South American Coffee Growing Regions: What Does Colombian Coffee Represent?

FrontStreet Coffee - An Introduction to Colombian Coffee

Colombia is the second largest coffee-producing country after Brazil, the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans, and the world's largest exporter of washed coffee beans. Among all coffees, it offers the finest balance, with a mellow, soft and smooth mouthfeel.

Colombia's National Coffee Growers Federation, like Kenya's national management association, is a model for coffee organizations. Compared with other producing countries, Colombia pays more attention to product development and promotion. Together with its superior geography and climate, that makes Colombian coffee high-quality and delicious, and renowned worldwide. How highly coffee is regarded in Colombia shows in this detail: every vehicle entering the country must be sprayed and disinfected to avoid inadvertently carrying in diseases that could harm coffee trees.

Cultivation Information

Cultivation Altitude: 1,000 - 2,500 meters

Cultivation Varieties: Beyond the varieties common to the Americas - Caturra, Bourbon, Typica and Pacamara - Colombia has three disease-resistant varieties of its own: Castillo, Tabi and the Colombia variety (named after the country). There are also rare, precious varieties such as Gesha, small-grained Mocca, Rume Sudan, Eugenioides, Laurina (Pointed Bourbon) and Maragesa (a natural hybrid of Maragogipe and Gesha).

Most Colombian coffee is washed. Each smallholder family has a small dedicated processor (an Ecomill or eco-pulper). Harvested cherries are poured in, which removes the skin and pulp along with most of the mucilage while using only a very small amount of water. Next, the parchment beans with residual mucilage go into a small pool or container for overnight fermentation to loosen what remains. The next day they are rinsed with clean water, completing the washed method.

Coffee, flowers, emeralds and gold are known as Colombia's "four treasures." Together they account for one-third of the national economy, a sign of Colombia's effort and dedication in becoming a world-renowned specialty coffee producer.

Key Knowledge

Huila coffee is an origin coffee named after its growing region, fully expressing the distinctive character of coffee from Huila.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Since this article touches on Colombia's rare varieties, including Gesha, it is worth tasting what that famous name can do in seasoned hands. The FrontStreet Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is a good place to aim. Its formal name is "Esmeralda Special"; grown at 1,600-1,800 meters, every lot must cup above 90 points and carries its own number, and all beans in a lot come from a single plot - the FrontStreet Red Label, for example, comes from the Harimiyo plot - so buyers can choose a lot that matches their flavor preference.

For a friendlier price, the FrontStreet Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, formally the "Private Collection," blends beans from several plots rather than emphasizing specific plot information, showcasing the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha profile at a more accessible price. Newcomers curious about "Geisha flavor" should start with the FrontStreet Boquete Geisha, an entry-level Geisha that delivers classic Panama orange-blossom honey character, an oolong-tea body, delicate fruit sweet-sour notes and clear layering.

For an estate-level Ethiopian Geisha, the FrontStreet Grana Gesha comes from a rare single-variety farm in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Its processing station, founded in 2014 and managed by Mr. Israel Degefa, sits at the border of the Kochere and Genlana Abaya regions, where coffee covers up to 700 hectares, much of it untamed, fertile and shaded by trees. Hand-picked fully ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 14 to 20 days depending on the weather. Roasted light-to-medium, it shows bright citrus acidity, an elegant ginger-lily aroma, ripe-fruit sweetness and a delicate, smooth body with Geisha's signature refined finish.