Colombia Flor de Luna Coffee Bean Varieties, Flavor Characteristics, and How to Brew Delicious Pour-Over Coffee

Coffee enthusiasts know that coffee is typically named after its country and region of origin. But have you heard of a poetic coffee name like "Flower Moon Night"? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee wants to share this coffee bean with coffee lovers. Let's explore what makes this FrontStreet Coffee Colombian Flower Moon Night coffee bean so special.

Colombian Coffee Bean Growing Conditions

Entry-level coffee enthusiasts know that Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, primarily cultivating Arabica beans for the specialty coffee market. It therefore produces many famous coffees, such as Colombian Huila. This FrontStreet Coffee Flower Moon Night actually comes from the Astorga Estate in the Huila region.

Colombia's coffee growing conditions are exceptionally advantageous. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Colombia's growing altitudes generally range from 1200-2000m, with rich volcanic soil coverage. Annual rainfall is between 2000-3000mm, the climate is mild, and the air is humid. Because of these conditions, Colombia can harvest coffee fruit year-round, which is its inherent advantage as a major coffee-producing country.

Colombian Coffee Bean Regions

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Colombia's geographical advantages are exceptional. Its mountainous terrain runs north to south, and its diverse soil types form very rich microclimates, creating multiple regions that can produce coffees with different flavor profiles. By geographic location, it is divided into four major regions: North, Central, South, and East.

The central region is most famous for Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales. The southern region focuses mainly on specialty coffee, including Huila Province, Cauca Province, Narino Province, and Tolima Province. Beans from these areas have refined acidity and berry notes, with caramel aroma and full sweetness.

Colombian Huila Region

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night comes from Huila. This area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1500 meters and abundant water and soil resources. It is also Colombia's most famous coffee-producing region.

Huila's coffees are all grown on canyon slopes, enjoying high altitudes suitable for quality Arabica beans and appropriate temperatures. The canyon slope climate not only blocks cold winds but also provides cool mountain breezes without high temperatures, and rainfall is quite sufficient. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Colombian coffee pickers all harvest by hand on the mountains, allowing careful selection of the most mature and plump fruit.

Astorga Estate

As mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night beans come from the Astorga Estate. The estate owner, Ramirez, comes from a coffee-growing family, so he has been involved with coffee since childhood, starting work in coffee production and related jobs at the age of 18. After saving enough money, he bought this Astorga Estate. The previous owner grew only Caturra varieties, which laid the foundation for the fruity acidity and sweetness of FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Moon Night. Interestingly, the previous owner had already begun developing special processing methods three years before selling the estate and shared this unfinished method with the new owner, Ramirez. With his passion for coffee, Ramirez completed the special fermentation process the previous owner couldn't finish — this is the special processing method of FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Moon Night, the star of this article: anaerobic natural processing. Next, FrontStreet Coffee explains what makes this method special.

Anaerobic Natural Processing

According to FrontStreet Coffee's observation, anaerobically processed beans typically have rich aromas and bright wine-like notes, with very full body, lower acidity, and excellent sweetness. The anaerobic natural process places beans in sealed fermentation tanks and uses low temperatures to extend the entire fermentation time. 15-20 days of fermentation allow the coffee to develop more flavors. After fermentation, the beans undergo natural sun-drying to complete the process.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee shares some basic information about this Colombian Flower Moon Night coffee bean.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombian Flower Moon Night Coffee Bean

Country: Colombia

Region: Huila

Altitude: 1800m

Variety: Caturra

Processing: Anaerobic Natural Processing

Flavor Notes: Strawberry jam, fermented wine aroma, chocolate

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the Astorga Estate grows only the Caturra variety. So what's special about Caturra?

Caturra

Caturra is a natural variant of Bourbon. Its tree is not as tall as Bourbon but rather short, which makes harvesting convenient. Its yield and disease resistance are also advantages among common coffee varieties, so it is widely cultivated. FrontStreet Coffee's store also carries many Caturra variety beans from other countries and regions, which is enough to prove how widely it is grown. Its flavor profile often carries refreshing fruit acidity and light sweetness.

Whenever FrontStreet Coffee introduces a new bean, it conducts extensive cupping and brewing to find the optimal brewing parameters. This Colombian Flower Moon Night is no exception. FrontStreet Coffee was drawn in by its name but also wanted to taste whether the bean truly had the poetic, picturesque qualities its name suggests. After tasting, FrontStreet Coffee believes the Flower Moon Night bean truly lives up to its name, with very elegant flavors. Coffee enthusiast friends who have tasted FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night in the store have also been captivated by its flavors, with a lingering aftertaste.

The above is some information FrontStreet Coffee has compiled about its Colombian Flower Moon Night coffee beans. We hope it helps coffee enthusiasts choose beans that suit their flavor preferences.

Next, we'll share FrontStreet Coffee's roasting and brewing parameters for Colombian Flower Moon Night.

Roasting Recommendations

The roasting machine is a Yang's Flying Horse 800N from Taiwan, with a batch size of 480 grams. Considering that FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night uses anaerobic natural processing, we adopted a medium roast to preserve the bean's fruity notes while showcasing a full body and sweetness in the mouthfeel.

Charge Temperature: 180°C

Yellowing Point: 6'25, 150.6°C

First Crack: 10'20, 185°C

Development after First Crack: 1'50, discharged at 196°C

Cupping Flavors

Dry Aroma: berries, nuts, fermented aroma

Wet Aroma: berries, strawberry, chocolate

Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15 grams

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: medium-fine (80% pass-through on the No. 20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using freshly roasted beans to make the most of the coffee's rich flavors. Beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee understands that freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee possible. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it is at peak flavor.

Brewing Method

Segmented Extraction

Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. With a small flow, pour in a circular motion to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom.) Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description

Rich strawberry jam and rose sweet aroma, with abundant strawberry, jam, and liquid chocolate flavors in the mouth.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If anaerobic fermentation is what drew you to Flower Moon Night, FrontStreet Coffee's Finca La División Sidra is the bean to try next. It is also processed as an anaerobic natural, fermented in a low-oxygen environment to build more tropical-fruit aroma, and medium-light roasted so pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka all show off passion fruit, grape, apricot, and candied-fruit complexity.

For a more classic Colombian cup, FrontStreet's washed Huila comes from the country's most famous specialty region and is medium-dark roasted, which plays up black chocolate and nutty sweetness, moderate oils, and a full body — happy as pour-over or French press, and sturdy enough for a moka pot or espresso machine. And if you want a home espresso blend built partly on Colombian beans, FrontStreet's Signature Blend pairs Brazil's cream-and-nut character with Colombia's dark-chocolate bittersweetness for a rich, smooth latte with fine golden crema.