Famous Colombian Coffee Bean Brands: Price Guide and Introduction to Colombian Coffee Varieties, Grades, and Characteristics

Whenever we search for Colombian coffee brands, we encounter a very familiar logo: a kind-looking coffee farmer Uncle Juan, wearing a white straw hat, draped in an Andean wool vest, with a leather bag slanted across his shoulder, wearing canvas shoes, accompanied by his loyal mule. This emblem appears in various advertisements and films, helping to establish the classic brand image of Colombian coffee worldwide.

Colombian Coffee Growing Regions

Colombia's coffee growing regions are situated in the Andes Mountains within the country. The climate varies according to topography, with the southern part of the eastern plains and Pacific coast having a tropical rainforest climate, mountainous areas at elevations of 1000-2000 meters having a subtropical climate, and the northwest region having a tropical savanna climate. The average temperature in coffee regions ranges between 18°C-22.5°C. Due to these diverse geographical and climatic characteristics, whether you prefer coffee with a round, rich flavor or coffee with vibrant, fruity notes, you should be able to find it in Colombia.

Colombia's coffee growing regions have distinctly defined boundaries. Influenced by the latitudinal span and the topography of the Andes Mountains, the country is divided into three major regions from south to north: northern, central, and southern. The northern and southern regions have relatively distinct harvest seasons, while the central region has primary and secondary harvest seasons depending on whether it leans more northward or southward, resulting in two harvesting periods throughout the year. The main harvest season runs from October to January, while the secondary season is from April to July. The diverse climate among the mountains means harvest season occurs year-round, with different types of coffee maturing at different times. Consequently, we can see busy figures picking coffee in the forests during various seasons.

Colombian Coffee Regions

In the last century, Colombian coffee was most famously known through the "MAM" region formed by Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales. With the development of specialty coffee, many high-quality coffee producing areas have emerged in southern Colombia, including San Augustin in Huila, Popayán in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. The high altitudes and unique processing methods produce coffee with delicate acidity and fruity flavors, often achieving excellent rankings in Cup of Excellence competitions. After multiple cupping comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee has selected washed coffee beans from the Huila region as the representative of Colombian coffee, making it available in small packages so everyone can experience the classic Colombian flavor.

Huila Region

Huila Province is located in the southern part of the Central Mountain Range in southern Colombia and is the most renowned specialty coffee producing region in the country. The area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation elevations above 1500 meters, providing the high altitude and suitable temperatures for growing high-quality Arabica beans. With excellent soil and geographical advantages for coffee cultivation, Huila is where the most important rivers in Colombia converge, bringing abundant water resources and moisture. The climate on the valley slopes not only prevents cold winds from entering but also provides cooling mountain breezes without high temperatures, along with sufficient rainfall, making it an exceptionally advantageous region for coffee cultivation.

Traditional Washed Processing

Most Colombian coffee is processed using traditional washed methods. The coffee growing regions have abundant water resources, making them highly suitable for washed processing. Family-run farms are typically equipped with special bean processing machines (Ecomill or Eco-Pulper). Farmers pour harvested coffee cherries into these machines, which not only remove the skin and pulp but also require only a very small amount of water to remove most of the mucilage. The remaining parchment beans with a small amount of residual mucilage enter a small pool or container, which might be a tiled pool, for overnight fermentation to loosen the remaining mucilage. The next day, they are thoroughly rinsed with clean water and finally spread out to dry in the sun until reaching the target moisture content. The washed processing method not only ensures high-quality coffee but also allows Huila coffee to present its most authentic flavor characteristics. This is why FrontStreet Coffee prefers batches processed using washed methods when selecting daily consumption beans.

Colombian Green Bean Grading Characteristics

Currently, Colombian green coffee beans are graded according to size. Although bean size is not the primary determinant of coffee quality and flavor, many producing regions believe that full, uniform, and large beans indicate that the coffee beans have reached complete maturity, can develop better aromatic profiles, and are more conducive to even roasting, thereby forming consistent flavors.

Typically, fixed-size screens are used, with different specifications corresponding to different hole sizes. For example, if the screen mesh is 17 mesh size, beans larger than this size cannot pass through the screen. Therefore, the larger the screen number, the larger the bean particles that remain on the screen. The most common export grades are UGQ, EP, and Supremo.

Excelso UGQ 12*60 (1.5%): UGQ stands for Usual Good Quality. Bean size is above 14 mesh, allowing 1.5% of beans to be between 12-14 mesh, but they must be above 12 mesh, with over 50% larger than 15 mesh.

Excelso EP 12*60 (10%): EP stands for European Preparation. Bean size is above 15 mesh, allowing 10% of beans to be smaller than 15 mesh, but they must be above 14 mesh.

Excelso Supremo 12*60 (5%): Bean size is above 17 mesh, allowing 5% of beans to be smaller than 17 mesh, but they must be above 14 mesh.

Regardless of the green bean size grade, as long as the beans are exported, they belong to the Excelso grade. In other words, most bags of Colombian green coffee beans exported worldwide today must be marked with the Excelso grade designation. The Excelso export grade is currently the most widely used export standard adopted by FNC and is also the highest grade for Colombian green bean exports.

Additionally, Colombia has beans larger than 16 mesh called Extra, beans larger than 18 mesh called Premium, beans almost all uniformly at 15 mesh called Minama, and so on. Colombia also has coffee beans that do not meet the Excelso export grade, which are locally called "Product of Colombia" and generally used for making commercial-grade instant coffee.

In Colombia, each farmer registers a number and records green bean information, which facilitates future traceability of the beans. Colombian exported green coffee beans are typically named with the format: country + region + grade + other information. For example, the green beans for FrontStreet Coffee's Huila daily consumption beans are Colombia Huila Supremo SC17/18 FNC.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

The washed processed Huila daily consumption beans possess both gentle acidity and appropriate body with sweet aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee aims to present the classic Colombian nutty notes while preserving some acidity, therefore choosing a medium-dark roast. Before launching any coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee conducts at least one cupping evaluation, as cupping allows us to more objectively reflect the coffee's strengths and weaknesses.

Considering that the Huila daily consumption beans are medium-dark roasted with flavors leaning toward nutty, chocolate-rich, and full-bodied notes, the increased roast makes the coffee beans more porous and the coffee powder more absorbent. To avoid extracting excessive undesirable flavors, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a medium grind size. In terms of temperature, FrontStreet Coffee slightly lowers the water temperature to prevent excessive bitterness from the medium-dark roast, pairing it with a KONO dripper for extraction.

Brewing Parameters:

Dripper: KONO Dripper
Water Temperature: 88°C
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Coffee Grounds: 15g
Grind Size: EK43s - Setting 10.5 (75% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve)

Pour the coffee grounds into a V60 dripper, wet the coffee bed with twice the weight of the coffee grounds to form a dome and let it bloom for 30 seconds. Then, use a small water stream to pour in concentric circles from inside out until reaching 125g, pausing the pour. When the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, continue with the same fine stream for the third pour until reaching 225g. Remove the dripper once all the coffee liquid has filtered through, with a total extraction time of approximately 2 minutes.

This Colombian Huila daily consumption bean presents distinct roasted aromas of chocolate, nuts, and caramel upon entry. It is smooth and sweet with moderate body and a clean mouthfeel. As the temperature decreases, you can experience pleasant, gentle acidity.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473