What are the flavor notes of Caturra from Acedga Cooperative in Colombia's Tolima Region?

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What is the Flavor Profile of Colombia-Tolima's Acedga Cooperative Caturra?

Colombian coffee is widely sold among many producing countries, ranking as the world's third-largest producer (first is Brazilian coffee, second is Vietnamese coffee). The most significant factor is the active volcanic activity that has created some of the world's most fertile soils, cultivating sweet, rich, and very appealing coffee beans that are easy to brew successfully. With Colombian coffee, you don't need to visit a café to enjoy an aromatic atmosphere at home. Whether as simple black coffee or in various recipes using Colombian coffee, both are excellent choices. Most well-known international coffee chains source their coffee from Colombia.

This is Colombia's third-largest coffee-producing region, accounting for 12% of the country's annual production. The area is located in central-western Colombia, entirely defined by the Andes Mountains and the Magdalena River basin, making it quite remote and difficult to access. When picked ripe and processed correctly, the terroir or soil, sun, weather, and geographical location contribute significantly to the taste of these coffees. These coffee beans are nutty, rich, fruity, and creamily full-bodied. With low latitude and high altitude, coffee trees are mostly planted in the Andes Mountains at elevations between 1,200-1,900 meters. Moreover, the cultivation areas extend from south to north, with staggered production seasons throughout the year, making it the world's third-largest coffee supplier. Particularly, Colombian coffee is of the Arabica species, featuring balanced, persistent, bright, and full-bodied characteristics.

Colombian coffee beans are graded according to the "size" of green beans (1 screen equals 1/64 inch). How do we determine green bean size? Let's "screen them" together! There are three grades in total: Supremo (the highest grade at 17/18 screen size, where 17 screen is 6.75mm and 18 screen is 7mm), Excelso Extra (16/15 screen), and U.G.Q. (Usual Good Quality, 14/12 screen, which belongs to commercial beans! See what I mean XD). Therefore, when selecting Colombian coffee beans, besides visually judging the bean size, you must repeatedly confirm the coffee bean's "origin region" to ensure it's authentic specialty coffee.

In recent years, coffee competitions have increased farmers' income, helping Colombian coffee shed its old impression of being only suitable as base coffee. Before this, it was mostly regarded as commercial bulk beans or base formula beans, rarely standing alone as specialty coffee. The quality of coffee was judged solely by bean size, but in reality, this grading only represents the size of coffee beans and has nothing to do with quality—it's an outdated grading system. Instead, Colombian coffee grown in high-altitude primary rainforests, with natural growth without fertilizers and pesticides on farms or in cooperatives, is what truly constitutes excellent Colombian coffee. These farms typically have very small production, producing firm, hard coffee beans that are smaller and bluish-green in color.

This introduction features coffee beans from the Acedga Cooperative in the Tolima region, south of Colombia's capital Bogotá, from 2010. Most are Caturra variety coffee beans, approximately 17-18 screen size, processed using the washed method. Colombia's washed method has undergone over 10 years of research and development, reducing water usage by 95% and pollution by 90% (similar to the approach of women's cooperatives). This not only preserves the natural ecosystem but also adds more variation and layers to the coffee beans. With manual sorting, there are fewer defective beans and fewer beans broken by depulpers (Buloge has photos), meaning the roasting curve can be steeper to preserve more floral aromas and less woody, moldy taste.

Light Roast - City (Fragrant)

Because there are few defective coffee beans, we hope that in the light roast stage, the acidity of Acedga coffee will be stronger, brighter, and cleaner. The dry aroma after grinding has a grainy scent of rice husks, while the wet aroma after brewing reveals the fresh fragrance of apples with the acidity of kumquats and lemons. The mouthfeel is clean and bright, with all flavors well-balanced, and the aftertaste releases the aroma of blueberries.

Dark Roast (General C)

The aroma of dried longan and the sweetness of caramel chocolate cookies, with a smooth entry where fruity acidity flashes briefly before turning sweet. The mouthfeel is primarily sweet rather than rich, and the aftertaste is the aroma of nutty almonds.

When dark roasting Colombian coffee, it can present two flavor profiles: 1. Smooth like maple syrup, primarily sweet; 2. Rich like caramel macchiato, primarily intense. Before roasting, you can outline the desired style in your mind.

Processing Method

FULLY Washed

Variety

Colombia Caturra

Altitude

1900m

Flavor Description

Raspberry, papaya, almond chocolate

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing

Dripper

Hario V60

Water Temperature

90°C

Grind Size

Fuji Rokusuke grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method

Water to coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Extraction time approximately 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, stopping the pour can help extend the extraction time.

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