What are the characteristics of Colombian coffee? What are the main growing regions of Colombian coffee?

For more premium coffee knowledge, please follow the official WeChat account: FrontStreet Coffee

Although Colombia, the world's second-largest coffee producer, yields significantly less than the top-ranked Brazil in terms of production volume, its quality is superior. Colombia is the world's largest producer of washed Arabica coffee, known for its mild flavor, sweetness, and subtle cocoa notes when properly processed.

Colombian coffee beans are generally larger, more uniform, and quite attractive compared to regular coffee beans. Grown at low latitudes, high altitudes, and in volcanic soil, Colombian coffee beans exhibit balanced flavor profiles with rich acidity and unique characteristics. They have relatively full body and sometimes display subtle red wine notes and admirable fruit flavors. Consequently, Colombian coffee beans are often used in coffee blends. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's premium blend (Brazilian coffee beans + Colombian coffee beans) offers a rich mouthfeel with excellent notes of nuts, cream, dark chocolate, and caramel.

Colombia's Coffee Growing Regions

Colombia is located in the northwestern part of the South American continent, bordering Panama in Central America. Situated between 3 and 8 degrees north latitude, it has a tropical climate that varies with terrain, rich volcanic soil, annual rainfall of 2000-3000mm, mild temperatures, and humid air. This climatic diversity allows coffee harvesting throughout the year in Colombia. The eastern plains, southern regions, and Pacific coast have a tropical rainforest climate, while mountainous areas at 1000-2000 meters elevation experience a subtropical climate, and the northwest region has a tropical savanna climate. Average annual temperatures range from 15.8 to 20.5 degrees Celsius. Coffee region average temperatures vary between 18°C and 22.5°C.

Colombian coffee exhibits strong regional characteristics and can be classified into over 200 grades. Among the most famous are Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales, collectively known as "MAM." The country's premium bean-producing regions are mainly in the south, at elevations above 1500 meters, including San Augustin in Huila department, Popayan in Cauca department, Nariño department, and Tolima department. Coffees from these areas feature refined acidity and berry notes, with caramel aroma and abundant sweetness.

The most renowned specialty coffee region is undoubtedly Huila department, located in the southern part of the central mountain range in southern Colombia.

Huila department is situated in the southern part of the central mountain range in southern Colombia, in the mountainous region of southwestern Colombia, and is the country's most famous specialty coffee-producing area. This region consists of hills surrounded by mountains and contains an active volcano that erupted in 2008, covering Colombia's soil with mineral-rich volcanic ash. Coffee is cultivated at elevations above 1500 meters, and Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources and moisture. Contrary to the general impression of Colombian coffee as balanced and smooth, many micro-batch specialty coffees produced by small farmers actually exhibit distinct regional flavor characteristics. In recent years, with the international market's emphasis on coffee quality and specialty coffee requirements, there has been a gradual shift away from the original size-based grading system toward micro-regional selections provided by coffee small farmers' organizations. These micro-batches are assembled from the individual harvests of dozens of small farmers, allowing for direct selection of many excellent specific farmer coffees through batch-by-batch cupping.

The Huila region naturally has the richest volcanic ash soil. Whether coffee can achieve better refined flavors depends not only on variety and altitude but also significantly on soil nutrients. Therefore, coffee beans produced in the Huila region possess refined fruit acidity, nutty flavors, and caramel-like aftertaste, which are characteristic flavor features of coffee from southern Colombia.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily blend Colombian Huila coffee comes from the Huila region.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian "Flower Moon Night" coffee comes from the Acevedo Garden Estate in Acevedo city, Huila department. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, the estate owner Ramirez comes from a coffee-growing family and began working in coffee production at age 18. He worked in professional coffee roles in Acevedo city before purchasing the estate named Acevedo Garden, where he grows Caturra.

Notable Coffee Departments

Cauca department is a Colombian coffee origin certification region with an average elevation of 1758m, with maximum elevations reaching up to 2100m. The region's topography, precipitation, temperature, and volcanic soil provide ideal conditions for coffee growth. 80% of the area is mountainous, with parallel mountain ranges in the eastern and central parts that are sections of the Andes mountain range. The central mountain range includes two main volcanoes, Sotara and Petacas. Similar to other southwestern producing regions, Cauca exhibits distinct monomodal precipitation patterns, with the dry season mainly occurring from August to September each year. The subsequent rainy season brings concentrated coffee flowering, followed by a concentrated coffee harvest season the next year.

The most significant climatic difference from other producing regions is the relatively large temperature variation. The average daily temperature is 11°C, while the average daytime temperature is 18°C. This diurnal temperature variation is an important factor in producing high-quality coffee. Lower nighttime temperatures and relatively higher altitudes slow the coffee's growth rhythm, allowing coffee seeds and beans to more fully absorb nutrients from the coffee fruit, resulting in better acidity and the notably praised sweetness of Cauca coffee.

Nariño department is located in the country's southwest, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and Ecuador to the south. The Andes mountains run through the entire department, with coffee cultivated in the high-altitude cloud belt between 1600-2300 meters in fertile volcanic geological soil. The beans are smaller but full, with vibrant green color. Most of Nariño region's annual production is purchased by large American coffee merchants. Nariño department is located in southwestern Colombia, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and neighboring country Ecuador to the south. The Andes mountains traverse this department, where majestic mountains and beautiful scenery exist, and many rivers flow through this area heading south. It belongs to Colombia's high mountain coffee cultivation zone, nurturing many small farmers of specialty coffee. Nariño department's total annual production is about 150,000 bags, with only about 6,000 bags classified as premium selected beans.

