How to Pour Over Colombian Narino San Francisco Estate Coffee Beans_How to Make Pour Over Coffee

Colombian Coffee Origins

Colombia's coffee-growing history reaches back to the early 18th century. The country's producing regions are known for their high altitudes, with the lower-lying central and northern areas mainly turning out commercial beans, while the central and southern zones focus on specialty coffee.

In the central and southern regions, altitudes mostly exceed 1,600 meters, and year-round snow-capped peaks are not unusual.

Steep mountains and narrow, plunging slopes create a patchwork of warm microclimates. Warm, moist air rising from the canyons shields high-altitude coffee from frost, while volcanic soil supplies the nutrients the plants need.

As a result, yields here are lower than in low-altitude areas and the coffee's growth cycle runs longer. The upside is that the mature cherries hold more sugar and more organic acids, which can translate into more distinctive flavors after fermentation and roasting.

The central and southern zone is also the special territory of past Cup of Excellence and SCAA Coffee of the Year winners. Beans from this region are sorted into more than 200 quality grades, with SUPREMO the highest and EXCELSO next.

This installment of the Ideal Coffee Subscription Plan features SUPREMO-grade beans from the San Francisco Estate in the central and southern region. After repeated testing by roaster Yang Nan, this washed Colombian Narino coffee shows rich flavors of green apple, chocolate and toffee.

Pour-Over Coffee Information

Coffee Country: Colombia, Narino

Coffee Estate: San Francisco

Growing Altitude: 1620 to 1780m

Processing Method: Washed

Cupping Notes: Green apple, chocolate, toffee

Roast Level: Medium roast

Suitable Brewing Methods: Pour-over, French press, American press

Recommended Grind Size: Medium-coarse

Recommended Water Temperature: 91°C

Recommended Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:16

Recommended Brewing Time: 1'50" – 2'00"

How to Brew Colombian Coffee [San Francisco Estate] Well

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Reference: Weigh 15g of [San Francisco Estate] coffee and grind it medium. The particles should be a touch coarser than table salt. We use a BG grinder at setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), a water temperature of 89°C, a V60 dripper, and a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:15.

Pour the hot water from the gooseneck kettle in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper. Start the timer as you begin. Within 15 seconds, bring the brew to 30g, then stop pouring. At the 1-minute mark, pour again. For the second pour, as before, work in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper. Keep the stream off the spot where the coffee bed meets the filter paper to prevent channeling.

Leave a ring when you reach the outermost layer of the coffee bed, then work back toward the center circle by circle. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the brew should reach 220g. The coffee is done.

Japanese Iced Pour-Over [San Francisco Estate]

FrontStreet Coffee Iced Pour-Over [San Francisco Estate] Reference:

Colombian coffee [San Francisco Estate], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass rate)

20g coffee, 150g ice cubes, 150g hot water. The water should be 1°C hotter than the 90°C used for a normal pour-over. Normal grinding uses a small Fuji 3.5 setting, while iced pour-over uses slightly finer — small Fuji setting 3. Recommended coffee-to-(water + ice) ratio of 1:15.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Pulse pouring: a first segment of 60g and a second of 40g. Use a fairly fine but tall water column and stir firmly so the coffee bed rolls fully. Be careful not to let the water level rise too high, and avoid pouring on the edge filter paper.

The full extraction takes about 2.5 minutes, similar to the normal 20g brew.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombia's southern highlands are behind some of the country's cleanest, sweetest cups, and FrontStreet's Colombia Huila Washed is a fine place to start. Huila, in the southern Central Cordillera, is Colombia's best-known specialty region — a land of rolling, mountain-ringed hills where coffee is planted above 1,500 meters and the country's most important rivers converge, bringing abundant water and humidity. Roasted medium-dark, this washed lot leans into dark chocolate and nutty sweetness with a moderate oiliness and a full, rounded body; it works in a pour-over or French press and holds up just as well in a moka pot or on an espresso machine, whether you are making an Americano or a latte.

If you want to explore Colombia's more experimental side, FrontStreet's Colombia Finca La Divisa Xizao is an anaerobic natural. Colombia has long favored washed processing, but anaerobic fermentation has taken hold in recent years, using a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank where temperature, time, pH and other variables are controlled. Roasted light-to-medium, this lot blossoms with tropical fruit — passion fruit, grape, apricot and candied fruit — and shines as a pour-over, cold brew, drip bag or moka pot coffee.