Why Colombian Huila Coffee Doesn't Taste Good and How to Properly Brew Huila Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee Introduction: Huilan Coffee Pour-Over

Huilan, grown at an altitude of 900-1100m, was mentioned before - beans from this altitude don't have particularly prominent acidity. However, as a leading production area in Colombia, its stability is unquestionable. Therefore, the washed processing method enhances the purity of the beans; during roasting, the focus is on extracting mid-range body, oils, and melanoidins, classified as medium-dark roast. In this context, these beans are quite suitable for beginners.

The entire brewing extraction process roughly follows the order shown in the image above: first extracting fruit flavors and acidity (from the bean surface), then mid-range flavors, followed by sweetness, and finally bitterness.

Alright, let's look at the specific brewing method for these beans. Before that, let's cover a few more knowledge points.

1. Roast Degree

Divided into light, medium, and dark types. Generally, light roast beans have prominent fruit flavors with a relatively bright taste; the darker the roast, the richer the body, though of course there will be more miscellaneous flavors, with a deep and heavy mouthfeel.

2. Coffee Fiber Structure

The higher the altitude and lighter the roast, the firmer the fiber structure, making it less susceptible to extraction, so the blooming time can be extended accordingly. Conversely, beans from lower altitudes with darker roasts have a softer fiber structure, making them easier to extract, so the blooming time should be shorter, or even skipped entirely.

3. Blooming Time

The main purpose of blooming is to allow hot water to penetrate the cell walls of the coffee fiber structure, forcing out carbon dioxide inside, making water-soluble substances easier to extract, and facilitating diffusion between coffee cells during the second water addition. Generally controlled between 8-25 seconds. To determine the appropriate blooming duration, observe whether bubbles continuously emerge during the blooming process. When bubbles no longer appear or water starts dripping into the lower pot, blooming can end.

4. Grind Size

The coarser the grind, the less surface area, so the brewing time needs to be extended accordingly, and vice versa. Generally controlled between grind sizes 2.5-4.

5. Coffee Extraction Concentration

Only 30% of substances in a coffee bean can be extracted, while the remaining 70% or so are water-insoluble woody fibers. According to the "Golden Cup Extraction Theory" issued by the SCAA organization, the optimal extraction standard for a cup of coffee should reach an extraction rate of 18%-22%, while the concentration of "substances extracted from coffee" in a cup of coffee is only 1.15%-1.35% (don't be surprised that about 98% of the coffee we drink is water), so it's not necessarily best to extract all 30% of water-soluble substances from each coffee bean. (Something like that)

6. Coffee-to-Water Ratio (can use these 3 options)

Option A (Flavor-focused)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:18 (light, medium roast, fine grind) with concentration between 1.15-1.25, extraction rate: 18-20%

Option B (Balanced)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 (medium, medium-dark roast, slightly coarser) with concentration between 1.28-1.35, extraction rate: 16-18%

Option C (Body-focused)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:13 (medium-dark, dark roast, more grounds, coarse grind) with concentration: 1.35-1.45, extraction rate: 14-16%

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 90°C

Water addition: 1:2 ratio, meaning 20g of water, approximately 4 even circles at medium speed.

Pour from the center with a small water stream, then slowly spiral outward, as if gently laying a layer of water over the coffee grounds. Although using a small water stream, be careful not to deliberately slow down the spiraling speed, because once the spiraling is too slow, the water stream will flow in a single direction, causing uneven water absorption by the coffee bed.

After the first water addition, coffee particles will push against each other due to degassing, creating a swelling phenomenon.

Blooming: Bloom for about 8 seconds. Since this is a dark roast and I prefer stronger flavors, 8 seconds of blooming yields a richer body with basically no off-flavors, carrying slight fruit acidity and distinct chocolate and nutty notes. When the swelling reaches its highest point or nearly stops, that's the time for the second water addition.

Second water addition: From the center position, quickly spiral outward, adding 80g of water, keeping the water level flush with the coffee bed. The purpose of the second water addition is to promote rapid diffusion between coffee cells. Basically, 80% of the flavors will be extracted during this stage. The purpose of quick spiraling is to create convection between the cells, thus more evenly soaking the cell walls and extracting fruit flavors, acidity, and mid-range flavors. Starting from the second water addition, pay attention to the water volume - try not to exceed the height of the coffee bed, meaning when the water stream spirals close to the filter paper, you can stop adding water.

Third water addition: After waiting 5 seconds, perform the third water addition. You absolutely must maintain a stable water flow - stable, stable, stable (important things said three times), until all remaining water is added. Transition from fast to slow flow rate, with smaller spiraling motions, the purpose being to prevent fine particles from settling at the bottom (because the second water addition was relatively fast, creating convection that causes fine particles to settle and block the filter holes, leading to over-extraction). This allows even soaking of the coffee grounds at the edges. Otherwise, it's easy to extract the bitterness, earthy flavors, and astringency from the coffee cells, resulting in mixed flavors. The ideal state during this process is to mainly extract sweetness. The rolling particles will begin to settle when water addition stops, at which point the flow rate created by the falling water level will cause friction between coffee particles. So once water addition stops, coffee particles sink down, causing blockage, so special attention must be paid to the rhythm of water addition.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473