How to Brew Colombian Coffee? Finding the Perfect Water Temperature for Pour-Over Brewing

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Customers who have visited FrontStreet Coffee know that our shop offers a wide variety of coffee beans. For some beginners, this can be quite overwhelming. Having many options often means consumers need broader coffee knowledge to select their preferred type. Fortunately, the baristas at FrontStreet Coffee patiently consult with customers about their flavor preferences before making recommendations. Among our selection, Colombian coffee has captured the hearts of countless enthusiasts with its complex and diverse fruit flavors.

Colombia's Ideal Coffee Growing Environment

Compared to many coffee-growing countries in Central and South America, Colombia possesses vast lands "naturally" suitable for coffee cultivation. Its abundant terrain creates diverse climate characteristics, providing excellent natural conditions for producing high-quality Arabica coffee. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the characteristics of Colombian coffee.

Colombia's coffee regions are extensive, with Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales being the most famous, collectively referred to as "MAM." However, Colombia's premium bean regions are primarily in the south, at elevations above 1,500 meters, including San Augustin in Huila, Popayan in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. Coffee from these areas features delicate acidity, berry aromas, caramel sweetness, and an overall sweet profile.

Huila: Colombia's Premium Coffee Region

Colombia Huila: Located in southwestern Colombia, Huila is one of the country's main coffee cultivation areas. Because famous coffee cultivation sites are scattered throughout the Huila region, the names of various small areas have become brand names that circulate in the market. Although the cultivation conditions in this region are excellent, the infrastructure for coffee cultivation farms and their surroundings is not well-developed. Green bean drying equipment or wet processing facilities are still incomplete, which is quite regrettable. The Colombian daily coffee beans prepared by FrontStreet Coffee come from the Huila coffee region.

Colombian Coffee History and Branding

Before introducing the production regions, FrontStreet Coffee will, as usual, introduce the history of Colombian coffee. The origin story of Colombian beans has been told through several different accounts. Although there is no definitive answer, most people believe that coffee was introduced to Colombia by Jesuit missionaries in 1723. The acceptance of coffee as an economic crop across the country's various regions was quite slow. Colombian coffee production did not increase significantly until the late 19th century, and by 1912, coffee accounted for 50% of its total exports.

What sets Colombia apart from other coffee distributors is their focus on branding and marketing. A farmer named Juan Valdez became the "poster boy" for Colombian coffee, with his image and his mule becoming symbols that appeared on bags and in advertising campaigns. This specific branding added value to Colombian coffee and made it a recognized coffee in the United States.

Colombia's Natural Coffee Paradise

Colombia's suitable climate provides a true "natural pasture" for coffee. In previous articles introducing Colombian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee has always emphasized Colombia's unique cultivation environment. The unique high-altitude terrain and many tropical microclimates have greatly improved the quality of Colombian coffee. Looking at the topographical map, Colombia has three main mountain ranges in the west, arranged in a river-like pattern; the Western Mountain Range, adjacent to the Pacific coast; between the Central Mountain Range are Cauca and Magdalena, which provide favorable shade conditions for coffee cultivation, and this land also contains the world-famous coffee cultivation region of Medellin. The Eastern Cordillera is the third mountain range in the southwest.

Colombia's Coffee Production Excellence

Currently, Colombia is known as the world's third-largest coffee producer, second only to Brazil before Vietnam entered the coffee market (whose production is mainly Robusta). According to the 2019 FNC report, Colombia is the world's largest producer of washed Arabica coffee.

It is no exaggeration to say that Colombian coffee has now gained recognition in the world specialty coffee market. Within Colombia, no region produces more coffee than Huila Province in the Andes Mountains. According to the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), in 2016, Huila produced 2.6 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee, accounting for 18% of the country's coffee. In the same year, the Neiva Chamber of Commerce reported that the department had 154,800 hectares of land dedicated to coffee cultivation. But Huila's value lies not only in the quantity of coffee but also in its quality, regularly producing Cup of Excellence award-winning products.

Huila Region's Growing Conditions

So what are the specific growing conditions in the Huila region? The Huila production area is surrounded by the central and eastern mountain ranges of the Andes, with most areas located in the Magdalena Valley region, resulting in significant climate variations. According to the FNC, farm temperatures range from 17 to 23 degrees Celsius, and most farms are situated between 1,200-1,800 meters in elevation. Additionally, coffee long-term benefits from nitrogen-rich volcanic soil. Coffee from the Huila region has a delicate and smooth taste, with a heavier body and excellent balance. The nutty, chocolate, and caramel aromas, along with suitable acidity, make Huila coffee beans particularly characteristic of high-quality specialty coffee, like a gentleman among coffees.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Selection

Here, we focus on FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian coffee. Let's first look at the relevant information about this coffee bean:

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Washed Huila Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia

Region: Huila

Elevation: 1500-1800 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Caturra

It should be noted that you will find that most of FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans use washed processing. FrontStreet Coffee believes that among many processing methods, washed coffee beans best showcase the local terroir flavors. When using FrontStreet Coffee's standard brewing method to extract this coffee bean, we find that this Colombian coffee bean has a balanced taste with very noticeable sweetness. It has a very rich chocolate flavor upon entry, with caramel and nutty notes, and a slight fruit acidity appears at lower temperatures. It's worth noting that this daily bean is roasted darker compared to coffee beans from other Colombian regions.

Brewing Colombian Coffee at Home

So how should you drink Colombian coffee? Here, FrontStreet Coffee provides a brewing method that won't go wrong when extracting at home:

FrontStreet Coffee brewing parameters:

KONO dripper

Water temperature: 88°C

Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15

Coffee amount: 15g

Grind size: (80% pass-through rate on China #20 standard sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee brewing technique: Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in small circular motions until reaching 125g, then segment. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until reaching 225g, then stop pouring. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Extraction time is 2'00". However, this doesn't mean FrontStreet Coffee's brewing method is the best. The parameters above are provided for standardized production, but when you practice at home, you can experiment more to find the brewing method that suits you best.

Colombian Coffee Varieties

Please note that FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans use Caturra, the most common Colombian coffee bean variety. In fact, Colombian coffee varieties are very rich. Besides common Central American varieties like Bourbon, Typica, and Catuai, there are also varieties primarily found in Colombia such as Tabi, Colombia, Maragogipe, and Castillo, as well as Sidra and Geisha, which have gradually become known to us through various world-class competitions in recent years.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473