Comparison of Coffee Bean Varieties, Processing Methods, Flavor Profiles, and Grade Classifications in Colombian Coffee Regions

The coffee flavors of Central and South America are characterized by soft fruit acidity, chocolate notes, and a hint of nuttiness. With the rise of Geisha coffee's fame, various regions around the world are now researching and cultivating Geisha coffee varieties. As a major producer of premium coffee, Colombia naturally cultivates Geisha coffee as well. Each coffee-producing region in Colombia offers its own unique characteristics. Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share with you the distinctive features of coffee from Colombia's various producing regions.

Colombian coffee boasts excellent acidity and unique flavors, with high-grade texture and exceptional quality. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular among coffee enthusiasts worldwide. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Colombian coffee not only tastes wonderful but also carries beautiful names such as Colombian Rose Valley, Colombian Flower Viewing, and Colombian Cherry Blossom. In the early coffee industry, coffee was simply divided into two major categories: the "soft" school represented by Brazilian coffee, featuring soft beans, weak acidity, and gentle flavors primarily influenced by Brazil's hilly red soil and slightly lower altitude regions; and the "hard" school represented by Colombian coffee beans. Due to Colombia's predominantly mountainous black soil environment, Colombian coffee beans are known for their balance, with Huila and Nariño being particularly outstanding regions, offering sweet fruity flavors. The mouthfeel is captivating, with a perfect balance of smoothness and sweet aftertaste. Colombian coffee beans are predominantly processed using the washed method.

When discussing coffee flavors, one cannot ignore the growing environment of coffee, and when it comes to volcanoes, Guatemala might come to mind. FrontStreet Coffee would like to point out that volcanic soil isn't exclusive to Guatemala; many producing countries also have volcanic environments. Colombia is the only country in South America with both Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, and within Colombia, the best producing regions are almost all volcanic soil.

Speaking of Colombian volcanoes, one must mention the two regions with the highest coffee quality in southern Colombia: Huila and Nariño. These two provinces are home to Colombia's famous volcanoes: Nevado del Huila in Huila Province and Nevado del Galeras in Nariño Province. Volcanic ash is rich in minerals, making the soil more fertile. The Huila volcano has been continuously erupting in recent years, which FrontStreet Coffee believes is a reason for celebration for coffee farmers in Huila Province. The fact that Huila Province produced "SCAA Coffee of the Year" in 2009 and 2010 is partly attributed to the fresh supply of volcanic ash to the soil.

Colombian Coffee Producing Regions

Major Colombian coffee producing regions include: Cauca, Huila, Santander, Nariño, Tolima, Caldas, and others.

Santander Province

Coffee trees have high environmental requirements, and Santander has cultivated large amounts of Typica and shade-grown coffee, most of which has obtained Rainforest Alliance certification. Santander Province is located in northern Colombia, bordering the Magdalena River to the west, with cultivation altitudes of approximately 1400-1600 meters and an area of 30,537 square kilometers. Santander is a very important but rarely mentioned province. It is actually Colombia's earliest coffee-growing province and currently accounts for about 5% of Colombia's total coffee production. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee has found that coffee beans from this region are known for their intense flavors, long-lasting aftertaste, and unique fresh herbaceous notes.

Colombian Rose Valley Coffee Bean Processing Method

Colombian coffee beans are predominantly washed, with other processing methods being extensions of the washed processing technique. Colombian Rose Valley coffee beans use the special anaerobic processing method that has become popular in recent years. Through washing, defective coffee beans are removed, and then the processed coffee beans are placed in a sealed container where carbon dioxide is injected to displace oxygen. In an oxygen-free environment, the decomposition rate of sugars in coffee mucilage slows down, pH decreases more gradually, and fermentation time is extended, thereby developing better sweetness and more balanced flavors in the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Representative Coffee - Colombian Rose Valley Coffee Beans

Finca: Colombian Big Tree Estate

Region: Santander Region

Processing Method: Anaerobic Double Enzyme Wash

Altitude: 1700m

Variety: Caturra

This Colombian double enzyme washed Rose Valley coffee bean has stunning peach characteristics, accompanied by aromas of ripe fruits like strawberry and honeydew melon, with notes of rose and champagne.

Huila

Speaking of the Huila region, FrontStreet Coffee thinks of the daily staple bean Huila from FrontStreet Coffee, as it represents the most characteristic flavor of Colombian coffee. Huila Province is located in the southern part of the central mountain range in southern Colombia and is one of the main coffee cultivation areas, accounting for 12% of Colombia's total coffee production. It is the country's most renowned specialty coffee producing region.

This area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1500 meters. Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources and moisture. Located in southwestern Colombia, the Huila region is dotted with famous coffee cultivation areas, so the names of various small areas have become brand names that circulate in the market. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee has found that Huila region coffees have intense nutty, chocolate, and caramel flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Geisha Blend - Flower Viewing Coffee Beans

Region: Colombia Huila

Finca: Montblanc Estate

Altitude: 1900 meters

Varieties: Geisha, Caturra, Catuai

Processing Method: Washed Processing

Flavor: Pink pepper, chamomile, wo citrus, honey, almond

Colombian Geisha Blend Flower Viewing Coffee Bean Varieties

This Geisha blend coffee bean acquired by FrontStreet Coffee is a mixture of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. At this point, some might wonder whether this bean can still be considered a single-origin coffee bean. Single-origin coffee beans refer to coffee beans grown in a single (same) coffee producing region/finca, not necessarily single variety coffee beans, so this Geisha blend coffee bean belongs to the single-origin category.