Tolima borders Huila and Cauca, with the north-south trending Andes Mountains (M. Andes) and Cordillera Mountains (M. Cordillera) running through it. Between these two famous mountain systems flows the Magdalena River (R. Magdalena) from south to north. Tolima's name originates from the earliest inhabitants, the "Pijao people," in whose language (Pijao word), tolima means "snowed." Tolima's farms are generally slightly larger than those in other Colombian southern producing regions, about 10-15 hectares. Cooperative models are also popular here, with farmers sending their small batches of fresh coffee cherries to cooperative processing plants. Some farmers also choose to process their own coffee, using their small-scale processing facilities that can handle the day's harvest volume.

Additional Notable Regions

Medellin: Located in northern Colombia, it offers rich flavor, moderate acidity, and intriguing high sweetness. The quality of Medellin exported by the FNC association shows higher uniformity and cleanliness than regular Medellin.

Santander department: Located in northern Colombia, bordering the Magdalena River to the west, with cultivation elevation of about 1400-1600m and an area of 30,537 square kilometers. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee has found that coffee beans from this region are known for their intense flavor, long aftertaste, and unique fresh grassy notes.

Rose Valley Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Rose Valley coffee comes from the Big Tree Estate in Colombia's Santander region. Santander is located in northern Colombia, bordering the Magdalena River to the west, with cultivation elevation of about 1400-1600 meters and an area of 30,537 square kilometers. Santander department is a very important but rarely mentioned department - it's actually Colombia's first 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 flavor, long aftertaste, and unique fresh grassy notes.

Colombian Coffee Varieties

Currently, Colombia is the world's largest producer of washed Arabica, the second-largest Arabica producer, and the world's third-largest coffee producer, with annual production approximately equal to one-third of Brazil's, accounting for 12% of world total production. This places them behind only Brazil and Vietnam, but unlike these two countries, Colombia almost exclusively grows high-end Arabica coffee beans.

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is not as tall as Bourbon, being more compact. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growth in Brazil and therefore was not widely cultivated there. Instead, it became prevalent in Central and South America, with large-scale cultivation in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

In addition to common varieties in American producing regions such as Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, and Pacamara, Colombia also has three unique disease-resistant varieties: Castillo, Tabi, and the Colombia variety (named after the country, developed by Cenicafe). Of course, there are also some rare and precious varieties like Gesha, small-grained Mocca, Rume Sudan, Eugenioides, Laurina, and Maragogipe (a natural hybrid of Maragogipe and Gesha).

Colombian Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Colombian coffee regions have abundant water resources, making them very suitable for washed processing. Therefore, the vast majority of Colombian coffee is processed using the washed method. Unlike other South and Central American countries, most coffee growers process coffee at their own washing stations. Each small farmer family has a small specialized processor (Ecomill or Eco-Pulper). Harvested coffee cherries are poured into it, which not only removes the skin and pulp but also removes most of the mucilage, requiring only very little water. Next, the parchment beans with residual small amounts of mucilage enter a small pool or container - possibly a concrete pool (some tiled) or a stainless steel barrel - for overnight fermentation to loosen the remaining mucilage. The next day, they are rinsed with clean water, completing the washing process. Performing all processing at home allows growers to have complete control over coffee quality.

With the development of specialty coffee, many farms have introduced meticulously processed natural and honey-processed micro-batches, as well as special processing methods. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's very popular "Flower Moon Night" coffee has rich berry jam fermentation notes, while Rose Valley coffee has charming rose aromatics and sweet peach flavors. Although these novel processing methods for Colombian coffee have truly special aromas, they mask the original regional flavors of Colombian coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes it's best to choose the natural washed processing method to highlight the clean taste of high-altitude coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee chose washed Colombian Huila coffee as the representative of Colombian coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee brewing parameters for Colombian Flower Moon Night and Rose Valley coffee:

V60 dripper, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium grind (approximately coarse sugar size/China #20 standard sieve 80% pass rate), 91°C water temperature.

Adopting segmented extraction, bloom with twice the coffee weight in water (i.e., 30g water blooming for 30 seconds). The blooming process is necessary to allow coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making subsequent extraction more stable. Pour in small circular motions to 125g, then continue pouring to 225g and stop. Remove the dripper once the water has finished dripping through. Time from the start of pouring, extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it well before pouring into cups for tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Rose Valley coffee flavor characteristics: wine chocolate, rose, cranberry, peach, cream.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night coffee flavor characteristics: rich strawberry jam, sweet rose aromatics, with abundant strawberry, jam, and liquor-filled chocolate flavors in the mouth.

Meanwhile, Colombian Huila coffee, serving as both a daily blend and one of FrontStreet Coffee's premium blend coffee beans, might taste quite strong when brewed alone, with more prominent nut, dark chocolate, and fruit acidity flavors. However, when used as a blend bean, the taste is absolutely delicious and definitely smooth. Of course, everyone's taste is different, and as for how to brew it, FrontStreet Coffee believes it entirely depends on personal preference. FrontStreet Coffee has over fifty different single-origin coffee beans from various producing regions, which can fully satisfy everyone's coffee choices and preferences.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects coffee flavor. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer receives the freshest coffee when their order arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew and drink the ground coffee immediately upon receipt. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, as it oxidizes relatively quickly after exposure to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly and won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473