Talking about "types of coffee" is usually reduced to general categories: Arabica or Robusta, mild or strong, light or dark. However, when coffee is understood from its origin, altitude, and process, the classification becomes more precise. It's not just about intensity, but about identity.

At 24 Grados Coffee, the four types of coffee that make up our selection—Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Castillo, and Colombia—do not represent an ascending or descending scale of quality. They represent territories, agronomic decisions, and distinct sensory profiles. Each expresses a way of understanding the land and time. All come from specific regions of Colombia, cultivated between 1,550 and 1,800 meters above sea level, with controlled processes and SCA scores that place them within the specialty coffee standard or above the conventional market.

Understanding these four types involves focusing on three dimensions: botanical variety, region, and process. Only then does the cup cease to be a generic result and become a reading of the territory.

Geisha: precision and aromatic complexity

Geisha is a varietal recognized for its sensory complexity. In our case, it is grown in Viotá, Cundinamarca, at 1,600 meters above sea level, and has been rated with 88 SCA points. This score officially classifies it as a specialty coffee. Its sensory profile is characterized by sweet and honeyed notes, with hints of vanilla, roses, chocolate, and red fruits like strawberries and plums. It has a medium-high and silky body, with a bright citrus acidity.

It is not a coffee of immediate impact due to bitterness or potency. It is a layered coffee. The floral fragrance is perceived first, then the sweetness, then the clean acidity reminiscent of fresh fruit. The washed process and drying on African beds favor that clean cup.

It is an expression of agricultural precision and technical control. A coffee that does not seek to impose itself, but to unfold.

Castillo: balance and everyday character

Castillo comes from Socorro, Santander, at 1,570 meters above sea level, with a rating of 84.5 SCA points. It exceeds the mass market standard and remains within the specialty range.

Sensorially, it offers notes of caramel, nuts, and apple, with a balance between caramel, orange, and a spicy hint of pepper. The body is creamy and enveloping; the acidity, medium and citrusy. The process is washed with controlled mechanical drying. This ensures stability in quality and consistency throughout the year. It is a coffee with a clear structure, less aromatically volatile than Geisha, but solid in sweetness and balance.

Castillo represents a strategic agronomic decision in Colombia: resistance, productivity, and quality combined. In the cup, that decision translates into reliability. It is a coffee that can inhabit routine without exhausting it.

Pink Bourbon: silk and citrus vibration

If Geisha expresses aromatic sophistication and Castillo structural balance, Pink Bourbon and Colombia broaden the spectrum from other variables: altitude, fermentation, and sensory memory. Grown in Anserma Nuevo, Valle del Cauca, between 1,600 and 1,800 meters above sea level, Pink Bourbon reaches 85.5 SCA points. It is a variety appreciated for its fineness in the mouth. It presents floral and aromatic notes, with hints of brown sugar, green tea, orange, vanilla, and lemon peel. The body is silky; the acidity, medium citrus. The finish is clean and delicate.

The washed process, with drying in marquees and African beds, ensures a clean bean and consistency in the profile. It is a coffee that prioritizes texture. More than a strong contrast between sweet and sour, it offers continuity.

In sensory terms, Pink Bourbon bridges complexity and smoothness. It does not seek extremes. It seeks coherence.

Colombia: intensity and natural fermentation

The Colombia varietal, grown in Socorro, Santander, at 1,556 meters above sea level, has 82 SCA points. Although its score is lower than the previous ones, it remains above standard commercial coffee. Its profile includes notes of milk chocolate, panela, prune, and toasted bread. The body is intense and enveloping; the acidity, defined. Here the process makes the difference: natural with 36 hours of fermentation.

The natural process concentrates sugars and enhances the robust character of the profile. Prolonged fermentation develops greater depth and structural sweetness.

It is a coffee that feels denser. More direct. Ideal for those who value a marked presence in the mouth without giving up nuances.

More than types, decisions

These four types of coffee are not just distinct varieties. They are accumulated decisions:

– Regional decisions: Cundinamarca, Santander, Valle del Cauca.

– Altitude decisions: between 1,556 and 1,800 meters above sea level.

– Process decisions: washed with drying on African beds, washed with mechanical control, natural with prolonged fermentation.

– Quality control decisions, backed by certified SCA scores.

Talking about "types of coffee" without this information reduces the experience to a superficial preference. With context, the cup becomes legible. Geisha is not "better" than Castillo; it is different. Pink Bourbon does not compete with Colombia; it dialogues from another place. Each responds to a particular balance between soil, climate, variety, and process.

At 24 Grados Coffee, we understand these four coffees as complementary expressions of the same territory. They are not abstract categories. They are proper names. And when coffee has a name, region, and process, it ceases to be an interchangeable product. It becomes a story.