South American Coffee Beans - The Characteristics of Colombian Huilan Coffee: Rich Flavor Bestowed by Volcanic Soil

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

Everything you need to know about one of South America's most celebrated coffee origins.

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Colombian Huila Coffee

Colombia straddles both the northern and southern hemispheres, with most of its coffee growing regions located between 2-8 degrees north latitude. The coffee production areas are concentrated in the "three rivers and two basins" region, which corresponds to the Andes Mountains (Cordillera) within Colombia. Almost all of Colombia's rivers originate from the Andes. Excellent coffee growing regions typically possess higher altitudes (Colombia's capital, Bogota, sits at 2600-3000 meters), fertile soil (from Huila's Nevado del Huila volcano and Nariño's Nevado del Galeras volcano), valleys (formed by the Andes), rainforests, plateaus, abundant precipitation (carried by warm, humid air currents from the Pacific Ocean), and the diverse microclimates created by the towering Andes. These natural conditions make Colombia ideal for coffee cultivation, yielding both high volume and high quality.

Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Within Colombia, the best growing regions are almost all planted on volcanic soils. When it comes to volcanoes, we must mention the two highest-quality coffee producing regions in the country: Huila and Nariño in the south. These two provinces contain Colombia's famous volcanoes: Nevado del Huila in Huila province, and Nevado del Galeras in Nariño province.

Volcanic ash is rich in minerals, making the soil more fertile. Nevado del Huila has erupted continuously in recent years, which is good news for coffee farmers in Huila province. In 2009 and 2010, Huila's ability to produce "SCAA Coffee of the Year" winners was partly attributed to the fresh supply of volcanic ash enriching the soil.

The Nariño region accounts for about 3%-5% of Colombia's total coffee production, with a single harvest per year. The Huila region accounts for about 10%-20% of national production — massive output while also being a high-quality region. As noted above, many SCAA championship beans come from this area, and Colombian Huila coffee beans therefore enjoy very high recognition and praise in international trade.

Huila

Huila coffee is an origin coffee named after its growing region, fully representing the unique characteristics of the area. Its most prominent features are a pure, balanced, and gentle flavor profile with very high aromatic intensity.

As one of Colombia's several coffee growing regions, Huila is arguably the country's most famous growing area. Like many other regions in Colombia, Huila's development was severely affected by the unrest that plagued the country from the 1990s to the early 2000s.

In 2010, the Colombian government launched a support program for farmers displaced by that unrest. Its central goal was to ensure land was returned to its legitimate owners and to provide these people with the resources to restart agricultural production.

In some cases, this also meant coffee growers obtained the resources to transition from commercial-grade coffee production to specialty coffee production, allowing them to command considerably higher market prices. According to the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), in 2016 Huila produced 2.6 million 60kg bags of green coffee, accounting for 18% of the country's total coffee production.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile — equally at home in an espresso blend or brewed as a single-origin pour-over — which makes Huila a great place to start. FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Huila is grown on the hilly terrain of Huila province at altitudes above 1500 meters, where the confluence of Colombia's major rivers brings abundant water and moisture. Roasted medium-dark, it highlights black chocolate and the sweet fragrance of nuts, with a medium body and a smooth, mellow mouthfeel. It suits pour-over and French press, and also works beautifully in a moka pot or espresso machine for americanos and lattes.

For something more adventurous, the FrontStreet Colombia Finca La Línea (Fenjiexian Manor) Sidra is processed as an anaerobic natural: the cherries ferment in a sealed, low-oxygen stainless tank where temperature, time, and pH are carefully controlled. This anaerobic fermentation transforms the coffee into a bouquet of tropical fruit — passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit — best enjoyed as a pour-over, cold brew, or moka pot brew at a medium-light roast.