The Origin of Narino Coffee Name - Soft and Bright Colombian Narino Coffee

Becoming the Cup You Want to Savor Every Day

Truly understanding what makes Colombian coffee special: soft, bright fruit acidity, a smooth texture, and a nutty-chocolate aftertaste.

Narino sits in southern Colombia, bordered by Ecuador to the west, the famous Cauca region to the north, and Huila to the east. It is one of Colombia's three great southern producing regions (Cauca, Huila, Narino), known for high-quality coffee with rich fruity acidity, good sweetness, medium body, and abundant nutty character—an excellent choice for a single-origin filter coffee or as a blend component.

This Colombian Narino comes from a small farmers' cooperative in the town of La Union, established in 2003, with 21 partners and 100 smallholder families. Each family produces from 5 to 10 bags of coffee, and the cooperative has always aimed to add value for farmers and their community while raising coffee quality.

You probably have questions about these beans—time for some Q&A.

Q1

Why does Colombian Narino produce such high-quality coffee, especially with such rich fruity acidity?

Narino's geography does the work. Near the equator but high in the mountains, the region's average cultivation altitude reaches about 2000 meters, and its average temperature is the lowest of any Colombian coffee region: 19.9°C annually, ranging from 16°C to 25.9°C.

Those cooler temperatures slow the coffee's growth cycle. Over a longer cycle, the cherries accumulate more sugar and form more organic acids—and those sugars and acids become the region's signature acidity and sweetness.

The trade-off: Narino's coffee trees grow shorter than elsewhere (about 1.5 meters versus roughly 2 meters), and yields run lower—by as much as 50%. Hence the higher price.

Q2

Why is it called Narino?

Good question—and the name has little to do with coffee. Out of pure curiosity we dug into it: the province takes its name from Antonio Narino, one of the pioneers of early Colombian independence. The terrain—mountains and canyons everywhere—let the early Incas defend the area easily against outsiders, which in turn pushed the people of the region toward early independence and autonomy, and toward a culture of their own.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Narino's bright, fruit-acid-forward style is your thing, Colombia has plenty more where that came from. The country's coffee spans every style—fruity and floral for pour-over, chocolatey and full-bodied for espresso—and FrontStreet carries three Colombians that cover the range:

• FrontStreet Colombia Huila (washed): Huila, in the southern Central Andes, is Colombia's best-known specialty region—hills above 1500 meters where the country's major rivers converge. Medium-dark roasted: dark chocolate, sweet nuttiness, moderate body, and a smooth mouthfeel, at home in a pour-over, French press, moka pot, or espresso machine.
• FrontStreet Colombia Boundary Estate Sidra (anaerobic natural): A taste of Colombia's new experimental wave. Anaerobic fermentation means fermenting the coffee in a sealed, pressure-rated stainless tank with controlled temperature, time, and pH. Our Sidra, double anaerobic natural processed and roasted medium-light, turns into tropical fruit in the cup—passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit—for pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot.
• FrontStreet Specialty Espresso Blend: The classic expression: Brazil's creamy nut sweetness married to Colombia's bittersweet dark chocolate, with fine golden crema. Built for lattes, forgiving for beginners, and a solid base for Americano, cappuccino, or mocha.