**2. Origin of coffee**

Today, there are countless legends that talk about the origin and discovery of coffee. One of the most accurate ones mentions that coffee originated in the high plateau of Abyssinia and occurred in a wild form known as arabica. It was accidentally discovered by an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi. He noticed a strange behavior in his goats when eating fruits and leaves from a certain shrub, so he collected a sample and took it to a monastery [3], where possibly the cherries were mixed in the infusions or thrown into the fire allowing to feel a greater aroma and a better flavor [3].

The Arabs were the first to regularly consume coffee and give a primary role to its cultivation; hence, they are considered the pioneers in the establishment of coffee crops. Subsequently, coffee spreads to Mecca, Medina, and Syria and next to Aden and Cairo, covering the entire Muslim world around 1510 and Turkey in the year 1554 (www.cafedecolombia.com). The introduction of coffee in America was approximately in 1718 starting with the Dutch colony of Suriname, followed by plantations in French Guiana. In 1730, it was the British who introduced coffee into Jamaica and later spread to the rest of the continent [11].

Historically, it has been recognized that coffee was introduced to Colombia via the Venezuelan border by a traveler who came from French Guiana and carried a coffee plant. Thus, the first crops were in the North Santander and, later, in the departments of Antioquia, Tolima, Caldas, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindío, Cundinamarca, and Nariño, among others. The variety that was initially cultivated in Colombia was the Typica variety. At the end of the 1920s, a second variety was introduced, known as Bourbon, due to its higher yields; however, since the 1980s, the "Colombia" variety has been cultivated, coming from the Caturra variety and the Timor Hybrid, which is resistant to rust [12].

In Colombia, mainly arabica coffee is cultivated, due to this species produce a soft drink and of greater acceptance in the national and international market. The varieties of arabica are low or tall, and have red or yellow fruits. Some varieties of

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proportion (see **Table 1**).

*Colombian coffee varieties.*

**Table 1.**

caffeine content [13].

*Coffee By-Products: Nowadays and Perspectives DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89508*

Typica Arabica, pajarito or national

Coffee trees are fairly tall

Planting density, 2500 trees per hectare

Lighter green buds than the other leaves

Planting density, 2500 trees per hectare

Planting density, 3000 trees per hectare

Leaves are rounder than Bourbon's

Behaves well in the coffee zone

Large bean, more than 80% supreme coffee Excellent quality ideal for obtaining specialty coffees

Produces less than Bourbon and more than Typica

Planting density, up to 10,000 trees per hectare

Durable resistance to coffee rust attack Production equal to or greater than Caturra

Tabi Derived from crossing the Timor Hybrid with the Typical and Bourbon varieties

Produces 30% more than Typica

Susceptible to rust

Bourbon More branches than the Typica variety

Leaves are rounded

Susceptible to rust

Susceptible to rust Caturra Lighter green buds than the other leaves

Low-to-medium body

Susceptible to rust

Colombia variety The bud of the plants is bronzed

Its new leaves or bud are bronzed or reddish. The leaves are elongated

Greater percentage of large beans than the varieties Caturra and Bourbon

**Variety Description**

Arabica species are the Maragogype, Bourbon, Tabi, Typica, Castillo, Caturra, and Colombia, being these last three varieties the ones that are cultivated in greater

Type of bean and quality of beverage are similar to other varieties of arabica coffee

Internationally, 80% of the world's production corresponds to the arabica species, which is cultivated mainly in Colombia, Brazil, and in some Asian countries such as India or in Africa such as Kenya and Ethiopia [12]. The remaining 20% corresponds to the species canephora and is generally cultivated in Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia, with differentiating factors such as resistance to rust and a higher

The first commercial production of coffee was made in 1835. In this opportunity,

2.560 sack bags were exported from Cucuta. In 1927, the National Federation of Coffee Growers was founded to promote the development of Colombian coffee culture. This organization makes the process of purchasing, storing, and exporting coffee, as well as accompanying and advising coffee growers from different regions of the country. In this way, coffee cultivation was consolidated as one of the country's main agricultural activities [3]. Today, the sector continues to be an important articulating axis in the country's rural development and providing economic stability despite the coffee crises represented by high production costs and low harvest levels. To date, the National Federation of Coffee Growers has reported a participation of 560,000 farms dedicated to coffee cultivation, which translates to 948,000 hectares of which 27% are harvested with the variety Colombia. The rest corresponds mainly to the varieties Typica, Caturra, and Bourbon [12], with 66% of the cultivated area


#### **Table 1.**

*Colombian coffee varieties.*

Arabica species are the Maragogype, Bourbon, Tabi, Typica, Castillo, Caturra, and Colombia, being these last three varieties the ones that are cultivated in greater proportion (see **Table 1**).

Internationally, 80% of the world's production corresponds to the arabica species, which is cultivated mainly in Colombia, Brazil, and in some Asian countries such as India or in Africa such as Kenya and Ethiopia [12]. The remaining 20% corresponds to the species canephora and is generally cultivated in Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia, with differentiating factors such as resistance to rust and a higher caffeine content [13].

The first commercial production of coffee was made in 1835. In this opportunity, 2.560 sack bags were exported from Cucuta. In 1927, the National Federation of Coffee Growers was founded to promote the development of Colombian coffee culture. This organization makes the process of purchasing, storing, and exporting coffee, as well as accompanying and advising coffee growers from different regions of the country. In this way, coffee cultivation was consolidated as one of the country's main agricultural activities [3]. Today, the sector continues to be an important articulating axis in the country's rural development and providing economic stability despite the coffee crises represented by high production costs and low harvest levels. To date, the National Federation of Coffee Growers has reported a participation of 560,000 farms dedicated to coffee cultivation, which translates to 948,000 hectares of which 27% are harvested with the variety Colombia. The rest corresponds mainly to the varieties Typica, Caturra, and Bourbon [12], with 66% of the cultivated area

in the country, being cataloged as the product with greater participation among the other registered crops [14], providing approximately 785 thousand rural jobs directly and 1.5 million indirectly (www.federaciondecafeteros.org).
