The Difference Between Colombian Huila and Narino Coffee - Price of Colombian Narino Coffee

Colombian Geography and Coffee Production

The western part of Colombia is the Andes Mountains, divided into three ranges: the Western, Central, and Eastern cordilleras. The Cauca and Magdalena rivers flow through the Caribbean lowlands.

Colombia is currently the world's third-largest coffee producer, growing wet-processed Arabica coffee beans, and it is also one of the world's largest producers of high-quality coffee. Traditional dark roast coffee has a strong and memorable flavor. In 1808, coffee was first introduced to Colombia by a priest who brought it from the French Antilles via Venezuela. Today the country is the third-largest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam, with an annual output of 12 million bags of 60 kilograms each, while Brazil's annual production is 31 million bags. The status of coffee in Colombia can be seen from this example: all vehicles entering the country must be spray-disinfected to avoid inadvertently bringing in diseases that could harm coffee trees.

Major Growing Regions

The main growing regions include Huila (San Augustin), Narino, Tolima, Popayan (Cauca), Valle de Cauca, Meta, Antioquia (Medellin), Magdelena (Sierra Nevada), Boyaca, and Santander (Bucaramanga). Colombia has approximately 700 million documented coffee trees, of which 66% are planted using modern methods on plantations, while the rest are grown on traditionally managed small farms. The main varieties include Caturra, Colombia, Tipica, Bourbon, Maragogype, and Tabi. The country's farms and cooperatives, regardless of size, are run by over 500,000 farmers, distributed across 590 municipalities and 14 major coffee-producing regions. A total of 2 million Colombians depend on coffee for their livelihood, contributing 12.5% of gross domestic product. Premium Colombian coffee beans grow in the Andes at altitudes of 1200-2000 meters, with banana and rubber trees interplanted to shade the coffee trees.

Colombian Coffee Trade

Colombian coffee farm owners can sell all their products to the Coffee Management Association at official low prices or to exporters who may offer higher prices. In practice, the Coffee Management Association controls overall exports to Europe, while coffee exported to the United States is mainly handled through private exporters. However, all exports are subject to minimum export price controls.

Narino Province: Premium Coffee Region

Narino Province is located in the southwestern part of Colombia, entirely within the country's highest region. The provincial capital, San Juan de Pasto, borders Ecuador and faces the Pacific Ocean. Coffee cultivation is an extremely important economic pillar for Narino Province. Traditionally, Narino coffee smallholders have planted areas of less than one hectare.

Most coffee-growing areas within the province belong to the high mountain terrain of the Andes, remote mountainous regions with steep slopes, influenced by Pacific Ocean sea breezes, with the provincial capital at San Juan de Pasto. At the same time, Narino Province is one of Colombia's important coffee-producing regions. Although its planting area is the smallest among the 14 major producing regions, the entire province possesses the special natural microclimate of circular valleys, producing coffee of the highest quality. Since ancient times it has enjoyed the fine reputation of "the Pope's Holy Grail." Grown near the Ecuador border, green beans from the cloud belt at altitudes of approximately 1600-2300 meters benefit from an excellent environment and fertile soil. The harvest and processing procedures are careful and complex, resulting in extremely high quality.

Global Recognition and Processing Methods

Colombian coffee is widely sold among many producing countries, ranking as the world's third-largest producer, with Brazil first and Vietnam second. The most important factor is active volcanic activity that has created some of the world's most fertile soil, growing coffee beans that are sweet, rich, very appealing, and easy to brew successfully. Whether as simple black coffee or in recipes using Colombian coffee, both are excellent choices. In recent years, coffee competitions have increased farmers' incomes, allowing Colombian coffee to break away from its old image of being suited only as a base coffee. Before that, it was mostly regarded as commercial bulk beans or base blend beans, rarely becoming specialty coffee on its own.

Most Colombian coffee tree varieties are Caturra, with estates intermixing some Typica, Bourbon, and others. Almost all administrative regions have outstanding producing areas and estates. Approximately 500,000 people in Colombia are engaged in coffee production and related work, with 75% of the coffee exported worldwide. Colombia's unique wet processing method, after more than 10 years of research and development, has reduced water usage by 95% and pollution by 90%. This not only maintains the natural ecosystem but also adds more variation and layers to the coffee beans.

The southern Narino coffee-producing region near Ecuador has long been renowned for producing the Holy Grail used by the Vatican Papal Court, and it is also the favorite region of the world's largest coffee chain. Most of its coffee is purchased by them and rarely appears on the market. Green bean merchants can only obtain it through direct trade or from a few high-quality coffee estates, though that too is extremely rare. The model estate Reversal Del Patron is the best coffee in this Narino region, with few defective beans and a consistent particle size of about 18 mesh. The round, smooth, sapphire-like bean shape is far more uniform and beautiful than typical Colombian coffee.

Narino Coffee Bean Flavor Profile

The dry aroma after grinding reveals distinct nutty chocolate and a faint milk fragrance. The wet aroma after brewing presents milk-chocolate sweetness. On sipping, the mouthfeel is smooth, with an obvious layered milk-chocolate sweetness accompanied by subtle brown-sugar sweetness. As the temperature drops, the chocolate aroma becomes clearer and more captivating. The aftertaste carries slight fruit notes. Although this coffee bean has a smooth mouthfeel, it is not primarily characterized by body thickness; instead, the distinct sweet flavor is truly unforgettable.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombia and Brazil are the two South American origins that anchor most espresso blends, and FrontStreet Coffee brings them together in several of its beans. The FrontStreet Premium Blend pairs Brazil Cerrado with Colombia Huila for the classic, familiar espresso taste, with nutty, chocolate, and caramel notes and a gentle acidity, and it works just as well for a pour-over as for a home machine. To taste a pure Brazilian single origin, the FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a medium roast with cream, peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut; and the FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon adds sugarcane sweetness, fruit, and chocolate for a cup that is smooth whether brewed black or with milk.