Colombian Single-Origin Coffee Bean Recommendation - Antioquia El Indio Farm

Colombia El Indio Colombia & Castillo Fully Washed

Origin Country: Colombia

Bean Varieties: Colombia, Castillo

Region: Antioquia

Farm: El Indio

Producer: Jesús Úsuga

Altitude: 1,850 meters

Processing Method: Fully Washed

Flavor Profile: Cherry, tropical fruits, citrus acidity, with creamy and caramel aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee Single-Origin Coffee Bean Recommendation: Colombia Cauca Excellence Cup

Colombia El Indio Farm

Jesús Alberto Úsuga is a member of the Cooperativa Occidental, or CoopOccidente. His El Indio farm spans 10 hectares, half of which is given over to cattle grazing as the Úsuga family's main source of income, while only 1.4 hectares are planted with coffee.

He named the farm "El Indio," meaning Indian or indigenous person, as a tribute to Native Americans. To this day, indigenous burial sites and artifacts from ancient civilizations can still be found in the area.

Úsuga has his own washing station and drying facilities, which is rare in the region and lets him control production quality completely. During harvest, everything from picking to processing the fresh cherries is handled by Úsuga and his wife, with occasional help from others. After the cherries are picked by hand, an eco-friendly depulper removes skin and pulp the same day, minimizing water use and waste. After 16 hours of fermentation the beans are washed and then placed in a greenhouse to dry. Besides sun-drying, they also use mechanical dryers called Guardiolas, often combining both methods.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a classic, dependable Colombian cup, start with FrontStreet Colombia Huila. Huila, in the southern part of Colombia's central cordillera, is the country's best-known specialty region: surrounded by mountains, planted above 1,500 meters, and fed by the country's most important rivers, which bring abundant water and humidity. FrontStreet's washed Huila is medium-dark roasted, bringing out black chocolate and nutty sweetness with moderate oils and a full body, and it works in pour-over, French press, moka pot and espresso machine.

For a more modern, fruit-forward coffee, FrontStreet Colombia Finca La Divisa Sidra is processed by anaerobic natural fermentation in a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank, where temperature, time and pH can be controlled. A light-to-medium roast preserves the tropical fruit aromatics that develop in the low-oxygen environment, giving complex notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot and candied fruit in pour-over, cold brew, drip bags or moka pot.

If you make espresso at home, FrontStreet's Specialty Espresso Blend is a shop-style formula that combines the creamy, nutty sweetness of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate bittersweetness of Colombian coffee. It pulls with a fine golden crema, is rich and smooth with milk in a latte, and also works as the base for americano, cappuccino and mocha.