Colombia | What is the Emerald Coffee Variety? The Grading System for Special Selection and Premium Selection Coffee

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Colombia | What is the Emerald Coffee variety? How are the grades of Special Select and Superior Select coffee classified?

Colombian coffee - roasted, the beans release a sweet fragrance, characterized by fine sweetness within acidity and balanced bitterness. With its moderate concentration, it is often used in premium blends. The Colombian people's pursuit of coffee quality can be summed up in one word: seriousness. A widely told example: although Colombians could replace their Bourbon trees with fast-growing, high-yield Arabica hybrids, they refuse to act rashly before confirming the quality those trees produce - even if it means willingly ceding their second-place world production ranking to Vietnam, which grows only Robusta.

Emerald Coffee

Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees sold worldwide under its country's own name. In terms of quality, few coffees have earned such high praise from enthusiasts - and it carries another lovely name: "Emerald Coffee."

On the mountains southwest of the city of Medellin in Colombia's Antioquia province lies a city called Hutton Bolivar, blessed with a unique, greenhouse-like natural environment whose traditional harvests its people have inherited and shared for generations. The Farallones area of Benado produces some of the finest, highest-quality coffee in the land. Sunshine here is superb, and the diligent locals stay busy day and night. Agropecuaria Farallones (hereinafter AF) is a family enterprise from Bolivar city whose core business is growing and trading coffee. AF was established in 2000, but its predecessor, Arboleda Puerta, had been dedicated to coffee production for 35 years. AF inherited that experience and those achievements, and through ten years of work earned a deserved leading position in Colombia's coffee industry. Since 2005 they have taken still bigger strides, focusing on exporting coffee to countries around the world. The AF team's hard work, dedication, and quality guarantees let this land produce exceptional coffee - the harvested fruit is the proof!

Colombia is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds enjoying fame as the country's "four treasures." The pleasant climate provides a natural pasture for coffee. Yet Colombians are not complacent: they pursue quality tirelessly, constantly innovating and improving. Colombia's climate is mild and the air humid, with coffee cultivated along mountain highlands. The mountain terraces create diverse microclimates, so the whole year is harvest season, with different coffees ripening in succession. The beans show complete, uniform particles; traditional processing yields a rich fragrance, a soft and smooth cup, and excellent balance. A medium-dark roast is also used here, which lowers the fruity acidity without dulling the rich aroma. In both appearance and quality, Colombian coffee is superior - like a charming, free-spirited woman: just right.

Tasting Premium Colombian Coffee

Colombian coffee is a highly representative excellent variety within Arabica, and also a coffee traditionally roasted deep, with a strong, memorable taste. Its aroma is rich and thick, with bright, high-quality acidity, high balance, sometimes nutty notes, and an endless aftertaste. In both appearance and quality, Colombian coffee is of superior grade - like a charming, uninhibited woman: just right.

Varieties

Colombian beans are graded with Special Select (Supreme) as the highest grade, followed by Superior Select (Excelso); but unfortunately, only Special Select beans of 18 gauge (diameter 18/64 inch) or above qualify as specialty coffee. Colombian coffee has a balanced flavor and smoother mouthfeel - the gentleman among coffees, well-mannered and dependable. Its producing regions are very wide, but coffee from the central mountain region is the best, with thick texture. The most famous areas are Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales, habitually grouped as "MAM." In addition, "Narino Coffee" is delicious and of excellent quality; Starbucks, which operates on a specialty coffee principle, is said to hold exclusive purchasing rights for "Narino Special Select" beans, which are commonly found in its chain stores.

Flavor

The dry aroma shows nuts and vanilla. On sipping, a slight berry acidity slides by lightly, followed by a smooth, oily sensation that coats the mouth, accompanied by a charming nutty fragrance. Brown sugar sweetness returns with a pleasant aftertaste. The overall flavor is clean and well balanced - a genuinely classic Colombian profile.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: V60 dripper

Water Temperature: 88 degrees

Grind Size: Small Fuji grind size 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:14 with 17g of coffee; first pour with 25g of water for a 30s bloom, second pour up to 238g, extraction time around 2:30.

Analysis:

The ribs at the bottom of the KONO dripper are few, and the filter paper sits tightly against the wall, restricting airflow. This gives water and grounds a longer contact and steeping time, securing enough extraction time and rate even at a coarse grind. The grounds are extracted fully, enriching the mouthfeel and concentrating the flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombia's Huila province, in the southern Central cordillera, is the country's most famous specialty coffee region - a hill country ringed by mountains, planted above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge to bring abundant water and moisture. To get to know the country, FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Huila beans are the place to start: a medium-dark roast that brings out the sweet fragrance of dark chocolate and nuts, with moderate oils and a mellow body - at home in a pour-over or French press, and equally good through a moka pot or espresso machine for Americanos and lattes.

For a more adventurous Colombian cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Sidra (Xijua) lot uses anaerobic natural processing - sealed, oxygen-free fermentation that coaxes out extra tropical fruit character - delivering passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried-fruit aromas with a medium-light roast, whether brewed as pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot.