Colombian Coffee Cauca Region - Flavor Profile & Pour Over Brewing Guide

Colombia Coffee Region Introduction

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What was once the most widely cultivated crop in Colombia? You might not guess it! FrontStreet Coffee tells you—it was drugs, yes, drugs! However, that was in the past. Today, Colombia has become a world-renowned coffee-producing country, ranking third globally in coffee production. Moreover, they only grow Arabica beans, making Colombian coffee of exceptionally high quality.

Coffee beans are produced in many parts of Colombia, but the central "Coffee Zone" is the most famous, and it's the second most visited tourist destination in the country after Cartagena. Beyond coffee beans, there's also the local century-old coffee farm culture, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

The so-called "Coffee Zone" is located about 7 hours' drive west of the capital Bogotá and about 7 hours' drive south of Medellín, including three provinces: Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindío, with respective capitals Manizales, Pereira, and Armenia. Locals习惯 to call this area the "Coffee Axis" (Eje Cafetero).

This region has about 24,000 coffee farms, mainly small-scale, but also large plantations, many of which are open to tourists and even offer hotel accommodation services. Coffee trees are everywhere here—even when driving, you can see mountains covered with coffee trees along the roads.

Cauca Province: Premium Coffee Origin

Cauca Province is a Colombian coffee origin certification region, with an average altitude of 1758m and a maximum altitude reaching 2100m. Between the eastern and western mountain ranges of Cauca lies the Popayán plateau, and to the south is the Patia basin. The Patia River flows from north to south into Narino Province. The main coffee-producing areas of Cauca are located on the north side of the Patia River.

The biggest climatic difference between Cauca and other producing regions is the significant temperature variation. The average nighttime temperature is 11°C, while the average daytime temperature is 18°C. This day-night temperature difference is an important factor in creating high-quality coffee. The lower nighttime temperatures and relatively higher altitude slow down the growth rhythm of coffee, allowing coffee seeds and beans to absorb more nutrients from the coffee cherries, which also creates better acidity and special sweetness in Cauca coffee. The varied mountainous terrain and climate result in slow coffee production but create this rich, balanced Colombian coffee.

Sotara is a small town in central Cauca, and Sotara Volcano belongs to the Andes mountain system, providing the nutrient-rich soil needed for coffee bean growth. The coffee cultivation area in this region spans about 911 hectares, consisting of mountainous areas and three famous rivers: the Caueta River, Cauca River, and Magdalena River.

The producing area is surrounded by high mountains. The majestic mountains block air currents and moisture from the Pacific Ocean, as well as trade winds from the south, thereby maintaining a stable climate in the producing region. Being close to the equator ensures sufficient sunlight. The stable climate and abundant sunshine provide assurance for consistent coffee quality.

Cauca coffee is hand-picked and wet-processed. Additionally, while many coffee-producing regions have been updating ancient coffee varieties to new ones to pursue better disease resistance and higher yields, the Cauca producing region predominantly grows Caturra varieties, along with ancient Typica and Bourbon varieties.

Sotara Micro-region Introduction

Local coffee farmers grow coffee along the highlands of these mountain ranges, with diverse climatic production conditions. Due to the varying altitude factors, a large part of Colombia's coffee industry follows a small-farm production model. The area is surrounded by high mountains that block air currents and moisture from the Pacific Ocean and trade winds from the south, maintaining a stable climate in the producing region. Being close to the equator ensures sufficient sunlight. The stable climate and abundant sunshine provide assurance for consistent coffee quality.

Altitude: 1758 meters—2100 meters

Harvest: First harvest: October—December;

Second harvest: June—August

Variety: Caturra

Estate Introduction

Diego Bermubez is a young coffee producer from Bolivar, Cauca. In 2006, after studying agricultural business management, he began producing coffee. From the beginning, he decided to become a specialty coffee producer, applying all the knowledge he gained in university to coffee production. Since then, he has participated in various coffee quality competitions and achieved excellent results.

Finca El Paraiso has a mild, humid climate with frequent winds from the Pacific Ocean. These climatic conditions contribute to tropical fruit aromas in their coffee.

These coffee cherries mature very slowly and accumulate high sugar content, which greatly enhances the cup quality of the coffee. At Finca El Paraiso, to maintain consistency in the quality of produced coffee, mechanical and sustainable methods are used to process coffee.

Processing Method: Fully Washed and Sun-dried on Raised Beds

1. Remove floaters: Pour coffee beans into large water tanks. Underdeveloped, low-quality beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, remove the floating beans from the water surface, completing the removal of floaters.

2. Remove skin and pulp: Through a pulping machine, remove the outer skin and pulp of the coffee cherries. (This leaves mucilage, parchment, and silver skin).

3. Fermentation: The purpose of this step is to use biological methods to remove the mucilage. Place the pulped coffee cherries in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours, where fermentation bacteria will dissolve the mucilage.

4. Washing: After completing fermentation and removing mucilage, since fermentation bacteria and impurities remain on the coffee beans, the beans are washed again. This step consumes large amounts of clean water to ensure thorough cleaning.

5. Drying and removal of parchment and silver skin: Sun-dry the coffee cherries until moisture content drops to 10-14%. Then use a hulling machine to remove the remaining parchment and silver skin, completing the processing.

Colombia's main variety, Caturra, is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon. Its production capacity and disease resistance are both better than Bourbon, and the plants are shorter, making harvesting more convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it has the problem of biennial production cycles. The flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon beans, but more importantly, it has extremely strong adaptability—no shade trees are needed, and it can thrive directly under intense sunlight, adapting to high-density cultivation.

Following Colombia's fine traditions, while many coffee-producing regions have been updating ancient coffee varieties to new ones to pursue better disease resistance and higher yields, the Cauca producing region predominantly grows Caturra varieties, along with ancient Typica and Bourbon varieties.

Colombia Best of Cauca

Colombia Cauca Cup of Excellence

Region: Cauca Province

Micro-region: Sotara Micro-region

Soil: Volcanic clay

Altitude: 1758 meters—2100 meters

Variety: Caturra

Processing: Washed processing method

Cupping Analysis

This Colombia Cauca washed coffee has prominent lime acidity, grape juice acidity, rich floral aromas, high acidity, pleasant sweetness, medium body, with nutty aftertaste in the finish. Overall, it's clean, gentle, with smooth texture and a balanced, lively, and layered flavor profile.

Recommended brewing method: Pour-over

Grind size: (Japan Fuji R440) 3.5 (medium-coarse grind)

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 91-92°C, grind 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

35g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Segmented pouring: Pour water to 125g, pause, then slowly pour to 225g

That is, 30-125-225g

Cauca Cup of Excellence

Since 2014, the Cauca Best Cup competition has been held, jointly organized by well-known American traders, local exporters, and the Colombian Coffee Association. The first Cauca Best Cup in 2014 received about 200 participating samples, while 2015 saw more than double that number, with about 500 small farmers competing in this competition. The organizers select the top 30 from over 500 samples, then an international jury conducts cupping to select the final top 12. On the last day of the event, green coffee buyers, roasters, and other participants from around the world bid on these coffees.

Competitions like the Cauca Cup are genuinely helpful. Not only do they significantly increase small farmers' income and give them opportunities to improve their living conditions, but they also make them more willing to invest and improve in coffee cultivation and production, creating higher-quality coffee.

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