Colombian Geisha Blend Flower Viewing Coffee Bean Processing Method

FrontStreet Coffee's daily staple Huila coffee uses washed processing, which maximizes the characteristics of Colombian Huila coffee. The Colombian Flower Viewing Geisha coffee is also processed using the washed method.

The process is: Coffee farmers first pour harvested coffee cherries into large water tanks. Underdeveloped inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the defective beans (fruits) floating on the surface are scooped out. Then a pulper is used to remove the outer skin and pulp of the coffee fruit, at which point a slippery layer of mucilage still adheres to the coffee beans. The coffee beans with mucilage are placed in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours, during which microorganisms break down the mucilage. After fermentation is complete, large amounts of clean water are used to wash away mucilage residues from the coffee beans. Finally, the cleaned coffee beans are dried in the sun. Washed processing offers a balanced combination of acidity and smoothness, moderate body, and sweet aromatic spiciness.

Cauca Province

Cauca Province is located in southwestern Colombia, accounting for 8% of Colombia's total coffee production. It is a region with Colombian coffee origin certification, with an average altitude of 1758 meters and maximum altitude rising to 2100 meters. 80% of Cauca Province is mountainous. The biggest difference in climate from other producing regions is the relatively large temperature variation, with a day-night temperature difference of 11°C and an average daytime temperature of 18°C. The day-night temperature difference is an important factor in producing high-quality coffee. Lower nighttime temperatures and relatively higher altitudes slow down the growth rhythm of coffee, allowing coffee beans to more fully absorb nutrients from coffee cherries. FrontStreet Coffee believes that this high-altitude growing environment creates better acidity in Cauca coffee and its acclaimed special sweetness.

The coffee bean variety introduced by FrontStreet Coffee is Castilla, a coffee variety currently being promoted for cultivation in Colombia. It was developed in 2005 by Colombia's Coffee Research Institute based on enhancing plant disease resistance. According to FrontStreet Coffee, Castilla is the result of five generations of hybrid selection between Catimor and Caturra varieties. Catimor is a natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta, featuring tall plants and resistance to leaf rust disease.

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, with small plants and higher yields than Typica and Bourbon, inheriting Bourbon's excellent flavor characteristics. Plants can be spaced more closely, allowing for denser planting per unit area. However, it is also susceptible to leaf rust disease. The Castilla variety coffee beans resulting from the hybridization of these two varieties inherit Caturra's excellent flavor characteristics while also being resistant to leaf rust like the Catimor variety, thus being widely promoted for cultivation.

Colombian Paradise Estate Cherry Blossom Coffee Bean Processing Method

Colombian coffee is predominantly washed, with special processing methods being extensions of the washed processing technique. Specially processed Colombian coffees are highly favored by coffee enthusiasts. The processing method for this Colombian Paradise Estate Cherry Blossom coffee bean is anaerobic natural processing. This method uses stainless steel containers (which don't absorb flavors from previous coffee beans) to hold coffee fruits, resulting in cleaner flavors. Fermentation in a sealed environment makes various factors easier to control, making each batch of processed coffee beans more consistent, and aromatic substances less likely to volatilize. Fermentation in an oxygen-free environment yields rounder flavors, often bringing cheese and cream aromas.

Paradise Estate owner Diego Samuel specializes in special processing methods as his estate's selling point. This Cherry Blossom coffee bean expresses a very special flavor through anaerobic processing - aromas similar to mugwort, basil, and chamomile. These are flavors rarely found in other coffee beans and are definitely worth trying.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Cherry Blossom Coffee Beans

Region: Colombia Cauca

Altitude: 2050m

Variety: Castilla

Processing Method: Double Anaerobic Wash

Flavor: Cherry blossom, osmanthus, passion fruit, with sweet aroma, round mouthfeel, and persistent aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters for Colombian Coffee:

Dripper: Hario V60 #01

Water Temperature: 91°C

Coffee Amount: 15 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind/sugar granule size (80% pass-through rate with #20 sieve)

When brewing, you can use a three-pour method to extract, thereby giving the coffee richer layers. First, pour 30 grams of water to fully wet the coffee grounds and let bloom for 30 seconds. Then, using a small water stream, slowly pour in a circular motion for the second pour until reaching 125 grams. When the water level in the dripper drops to just above the coffee bed, continue pouring. For the third pour, stop when reaching 225 grams. Wait until all water has completely dripped into the sharing pot below before removing the dripper. Total extraction time is 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee flavors differ across different producing countries and regions, so FrontStreet Coffee acquires several or even dozens of coffee beans from the same producing country or major region, allowing more coffee friends to taste and compare them. For example, there are over a dozen single-origin coffees just from Ethiopia, and FrontStreet Coffee has 8 different daily staple beans from various producing countries, all representing the most characteristic coffees of their respective regions with excellent value for money! They are highly recommended for everyone to start with here, then move to single-origin coffees - these can fully satisfy coffee enthusiasts' curiosity and preferences!

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473