Castillo, washed and sun dried, cupping notes caramel, grape, floral, citric acidity, medium plus body; no score published
- Coffee Review: Cafe Sierra Nevada - Green, Colombian Coffee FederationOverall score 81 (Aug 1999); chocolate and buttery toffee, soft and fragrant, thinnish body; predominantly typica, shade-grown at 3,300-4,300 ft
- Wikipedia: Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaAbout 5,700 m peak elevation, 42 km from the Caribbean, the highest coastal range in the tropics; roughly 30,000 indigenous people (Kogui, Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Wiwa); the page does not discuss coffee
- Coffee Review: scoring methodology1-10 attribute scale definition
- Crozier et al.: Espresso coffees, caffeine and chlorogenic acid intake (Food & Function, 2012)Peer-reviewed (Univ. of Glasgow): states robusta coffee beans contain almost twice as much caffeine as arabica, by species (no percentage figures given in this paper)