How to Make Delicious Rodef Coffee from Colombia's Cauca Region - Pour-Over Brewing Guide

Cauca

Cauca is one of Colombia's renowned premium coffee-producing regions, bordered by the Narino region to the west and the Huila department to the east. Coffee cultivation is distributed across 29 administrative districts at elevations ranging from 1,758 to 2,100 meters. Like the premium growing regions of southern Colombia, the area shows high uniformity in climate, rainy seasons, and volcanic soil. A fixed rainfall cycle (following the dry season in August-September comes abundant rainy season water) provides favorable conditions for coffee tree fruiting. High-intensity sunlight and low rainfall coincide with the flowering season (July-August), when the area also moves away from the equatorial calm zone, providing advantageous flowering conditions for coffee trees. These factors also contribute to the concentrated harvest of the first season the following year. Compared to other coffee-growing regions in Colombia, this area shows more variability in daytime temperatures: daily average temperatures as low as 11°C, with daytime averages of 18°C (nighttime average 4°C). This dramatic day-night temperature difference aids the growth of Cauca coffee, as lower nighttime temperatures due to high altitude slow coffee bean maturation, enhancing acidity and imparting special sweetness.

Sotara

Sotara is a small town in central Cauca, and Sotara Volcano belongs to the Andes mountain system, providing the nutrient-rich soil needed for coffee bean growth. The coffee cultivation area in this region spans approximately 911 hectares, consisting of mountainous terrain and three well-known rivers: the Caueta River, the Cauca River, and the Magdalena River.

Colombia Microlot Cauca Rodelfo Betancourt

■ Country: Colombia

■ Region: Los Quingos, Cauca

■ Altitude: 1,720 meters

■ Processing: Washed

■ Grade: Excelso

■ Variety: Caturra

■ Flavor Description: Delicate fruit acidity, grass jelly honey, sweet malt, drupe fruits, with a rounded and balanced mouthfeel

Smallholder producer Rodelfo Betancourt Rios's land is located in the village of Los Quingos, Caldono municipality, Cauca department. The total farm area is 12 hectares, with approximately 10 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation and about 1.5 hectares of forest reserve. In addition to the blessed geographical environment - volcanic soil, 1,720 meters altitude, 2,200mm annual rainfall, and extensive original forest cover - Rodelfo is also very dedicated to coffee cultivation. He started growing coffee trees 31 years ago and has participated in various coffee production training courses. The process from harvesting to green bean processing is meticulous: during the coffee cherry maturation phase, coffee cherries are harvested every 15 days. On the day of picking, the fruit skin is immediately removed, followed by 16-18 hours of washed fermentation in 4 cycles. The washed green beans are dried on ventilated drying racks for 8-10 days, then rested for 60 days before export. This year, Rodelfo also began experimenting with analysis to find the optimal maturity point for coffee, which is the appropriate Brix degrees, and purchased a new, well-ventilated dryer.

How to Brew Colombia Cauca Rodelfo Smallholder Microlot Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over recommendation: Weigh 15g of Cauca Rodelfo Smallholder Microlot coffee powder, pour into a grinder for medium grinding, with particles slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (standard sieve pass rate 60%), water temperature 89°C, V60 dripper for extraction, recommended coffee-to-water ratio of approximately 1:15.

Pour hot water from the pour-over kettle in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, starting the timer when brewing begins. Within 15 seconds, brew the coffee to 30g, then stop pouring water. When the time reaches 1 minute, perform the second pour. During the second pour, like the first, pour in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, avoiding pouring water on the area where coffee powder meets the filter paper to prevent channeling effects.

Leave one circle of space when pouring coffee powder to the outermost circle, then pour circle by circle toward the center. By 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the coffee should be brewed to 220g, completing the coffee brewing process.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over Cauca Rodelfo Smallholder Microlot

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over Cauca Rodelfo Smallholder Microlot recommendation:

Colombia Cauca Rodelfo Smallholder Microlot, light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (standard sieve pass rate 67%)

20g coffee powder, 150g ice cubes, 150g hot water. Water temperature should be 1°C higher than the normal pour-over recommendation of 90°C. Normal grinding is small Fuji 3.5 setting, while iced pour-over uses slightly finer by half a setting - small Fuji 3 setting. Recommended coffee-to-(water+ice) ratio of 1:15.

Bloom water amount 40g, bloom time 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first segment 60g water, second segment 40g water. Use a relatively thin but tall water stream for vigorous stirring impact, ensuring the coffee powder rolls fully, but be careful not to let the liquid level get too high or pour onto the edge filter paper.

The entire extraction time is approximately 2 and a half minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20g coffee powder).

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee covers an unusually wide range of uses: it anchors espresso blends and shines as pour-over single origin, spanning fruit-acid styles, mellow-bodied styles, and aromatic profiles—something for every palate. To get to know Colombia as a region, start with FrontStreet Coffee's washed Huila. Huila, in the hills of southern Colombia's central mountain range at elevations above 1,500 meters, is the country's most famous specialty zone, where Colombia's most important rivers converge to bring abundant water and moisture. Roasted medium-dark, it highlights black chocolate and nutty sweetness with moderate crema and a full body—excellent for pour-over and French press, and equally capable in a moka pot or espresso machine for Americanos and lattes.

Colombia has traditionally processed coffee by washing, but innovative methods have taken hold in recent years. Anaerobic fermentation—a low- or no-oxygen process, also called carbonic maculation—uses a pressurized stainless steel tank where temperature, time, and pH are precisely controlled. FrontStreet Coffee's Pink Bourbon (Sidra) applies anaerobic natural processing, converting the beans' character into rich tropical fruit aromas: after a light-medium roast, pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot brewing reveals layered notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit.

If you brew with a home espresso machine or moka pot, baristas strongly recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend. Designed for cafes but friendly to beginners, it marries the creamy nut sweetness of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate bitterness of Colombian, pulling shots under a fine golden crema that makes a silky, rich latte—also an ideal base for Americano, cappuccino, and mocha.