Löfbergs Colombia Single Origin Ground Coffee: The Balanced Cup

Colombian coffee is the yardstick other origins get measured against, and that balance is the reason to buy it. Löfbergs grinds this 250g bag ready for a cafetière or filter, so the only skill it asks for is a little patience with the kettle.

Between Brazil and East Africa

Picture a line with the bright, floral East African coffees at one end and heavy, nutty Brazil at the other. Colombia sits in the middle: a medium, rounded body, an acidity that reads as gentle brightness rather than a citrus bite, and very little bitterness of its own. Löfbergs describes its Colombia as 100% Arabica and Rainforest Alliance certified, with notes of fresh berries and caramel. Nothing sticks out, which is exactly what a coffee drunk several times a day needs.

Set it beside the Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Ground, the other ground single origin we carry, and the difference is easy to taste. The Brazil is heavier, cocoa-led and flatter in acidity; the Colombia has more lift and a fruitier edge, which makes it the brighter cup of the pair. If one person in the house finds Brazil dull and another finds East African coffee sour, this is the bag both of them will drink.

Getting the cafetière right

Pour at about 93 degrees, which means roughly half a minute after the kettle has boiled. Boiling water burns the grounds and exaggerates what little bitterness this coffee has. Give it four minutes in total, and at around the one-minute mark break the floating crust with a spoon. Grounds that sit dry on top never give up their flavour, so a pot left unstirred ends up weaker than the dose deserves.

The grind suits a filter basket just as well, which makes this an easy bag for a household that owns both a cafetière and a drip machine. As a rough guide, 250g makes about twenty mugs, or around thirty-five small cups at 7g each. Both counts are our own arithmetic from the bag weight, not figures printed by Löfbergs, and both describe the same coffee measured two ways.

Ground coffee and its clock

Buying ground saves owning a grinder but starts a clock. Roasting builds hundreds of aromatic compounds inside the bean, and grinding lets them go: the light, delicate ones leave first, while the heavier caramel and roast notes hang on for longer. Colombia is a sensible origin to buy ready ground because its character sits in that sturdier middle range. Even so, an opened bag smells quieter after a fortnight, so clip it shut and keep it away from the warmth of the kettle and oven.

Within the Löfbergs range, choose this one when you want the brighter cup in a ready-ground bag. For the heavier, sweeter Brazilian style, take the Brazil Single Origin Ground; for organic, the Organic 100% Arabica Ground; and if you own a grinder and an espresso machine, the Espresso whole beans are the dark, slow-roasted end of the family. All of them come from a Karlstad family roastery that has roasted its own coffee since 1911.

The packs we stock

• Löfbergs Colombia Single Origin Ground Coffee, 250g (barcode 7310050015125)

What to eat with it

• Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuits, 250g: Caramelised sweetness picks up the caramel note Löfbergs gives this coffee.
• Maryland Cookies Caramel & Chocolate Chip, 200g: Caramel and chocolate chips beside a balanced cup, sweet enough to meet the coffee without swamping it.
• Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: A lemony biscuit plays to the brighter side of Colombia, where a heavier Brazilian coffee would feel flat beside it.

Elsewhere in the Löfbergs range

• Löfbergs Brazil Coffee Lovers Medium Roast Whole Bean, 400g
• Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Ground Coffee, 250g
• Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Whole Coffee Beans, 1kg
• Löfbergs Espresso Whole Coffee Beans, 1kg
• Löfbergs Organic 100% Arabica Ground Coffee, 250g

The full range is on the Löfbergs brand page.

FAQ

What does Colombian coffee taste like? Balanced: medium body, gentle acidity and low bitterness, with Löfbergs describing fresh berries and caramel in this one.

Will the same bag work in a cafetière and a filter machine? Yes. It comes ready ground at a setting that suits both, which makes it an easy bag for a house that owns one of each.

Should I stir the cafetière? Yes, once, at about one minute, to break the crust of grounds floating on top so that all of the coffee takes part.

Is it Rainforest Alliance certified? Löfbergs states that its Colombia is Rainforest Alliance certified and 100% Arabica; the current pack is the final word on any certification mark.

Is it stronger than the Löfbergs Brazil? Not stronger, just brighter. The Brazil is heavier and more cocoa-led, while the Colombia has more lift; strength is mostly down to how much coffee you use.

Curator's note: This is the bag I would hand to a household that cannot agree on coffee. Brew it a moment off the boil, stir it once, and nobody at the table has grounds for complaint. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Löfbergs Colombia Single Origin Ground Coffee: The Balanced Cup

More from the tea wiki

• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

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