Colombian Coffee Bean Varieties, Characteristics & Flavor Profiles: How to Determine the Quality Grade of Imported Colombian Coffee Beans?

Many customers often inquire about FrontStreet Coffee's espresso blend beans. The most frequently heard comment is that FrontStreet Coffee's Americano tastes different from Americanos at other coffee shops. Of course, how could the coffee beverages taste the same when the coffee beans are different?

Traditional Italian Espresso Blends

When it comes to traditional Italian espresso blend coffee beans, you can find several varieties on FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu. In the first few years after opening, FrontStreet Coffee used Italian espresso blend beans similar to those used by most coffee shops on the market today. The most prominent combination was Brazil blended with Colombia specialty coffee, with the purpose of highlighting the nutty aroma in espresso and increasing the body of coffee beverages, thereby better pairing with milk.

Since Brazil-Colombia blends were the mainstream coffee beans on the market at that time, they would give consumers the misconception that Brazilian and Colombian coffees had similar flavors, but in reality, Brazilian and Colombian coffees are vastly different. Simply speaking in terms of flavor, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Brazilian coffee beans are low in acidity and have higher body. Meanwhile, Colombian coffee has more abundant flavors. Take FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian single-origin coffee "Flower Moon Night" as an example - it has intense rose floral aroma. In terms of flavor, the strawberry jam notes of Flower Moon Night are prominent, and as the temperature cools, you can detect the fermented sensation, with the aftertaste leaning toward chocolate flavors.

Colombian Coffee Production and Environment

Currently, Colombia ranks third in world coffee production. Almost all coffee in Colombia is produced and exported by the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC). This is a non-profit commercial association that currently represents more than 50,000 producers, most of whom are small family farms. FrontStreet Coffee has previously detailed the growing environments of Brazilian and Colombian coffees. Colombia's coffee growing environment is exceptional: low latitude, high altitude, and rich surface topography. Such an environment determines the superiority of its coffee quality.

Colombian Coffee Varieties

According to specialty coffee books, the two main varieties of Colombian coffee are Caturra and Colombia. After the Caturra variety was introduced from Brazil in the 1960s, it replaced the original Typica coffee bean variety. By the 1980s, the introduction of the new "Colombia" coffee variety caused Typica coffee production to decline sharply. Many people have heard of Caturra, but what about Colombia coffee? In fact, Colombia coffee is a hybrid variety developed in the 1980s, with Caturra and Timor bloodlines. At this point, friends who have some knowledge of coffee might ask: isn't that Catimor? However, the FNC at the time insisted that although Colombia coffee was closely related to Catimor, its flavor was much more elegant than typical Catimor. Because Colombia coffee underwent multiple generations of Arabica hybridization, its flavor underwent qualitative changes.

The Colombia variety (Variedad Colombia) was developed by Cenicafe over more than five generations between 1968 and 1982, as a successful hybrid result of Caturra and Timor hybrid. Colombia was developed before the first coffee leaf rust outbreak hit the country in 1983. Although the new variety helped the country's farmers survive the crisis, Cenicafe suspected that other outbreaks and new diseases were imminent. They continued their improvement efforts, and when Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) newly appeared in the country in the early 2000s, it accelerated research methods. The result of this arduous effort was the Tabi and Castillo varieties.

Castillo Variety and Brewing Methods

The Castillo variety was officially awarded to coffee growers in May 2005 and is a hallmark of the FNC's rust-free Colombia program. The purpose of this program was to restore and update the production of high-quality Colombian coffee. Currently, Castillo is the most widely planted coffee variety in Colombia. FrontStreet Coffee's "Cherry Blossom" is a Castillo coffee bean. According to FrontStreet Coffee's standard brewing method, three-stage extraction is performed:

Filter: V60 #01
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Temperature: 90°C
Grind: Medium-fine (78% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve)

Add 15 grams of coffee powder and pour twice the amount of water as the coffee dose for blooming. After even heating, the coffee will puff up to form an appropriately sized dome. Wait 30 seconds, then begin the second pour. Pour water from the center outward in a circular motion to about 125 grams. When the liquid level drops to nearly expose the coffee bed, perform the third pour, this time reaching 225 grams. Extraction is complete, with time controlled around 2 minutes.

This Colombian coffee's flavor profile features prominent spice notes, somewhat similar to mugwort aroma, with berry jam flavors and distinct fermented characteristics.

Colombian Coffee Regions

Colombian specialty coffee beans mainly come from the southern regions, generally at altitudes above 1,500 meters, including San Agustín in Huila, Popayán in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. Coffee grown in these regions will have delicate floral aromas. Colombian flavor characteristics feature very prominent acidity and sweetness, with caramel aroma and abundant sweetness. Colombia's coffee growing axis is also known as the Coffee Triangle, distributed along the Andes Mountains from south to north.

Main Colombian Coffee Producing Regions:

Antioquia - Medellín (18% of total production)
Tolima - Ibagué
Caldas - Manizales (29% of total production)
Valle del Cauca - Cali (13% of total production)
Huila - Neiva (5% of total production)
Cauca - Popayán (4% of total production)
Santander - Bucaramanga

Those who understand coffee know that altitude has a great relationship with coffee quality. The higher the altitude, the less oxygen and the lower the temperature, thus allowing more time for coffee trees to grow and accumulate more sugars and aromatic substances. Because only high-quality coffee is allowed for export, the FNC has very strict control over every batch. Coffee beans are classified according to the following grades:

Supremo 18: Large, smooth, flat beans, properly selected on screen 18, with 10% flexibility under this screen but retained by #17 screen.

Supremo 17/18: Large, uniform and flat beans retained above screen #17/18, with 5% flexibility under this screen but retained by screen #14.

Excelso EP 10% and 5%: Flat beans, sizes between large, medium and small, retained above screen #15, with 10% or 5% flexibility of beans collected on screens #14/12.

UQG: "Usual Good Quality": Below screen 14 but above screen 12, with maximum 1.5% production.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473