How to Pour-Over Colombian LOD Competition Hope Estate Coffee Beans_ Iced Pour-Over Colombian Brewing Tutorial

Land of Diversity: Colombia's Premier Coffee Competition

Colombia had long taken part in the Cup of Excellence, the premium coffee rating system. After the 2015 competition closed, COE announced it was suspending its projects in Colombia. In 2016 the country held its first national coffee quality competition, Land of Diversity. The point of the event is to show the world that Colombian coffee is not only balanced but stylistically diverse, and it pairs the competition with an auction format to push more farmers toward passionate, dedicated cultivation.

LOD judges across five categories: Best Acidity, Best Balance, Best Clean Cup, Best Body, and Exotic, the last reserved for non-traditional flavors. Together they reward farmers who grow coffee of superior flavor.

After an invitation from the Colombian Coffee Association, we took part in Land of Diversity as judges and bidders. That edition drew 1360 competing lots from 15 Colombian provinces, narrowed through multiple rounds of cupping. In the end the group acquired micro-batches from La Esperanza, Hope Estate, in Cauca; micro-batches from Cedro-El Cisne, Cedar Estate, in Huila; and beans from La Tienda, Tinda Estate, in Cauca.

How to Brew Colombian Coffee from the LOD Competition's Hope Estate

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over reference: weigh 15g of Hope Estate beans from the LOD competition and grind medium, with particles slightly coarser than table salt. We use a BG grinder at setting 5R, a 60 percent standard sieve pass rate, at 89 degrees Celsius, extracted through a V60 dripper, at a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:15.

Pour the hot water in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, starting the timer as brewing begins. Within 15 seconds, bring the brew to 30g, then stop. At the 1 minute mark, begin the second pour, again in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, keeping the stream off the area where the grounds meet the filter paper to avoid channeling.

Leave a ring of clearance when you reach the outermost edge of the grounds, then continue circle by circle back toward the center. By 2 minutes 20 seconds the brew should reach 220g, and the pour is complete.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over: Hope Estate from the LOD Competition

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over reference for Hope Estate from the LOD competition:

Colombian Hope Estate from the LOD competition, light to medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M, a 67 percent standard sieve pass rate.

20g of coffee grounds, 150g of ice, 150g of hot water. The water temperature should be 1 degree higher than the normal 90 degrees Celsius recommended for pour-over, so 91 degrees Celsius. Regular pour-over uses a Fuji setting of 3.5, while the iced version grinds slightly finer at Fuji 3. The recommended coffee-to-total-water-and-ice ratio is 1:15.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Pour in segments, beginning with 60g and following with 40g. Use a relatively fine but tall water column with forceful stirring so the grounds roll thoroughly, while keeping the liquid level from rising too high and keeping the stream off the edge filter paper.

Total extraction time is about 2.5 minutes, similar to the normal extraction time for 20g of grounds.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For an everyday entry into the Colombian profile, FrontStreet Colombia Huila Washed is the place to start. Huila province sits in the southern part of the Central Mountain Range and is the country's best-known specialty region, mountains ringing its hills, planting above 1500 meters, and the country's most important rivers meeting nearby to bring rich water and humidity. FrontStreet roasts it medium-dark, which foregrounds black chocolate and the sweet aroma of nuts along with a moderate oil body and a thick mouthfeel. It is comfortable as pour-over or French press, and it also extracts well in a moka pot or on an espresso machine, so Americanos and lattes are no trouble.

For the kind of non-traditional flavors the LOD Exotic category rewards, FrontStreet Colombia Diviso Sidra uses an anaerobic natural process. Colombian coffee was traditionally washed, but innovative processing has grown popular in recent years. Anaerobic fermentation, sometimes called carbonic maceration, is fermentation in a low-oxygen or oxygen-free environment, typically in a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank where temperature, time, pH, and the variables you need can all be controlled. The best-known forms are anaerobic natural and anaerobic washed, and FrontStreet Sidra takes the anaerobic natural route. The oxygen-free fermentation yields more tropical fruit aromas, and roasted medium-light it pours out complex, dense passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit flavors in pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot.

For anyone with a home espresso machine or a moka pot, FrontStreet Specialty Blend is the baristas' recommendation, an espresso blend built for coffee shops. It combines the creamy nut aroma of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate bittersweetness of Colombian coffee, and extraction shows a fine golden crema. Paired with milk it makes a rich, smooth latte, it is friendly to beginners, and it serves as the base for Americanos, cappuccinos, mochas, and other standard espresso drinks.