Colombian Coffee Regions Information Flavor Characteristics Taste Introduction to Colombian Coffee Growers Federation FNC

Colombia has four treasures! What are they? Flowers, gold, emeralds, and coffee beans. Comparing coffee to gold and silver treasures? Yes, Colombia's coffee is hailed as "green gold" due to its extraordinary flavor profile. So, would you like to check out FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian coffee beans? FrontStreet Coffee offers various Colombian selections: Rose Valley, Flower Moon Night, San José, Cherry Blossom, Hanami, Orange Soda—sounds poetic and tastes rich and sweet.

Discovering Coffee Growing Paradise

"All children are precious" at FrontStreet Coffee, where no coffees are compared against each other. Whether it's Ethiopia, loved by beginners; Indonesia, preferred by traditionalists; Panama, expensive and exquisite; or Colombia, with its superior natural conditions—FrontStreet Coffee selects the most representative flavors within its range. Today, I'd like to discuss the paradise of coffee cultivation—Colombia.

FrontStreet Coffee has consistently emphasized in previous articles that the three main factors for coffee cultivation are: climate, altitude, and soil. Climate encompasses temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunlight, and various other conditions. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, global regions suitable for coffee cultivation are extremely limited. Worldwide, there are three main coffee-growing areas: America, Africa, and Asia. These regions are typically located in the equatorial zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, called the "Bean Belt" by global coffee growers. Colombia lies within this Bean Belt.

From the map above, you can see that Colombia's northwestern region has higher altitudes. From the aerial view, its western side looks as if scratched by a cat, leaving three vertical claw marks from north to south. The "scratch marks" area represents Colombia's main coffee-growing region. Here, not only are altitudes uniformly above 1,500 meters, but there's also abundant volcanic soil. Due to Colombia's latitudinal span and the topographical influence of the Andes Mountains, it's divided into three major regions from south to north: Northern, Central, and Southern.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Under ideal growing conditions of altitude and volcanic soil, Colombian coffee has been exported to the United States and Japan since the 1940s. Locally, coffee farming history places particular emphasis on land utilization, with cultivation kept moderate to avoid soil fertility decline. Coffee is only hand-picked when fully ripe. Additionally, locals plant tall trees or banana trees around coffee plants. During seedling stages, shade structures are built for coffee trees to ensure the cool, humid environment needed for growth. Due to high humidity and small temperature variations in coffee forests, coffee beans mature slowly, allowing for better accumulation of caffeine and various aromatic compounds.

Tasting Colombian Coffee

Sound appealing, but is Colombian coffee really that good? Don't be skeptical—FrontStreet Coffee will use the Colombian Huila, the most affordable option in our store, as an example to introduce Colombian coffee growing regions.

Colombian Huila

Coffee Region: Colombian Huila

Altitude: 1500-1800 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Caturra

Flavor Description: Nutty, chocolate, caramel, soft fruit acidity

Huila Province is located in the southern part of the Central Mountains of southern Colombia and is the country's most renowned specialty coffee region. This area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1,500 meters. Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources.

However, Colombia's most famous coffee growing regions are actually Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales, internationally known as "MAM." Of course, Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima provinces are also famous Colombian coffee regions. Unlike the medium-roasted Huila coffee beans mentioned earlier, light-roasted coffees from these regions often offer more refined flavors: various floral notes and prominent acidity. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's other Colombian coffee flavors as examples, San José from Caldas showcases refined washed rum fermentation aromas and various tropical fruit notes. Rose Valley from Santander's Large Tree Estate "lives up to its name" with intense rose floral aromas mixed with peach and cranberry flavors...

FrontStreet Coffee's Huila daily drinker represents the traditional impression of Colombian coffee—balanced and smooth. But as FrontStreet Coffee introduced above, there are also coffees with distinct regional flavor characteristics, and these coffee beans are often produced by small farmers in micro-batches. To protect the interests of small coffee farmers, in 1927, Colombian coffee growers united to create an organization—the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC)—to represent Colombian coffee domestically and internationally, providing welfare for Colombia's coffee growers and improving coffee farmers' quality of life through effective union, democratic, and representative organizations.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Colombia's recent year-end coffee report has just been released. Although this year's Colombian coffee production decreased by 5% compared to the same period last year, coffee harvest value reached a record high of 9.9 trillion pesos. Under FNC's leadership, Colombian coffee this year attempted QR code traceability for green coffee beans for the first time, attaching QR codes to packaging to effectively identify coffee's origin. This initiative aims to integrate all coffee production stages, ensuring grower traceability and bringing benefits to millions of coffee-growing families.

Colombian coffee's continuous development is due to its superior quality. However, this year Colombia indeed encountered various challenges not seen in previous years: recurring pandemic, global temperature rise, transportation disruptions caused by social unrest, container shortages, and weather issues made coffee production exceptionally difficult.

Specialty Colombian Varieties

Speaking of the very special Colombian Hanami coffee beans launched two months ago, they actually come from the same region as the daily drinker beans mentioned earlier. What's different is that these coffee beans are traceable—they are a Geisha blend produced by Colombia's Montblanc Estate. Why are these coffee beans special? During cupping, FrontStreet Coffee's barista could clearly detect "Southeast Asian charm" in the dry aroma. Actually, this coffee has strong spicy aromas. As for flavor, the acidity curve is very refreshing with wo citrus acidity. Upon entry, it's lively acidity, and as it cools, chamomile aroma emerges, with almond notes in the finish.

Colombian Hanami

Region: Colombia

Estate: Montblanc

Altitude: 1900 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Colombian Processing Methods

Have you noticed that most coffee beans introduced by FrontStreet Coffee above are washed processed? In fact, most Colombian coffee uses washed processing methods, with each small farmer family having a small specialized processing machine. Harvested coffee cherries are poured into it, which not only removes skin and pulp but also removes most of the mucilage, requiring very little water. Next, the parchment beans with residual mucilage enter a small pool or container—possibly a cement pool (some tiled) or a stainless steel barrel—for overnight fermentation to loosen remaining mucilage. The next day, they're rinsed with clean water, completing the washed processing.

For drying, depending on weather: if weather is good, natural sun-drying is preferred, with some having a small shelter to spread on wooden racks for shade-drying; otherwise, they're spread on open cement ground for drying. If weather is poor with continuous rain, drying machines are used, which have intake temperature control, typically around 50°C.

Besides common American varieties like Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, and Pacamara, Colombia also has three unique disease-resistant varieties: Castillo, Tabi, and the Colombia variety (sharing the country's name). Of course, there are also rare, precious varieties like Geisha, small-grained Mocca, Rume Sudan, Eugenioides, Laurina (Pointed Bourbon), and Maraguesa (a natural hybrid of Maragogipe and Geisha).

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's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

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