Introduction to the Nutty and Cocoa Flavor Characteristics and Pour-Over Method Parameters for Colombia Huila Coffee Region

Colombia Huila

Region: Huila
Altitude: 1500-1800m
Variety: Caturra
Processing Method: Washed

Colombia

Colombia boasts a geographical environment of beautiful mountains, pleasant scenery, delightful climate, and spring-like weather year-round. The air is fresh and invigorating. Colombia's mild climate and humid air create diverse weather conditions, making harvesting possible throughout the year, with different coffee varieties maturing at different times. They grow unique Arabica coffee beans, and coffee brewed from these beans offers rich flavors and endless aftertaste, truly making it a coffee specialty. Today, many people equate "Colombian coffee" with "high quality" and "good taste."

Colombia has three Cordillera mountain ranges running north-south, extending toward the Andes Mountains. Coffee is planted along the highlands of these mountain ranges, providing diverse climate conditions that make harvesting possible year-round, with different coffee varieties maturing at different times. Fortunately, unlike Brazil, Colombia doesn't have to worry about frost damage. Colombia has approximately 2.7 billion documented coffee trees, of which 66% are cultivated using modern farming methods in plantations, while the rest are grown in traditional small farms.

Region Introduction

The Huila region features mountainous terrain, with coffee planted on mountain slopes, providing high altitude suitable for quality Arabica beans and ideal temperatures. The climate of the mountain slopes not only keeps cold winds out but also brings cool mountain breezes without extreme heat, while rainfall is relatively abundant - making it an exceptionally advantageous location for coffee cultivation. Colombian coffee workers hand-pick coffee beans (also known as coffee cherries) from the mountains, allowing for careful selection of the most mature and full fruits. The vast majority of coffee beans undergo washed processing, and when brewed after medium roasting, they offer a light and silky taste, sometimes with a hint of acidity, unlike the stronger flavors of Brazilian coffee and Italian Espresso. In Colombia, it's hailed as "green gold."

Therefore, Huila produces coffee with full body and heavier texture. Huila coffee, featuring nut, chocolate, caramel flavors and smooth, pleasant fruit acidity, is recognized as specialty coffee. This recognition comes not only from its exceptional geographical conditions and selection of Arabica varieties but also from the contribution of manual hand-picking selection.

Colombian Huila (also transliterated as Huila, Hula, Huila) is the premium among Colombian specialties. Its balance is widely recognized as the best coffee, belonging to the high mountain coffee beans specially selected by the Colombian National Coffee Company, known as a national treasure of Colombia. Leveraging superior geographical and climatic conditions, Colombian coffee has consistently maintained high quality. Typically, Colombian coffee beans without special market trademarks come from the National Federation of Colombia Coffee Growers, a very large federation spanning across Colombia. It has always been known for its strict quality control and active promotion.

Coffee Varieties

Caturra is a variety of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. It offers both higher yield and disease resistance compared to Bourbon. The plants are shorter, making harvesting convenient, and they have strong adaptability, not requiring shade trees - they can thrive even when directly exposed to intense sunlight, hence commonly known as "Sun Coffee." Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, showing strong altitude adaptability, but higher altitudes produce better flavors with relatively lower yields.

Processing Method

Most Colombian coffee uses washed processing. Each small farmer family has a small specialized processing machine (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 small amounts of water. Next, the parchment beans with residual small amounts of mucilage enter a small pool or container - which might be a cement pool (some with tiles) or a stainless steel barrel - for overnight fermentation to loosen the remaining mucilage. The next day, they are rinsed with clean water, completing the washed processing method.

Roasting Analysis

Roaster: Yangjia 800N (Roasting capacity: 300g)

Preheat the roaster to 185°C, set the damper to 3, heat to 120, return temperature point at 1'32", 98.6°C; when the roaster temperature reaches 140°C, open the damper to 4; at this point, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. When the roaster temperature reaches 192°C, adjust the heat to 80, open the damper to maximum 5.

At 8'30", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, the toast smell clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'15", first crack begins. After first crack, develop for 3'00", then unload at 202°C.

Because this Colombian Huila coffee has high bean density, uniform bean size, and relatively full shape, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster wants to express the nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors of this bean. Therefore, after first crack, the heat was adjusted and the roasting time was extended, developing for 3'00" before unloading at 202°C.

Agtron bean color value: 65.2 (above image), Agtron ground color value: 64.5 (below image), Roast Delta value: 0.7.

Cupping Notes

Flavor: Nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, soft fruit acidity

Brewing Parameters Shared by FrontStreet Coffee

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over
Filter: KONO dripper
Water Temperature: 87°C
Coffee Amount: 15g
Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG 6W: Chinese standard 45% pass-through rate on #20 sieve)
Brewing Technique:分段式萃取

Use 30g of water for blooming, blooming time approximately 36 seconds. Using a small water stream, pour in a circular motion in the center to add 95g of water, segmenting when reaching 125g of water. Wait until the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, then continue pouring to 227g to finish. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Extraction time: 2'00".

Flavor: Overall well-balanced with noticeable sweetness. Entry reveals dark chocolate, nuts, and caramel, with soft fruit acidity as the temperature changes.

Important Notice :

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