The Story of Colombian Huila Pink Bourbon Coffee Beans: Hand-Brewing Guide, Flavor Characteristics, and Varietal Origins

Introduction to Colombian Coffee

Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee exporter, primarily producing Arabica coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series includes a coffee from the Huila region of Colombia, representing the most classic Colombian coffee flavor (rich nuts, chocolate, excellent sweetness). Huila is an important coffee-producing region in Colombia. Besides this classic daily bean, FrontStreet Coffee also offers a Colombian Pink Bourbon coffee bean, which has been loved by many of FrontStreet Coffee's new and returning customers due to its rarity and outstanding coffee flavor.

Colombian Coffee Overview

Colombia is located in the northwest of the South American continent, bordering Panama in Central America. In 1808, a priest first introduced coffee to Colombia from the French Antilles via Venezuela. Today, Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee exporter, primarily producing Arabica coffee beans, and is also the country that exports the most Arabica coffee beans. Colombia is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds known as the "four treasures."

Colombian Coffee Regions

Colombia's specialty bean-producing regions are mainly in the south, with altitudes above 1500 meters, including San Agustín in Huila Province, Popayán in Cauca Province, Nariño Province, and Tolima Province.

From north to south, Colombia's main producing regions include:

Santander and North Santander: Located in northern Colombia, bordering the Magdalena River to the west, with cultivation altitudes of approximately 1400-1600 meters. Coffee beans from this region are known for their intense flavor, long aftertaste, and unique herbal freshness.

Antioquia: Located in north-central Colombia, with 126,000 hectares of coffee cultivation, producing 18% of Colombia's coffee production, second only to Huila Province. Most of this province consists of high mountain terrain belonging to the Andes Mountains, but it is influenced by the warm Caribbean sea breeze. The provincial capital Medellín is Colombia's second-largest city and also an important coffee-producing region.

Tolima: Bordering Huila and Cauca provinces, this area features the north-south running Andes Mountains and Cordillera Mountains, with the Magdalena River flowing from south to north between these two famous mountain ranges.

Huila: Located in the southern part of Colombia's central mountain range, it is the country's most famous specialty coffee-producing region. This area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1500 meters. Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources and moisture.

Cauca: A coffee-producing region with Colombian Designation of Origin certification, with an average altitude of 1758m and maximum altitudes reaching up to 2100m. The region's topography, precipitation, temperature, and volcanic soil provide suitable conditions for coffee growth. 80% of the area is mountainous, with parallel mountain ranges in the eastern and central parts, which are part of the Andes Mountains. The central mountain range includes two main volcanoes, Sotara and Petacas.

Nariño: Bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and Ecuador to the south, the Andes Mountains run through this province. Many rivers flow through this area toward the south, belonging to Colombia's high-altitude coffee cultivation zone, nurturing many small farmers of specialty coffee. Nariño was also Colombia's first coffee-producing region named after its origin.

Colombian Coffee Varieties

In addition to common varieties in American growing regions such as Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, and Pacamara, Colombia also has three unique disease-resistant varieties: Castillo, Tabi, and the Colombia variety (named after the country). Of course, there are also some rare and precious varieties like Gesha, small-grained Mocca, Rume Sudan, Eugenioides, Laurina, Maragesa, and Pink Bourbon.

Today, FrontStreet Coffee will mainly discuss Pink Bourbon. Pink Bourbon is a hybrid variety cultivated from Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. Pink Bourbon was first planted in the Huila region. Initially, it was mixed with other Bourbon coffees and Caturra, but later it was harvested and processed separately. When coffee cherries mature, they display a romantic pink color. However, maintaining this pink color is extremely rare because the final color of coffee cherries is determined by recessive genes in pollen grains. The pollen grains used for hybridization contain both yellow genes tending toward Yellow Bourbon and red genes tending toward Red Bourbon, all of which are recessive genes that easily interfere with each other. Therefore, Pink Bourbon is an extremely rare variety, commonly found in Colombia and Guatemala.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Huila Semi-Washed Pink Bourbon Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia

Region: Huila

Altitude: 1760m

Variety: Pink Bourbon

Processing: Semi-washed

Flavor: Citrus, berries, cherry tomatoes, honey, floral notes

Semi-Washed Processing

Semi-washed processing is an improved method that reduces water consumption compared to traditional washed processing. The initial steps of screening floating beans and removing pulp are consistent with washed processing, but the mucilage removal step is done directly by machine scraping, eliminating the water soaking fermentation and washing rinsing processes. The drying process uses natural sun-drying or mechanical drying until the moisture content reaches 12%. Semi-washed coffee flavor falls between sun-dried and washed beans - not as acidic as washed beans, not as sweet as sun-dried beans.

Roasting Recommendations

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's specific brewing parameters are: V60 dripper, water temperature 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15 grams, grind size (80% pass-through rate with Chinese #20 standard sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction. The bloom water amount is twice the coffee powder amount, meaning 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. After blooming, pour in a small circular motion to 125 grams, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225 grams and stop. The entire extraction time is 2 minutes.

Pour-over Flavor

The entry shows citrus, berries, and cherry tomatoes. As the temperature changes, there's a honey sweetness, and the aftertaste has floral notes. The mouthfeel is smooth and clean.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Huila Anaerobic Washed Pink Bourbon Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia

Region: Huila

Estate: Esperanza Estate

Altitude: 1900 meters

Variety: Pink Bourbon

Processing: Anaerobic washed

Flavor: Dried plum, blackberry, citrus, black tea sensation, cocoa

Anaerobic Washed Processing

Coffee beans are fermented in oxygen-free containers. After ripe coffee cherries are harvested, they undergo 12 hours of dry fermentation directly in polypropylene woven bags. After this step, the coffee is depulped and prepared for its second fermentation round.

In the second round, coffee beans are fermented in an anaerobic environment for 24 hours. The coffee beans are transferred to plastic tanks and sealed for fermentation to prevent oxygen circulation. After these two steps, the coffee beans are slowly dried on drying beds for 20 to 25 days until the moisture content drops to between 10% and 12%. Anaerobic processing is extremely challenging for processors because it's easy to over-ferment, which can make the coffee taste more like vinegar than fruit.

Roasting Recommendations

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's specific brewing parameters are: V60 dripper, water temperature 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15 grams, grind size (80% pass-through rate with Chinese #20 standard sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction. The bloom water amount is twice the coffee powder amount, meaning 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. After blooming, pour in a small circular motion to 125 grams, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225 grams and stop. The entire extraction time is 2 minutes.

Pour-over Flavor

Berry flavors reminiscent of dried plums and blackberries, with refreshing and bright citrus acidity. The mid-palate presents honey sweetness, with black tea sensation and cocoa aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473