Colombia Narino Washed - Colombia Narino FNC Washed Process Chocolate Aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee - Colombia Narino FNC Premium Coffee Introduction

Colombia Supremo Narino FNC

Narino has the natural conditions to produce outstanding coffee. Sitting near the equator at roughly 1 degree north latitude, it enjoys abundant sunlight all year. Rugged mountains and narrow, steep slopes create a patchwork of temperatures, and warm, moist air rising from the valleys shields the high-altitude coffee plants from frost, allowing coffee to be grown successfully at 2,300 meters. Volcanic soil supplies rich nutrients for the trees.

Narino's rainfall follows a single-peak pattern, with one rainy season running from October through May of the following year. Even in the dry months, moisture is never scarce: warm currents carried by trade winds from the southern continent meet cool nights and generate water vapor that replenishes the coffee trees. Typically, after a dry spell followed by rain, the trees come into flower. In Narino, flowering begins after the first rains in September, and harvest starts in April of the following year, at the highest altitudes it can run through August.

Non-Profit Agricultural Cooperative

The cooperative behind this Narino coffee was founded on February 18, 2003, in the town of La Union in southern Colombia's Narino region. It is a non-profit cooperative built on social and economic principles, whose purpose is to add value to coffee through a self-directed process involving its partners, estate owners, farmers, and the wider community.

The cooperative gathers coffee from 21 partner organizations and 100 coffee-growing families. The combination of careful harvesting and meticulous post-harvest processing yields coffee with a special appearance and distinctive flavor, prominent aromatics and high acidity, forming a typically gentle, balanced cup whose unique qualities generate worldwide demand that outstrips supply.

Climate Conditions Behind the Special Flavor Profile

Narino's climate shapes its flavor in several measurable ways:

1. Average annual solar radiation of 1,666 hours

2. A rainfall cycle of 1,866 millimeters

3. Rich organic soil formed from abundant volcanic ash makes coffee cultivation possible at such high altitudes, with an average temperature of 19.9°C, maxima of 25.9°C and minima of 16°C.

Fermentation

Most farms pay special attention to fermentation, drawing on years of accumulated experience to get it right and preserve the diverse character of the origin. The depulped beans rest in clean tanks for approximately 16 hours.

Washing

Attentive producers confirm when fermentation is complete, then wash the beans, using clean water to remove the mucilage.

Drying

After washing, the beans dry in the sun for about 8 days to bring moisture down to 10-12% for proper preservation. The dried beans are packed in natural fiber bags, after which the surrounding husk is removed in milling.

Flavor Profile

Citrus, red apple, caramel; high acidity, a long-lasting chocolate aftertaste, medium body, sweetness, exceptional cleanliness and softness, with very prominent aromatics.

Knowledge Point

Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees sold worldwide that carries the country's own name.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile, equally at home in espresso blends and pour-over single origins, spanning bright fruit-acid profiles, full-bodied cups, and aromatic floral styles, with something for every palate.

FrontStreet's washed Huila is the classic introduction to the country. Huila, in the south of Colombia's central mountain range, is the nation's most famous specialty coffee region, rolling hill country surrounded by mountains, planted above 1,500 meters, where the confluence of Colombia's most important rivers brings abundant water and humidity. Medium-dark roasted, it highlights black chocolate and nut sweetness with moderate crema and a full body; it suits pour-over and French press, and pulls beautifully in a moka pot or espresso machine for Americanos and lattes alike.

For something more adventurous, FrontStreet's Finca Divisa (Boundary Line) Sidra is processed as an anaerobic natural. Anaerobic fermentation, sometimes called carbonic maceration, is simply fermentation in a low- or no-oxygen environment, typically in a sealed, pressure-resistant stainless tank where temperature, time, and pH can be controlled. After anaerobic fermentation, the coffee develops intensified tropical fruit aromatics: at a light-medium roast, brewed as pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot, you get passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried-fruit notes in a richly layered aromatic cup.

Home baristas with an espresso machine or moka pot should try FrontStreet's premium espresso blend, formulated for cafe use. It marries Brazil's creamy nuttiness with Colombia's dark chocolate sweetness and bitterness, extracting with a fine golden crema. It pairs beautifully with milk in a latte, rich and silky, very forgiving for beginners, and stands up equally well as the base for Americano, cappuccino, and mocha.