What are the Coffee Flavor and Mouthfeel of Colombian Narino? How are Colombian Coffee Beans Graded?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

What are the coffee flavors and mouthfeel of Colombia Narino? How are Colombian coffee beans graded? What is the coffee growing environment in Narino?

The Narino province in Colombia is located in the southwestern part of the country, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and Ecuador to the south. The Andes Mountains run through the entire province. Coffee is grown in the high-altitude cloud belt between 1,600 and 2,300 meters, with fertile volcanic soil, producing small but plump beans with a vibrant green color. The majority of the annual production from the Narino region is purchased by large American bean merchants. Narino province is located in southwestern Colombia, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and neighboring Ecuador to the south, with the Andes Mountains crossing the province. Here, there are magnificent mountains and beautiful scenery, and many rivers flow through this area toward the south. It belongs to Colombia's high mountain coffee cultivation zone, nurturing many small farmers of specialty coffee. The total annual production of Narino province is about 150,000 bags, with only about 6,000 bags classified as selected beans.

Colombian coffee bean processing standards are considered relatively uniform, so both commercial and specialty Colombian coffee beans possess clean cup characteristics, known as "Clean Cup," which means there is no turbidity or defective flavors caused by processing defects. However, to find a truly high-quality specialty Colombian bean, one must focus on "aroma" and "flavor complexity." A prerequisite for specialty-grade Colombian coffee is the detailed listing of the producing region and estate name. Its flavor profile tends to be lively and interesting, with fresh ripe fruit notes and caramel aromas, with a harmonious balance between acidity and sweetness. Sometimes, plum and white wine acidity can be detected. At a Full City roast level, it's possible to taste milk chocolate aftertaste, with a medium to high body.

The Narino region is located on the western coast of Colombia and is the highest altitude area in the country. Due to terrain limitations, local coffee farmers operate extremely small-scale operations, manually harvesting ripe coffee cherries. The small farmers producing this selected batch are near La Union town. Since this region is not far from the El Galeras volcano, the volcanic geology provides the region's soil with rich nutrients, making Narino one of the top two regions in Colombia for producing high-quality coffee. Colombia, spanning the northern and southern hemispheres, has most regions with two harvests per year. However, Narino, located further south, has only one harvest during spring and summer each year, with overall production significantly lower than the similarly famous southern region of Huila province. During the non-coffee harvest season, small farmers process Figue.

Taminango is located in the valleys of Narino province at an altitude of 1,800m. Each farmer's coffee plantation does not exceed three hectares. Therefore, coffee cultivation in this area uses very traditional methods, especially using fully sun-dried processing methods for coffee beans. Coffee trees in Taminango are grown together with banana trees and flowing streams (Shaded), and because they are planted with these fruit trees, no special chemical fertilizers are needed. Because of this, their production is only 500 bags per month (during the harvest season).

The two main coffee varieties in Colombia are Caturra and Colombia. Caturra currently accounts for 45-50% of Colombia's production; the Colombia variety is a new variety developed in Colombia in the 1980s, with lineage from Caturra and Timor. Currently, Colombia's coffee variety ratio is approximately 50% Caturra, 30% Colombia, and 20% Typica.

Colombia's FNC (National Federation of Coffee Growers) positions Specialty Coffee at a level stricter than national standards. Specialty Coffee is divided into three categories: 1. ORIGIN; 2. PREPARATION; 3. SUSTAINABLE.

Among these, ORIGIN is further subdivided into the following three categories:

1. ESTATE: Single-estate farms with annual production of 500 bags or more. (Rare in quantity)

2. EXOTIC: Having particularly precious characteristics. (The Labateca region belongs to this EXOTIC grade)

3. REGIONAL: Specific producing regions such as Narino, Huila, etc.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90 degrees

Grind size: Fuji Mini Mill grind setting 3.5

Brewing method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour with 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour can help extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473