Colombia Cauca Region Specialty Coffee Beans Pour-Over Paradise Estate Strawberry 2.0 Flavor Characteristics

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When we see the word "strawberry," many of us think of various strawberry-flavored foods, such as strawberry juice, strawberry yogurt, strawberry ice cream, and more. Yes! This coffee bean has an exceptionally sweet flavor profile. FrontStreet Coffee recently acquired a strawberry variety from Finca El Paraiso, but after cupping, we found that the overall flavor wasn't rich enough. Therefore, we decided to purchase Strawberry 2.0, which comes from the same farm but a different batch.

Colombia Finca El Paraiso Strawberry 2.0

Region: Cauca, Colombia

Estate: Finca El Paraiso

Altitude: 2050m

Processing: Double Anaerobic Washed

Variety: Castillo

Coffee Growing Region

Cauca is a coffee origin-certified region in Colombia, with an average altitude of 1758m and a maximum altitude reaching 2100m. Between the eastern and western mountain ranges of Cauca lies the Popayan plateau, and to the south is the Patia basin. The Patia River flows from north to south into Narino province.

This region has a mild climate, abundant rainfall, and fertile soil—environmental conditions that are ideal for coffee cultivation. However, the area is sparsely populated, making coffee harvesting a dangerous job. Coffee farms in this region are relatively small, with an average farm size of only about 3 hectares. The main harvesting months are between April and December, with all coffee cherries carefully hand-picked. Coffee beans grown in the Cauca region typically exhibit delicate acidity, berry-like sweetness, caramel aromas, and a full sweet sensation.

Finca El Paraiso

Finca El Paraiso is a coffee estate that Mr. Diego Samuel began operating in 2008. Initially, it was just a small 2.5-hectare family-run estate. The owner invested the surplus from each harvest into coffee agricultural research and continued to study how to better produce specialty flavors.

In 2015, he participated in a local regional competition for the first time, and his Finca El Paraiso coffee beans from Colombia won first place. After this victory brought him fame, he gained recognition in the industry, which motivated him further to promote the cultivation of specialty coffee. Through his company Indestec (Innovacion y Desarrollo Tecnologico para la Caficultura), Diego created new innovative technologies to improve and stabilize coffee quality. He says that he likes to step out of his comfort zone because it constantly helps him to improve continuously.

Currently, Finca El Paraiso in Colombia primarily grows varieties such as Bourbon, Laurina, Gesha, and Castillo, and is planning to experiment with more different varieties.

Coffee Variety

Castillo is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in Colombia, popular for its reputation for resistance to leaf rust disease. Beginning in 1961, Cenicafe started researching the Timor variety with Robusta lineage. Subsequently, CENICAFE continued its research and development efforts, releasing the second disease-resistant variety Tabi (a hybrid of Typica, Bourbon, and Timor) in 2002. In 2005, they released the most successful disease-resistant variety to date, Castillo. After the massive outbreak of leaf rust in 2008, Colombia began vigorously promoting Castillo cultivation.

Coffee Bean Processing Method - Double Anaerobic Washed

Anaerobic fermentation is a processing method that has been widely used in recent years. It mimics the processing method of red wine. The process involves injecting carbon dioxide into a sealed container to expel oxygen. In an oxygen-free environment, the decomposition rate of sugars in the coffee mucilage slows down, and the pH value also decreases more slowly, extending the fermentation time and thereby developing better sweetness and more balanced flavors.

Anaerobic double enzyme washed processing is based on anaerobic washing, with the addition of special enzymes for a second anaerobic fermentation. After removing the coffee cherries from the anaerobic environment, the skin and pulp are removed by machine, and the coffee beans with mucilage are placed in plastic bags or other sealed containers in an anaerobic environment for another anaerobic fermentation. This processing method, which undergoes the above two anaerobic fermentations, is called double anaerobic fermentation.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Suggestions

New season beans have higher moisture content, so FrontStreet Coffee's roasters extend the dehydration time to ensure even heating of the bean surface and core. To express the acidity and floral-fruity aromas of this bean, FrontStreet Coffee adopted a light roast.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Notes

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Tips

To highlight the sweet and strawberry-like flavor of this coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters used a medium-light roast for these coffee beans. For brewing medium-light roast beans, we recommend a water temperature of 90-91°C. Higher water temperatures can extract the aromatic compounds and acidity from light roast beans (the sweetness of strawberries and bright acidity). Because medium-light roast beans are harder, increasing the water temperature can enhance extraction efficiency from the coffee grounds and avoid sharp acidity. The V60 conical filter has a wider opening, and its unique spiral ribs allow air to escape more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The body might not be thick enough, but its high concentration of sweet and sour flavors and distinct aroma are its major characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Filter: V60

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Grind Size: Fine sugar grind size

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method:

First pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95g more (electronic scale shows around 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (electronic scale shows around 225g), completing in about 1 minute and 40 seconds. The drip completes at 2'03", remove the filter cup, and extraction is complete.

Brewing Flavor:

Aroma of strawberry yogurt, acidity of strawberry juice, fermented sensation of strawberry jam, with a honey-like aftertaste.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473