Latest Updates from Colombian Coffee Regions: Do Huila Region's Flower Moon Night Coffee Beans Have Strawberry Flavors?

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According to BBC reports, Colombia's coffee industry, currently in its peak harvesting season, is experiencing severe labor shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A farm manager stated that many temporary harvesters have not arrived due to additional risks related to COVID-19. Coffee harvesting is physically demanding work that also "offers no fixed income or health insurance," and even though some workers can earn three times the minimum wage, the compensation is disproportionate to the workload, so many temporary workers are unwilling to take this risk.

Currently, the main problem facing producers is the race against time to harvest all coffee cherries promptly. Cold and rainy weather has slightly slowed down the ripening process, helping many Colombian farms avoid significant losses due to shortages. However, without sufficient labor, many farms may not be so fortunate.

Huilan Coffee Region

The Huayeyue coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired come from the La Acevedogatin farm in the Huilan coffee region of Colombia. Huilan Province is located in the southern part of the central mountain range in southern Colombia and is the country's most renowned specialty coffee region. This area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1,500 meters. Coffee beans produced in this region can achieve the highest grade of Supremo in Colombia's coffee bean classification system. These beans are characterized by large size and plump shape, with minimal defective beans and foreign matter content.

Through cupping multiple coffee beans from this region, FrontStreet Coffee found that the coffee flavor is well-balanced, with rich acidity, relatively full-bodied texture, and commendable fruity notes. It is precisely because of this balanced flavor profile that more and more special processing methods are being applied to Colombian green coffee beans.

La Acevedogatin

La Acevedogatin farm is located in the city of Acevedo, Huilan Province. The farm owner, Ramirez, comes from a coffee-growing family and began working in coffee production at the age of 18. He worked in coffee-related professions in Acevedo before buying a farm to grow his own coffee, mostly planting common mainstream coffee varieties of the time. Eventually, he sold his original coffee farm and purchased the current La Acevedogatin farm, specializing in growing the Caturra variety.

Caturra Variety

The Caturra variety is a mutation of Bourbon, with curved ends, round and slender beans. Its productivity and disease resistance are both superior to Bourbon. It is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1,800 meters, showing strong adaptability to different elevations, though higher altitudes produce better flavor but relatively lower yields. At La Acevedogatin farm's altitude of 1,800m, although production is not high, the coffee beans produced here have rich fruity aromas of pineapple, mango, lychee, melon, and more.

Natural Anaerobic Processing

The previous farm owner initiated a special processing plan three years ago and taught Ramirez how to carry out special processing projects. Driven by passion for coffee cultivation, Ramirez improved the fermentation process that previously didn't achieve desired results, adopting the increasingly popular anaerobic fermentation method in recent years.

This method involves injecting carbon dioxide into a sealed container to expel oxygen. In this oxygen-free environment, the decomposition rate of sugars in the coffee mucilage slows down, and the pH value decreases at a slower pace, extending fermentation time. This allows for the development of enhanced sweetness and more balanced flavors. The Huayeyue coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee use the Natural Anaerobic processing method, which means after anaerobic fermentation, the fermented coffee beans are dried naturally until moisture content reaches 11%, then mechanically processed to remove fruit pulp and skin.

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Insights

Considering that FrontStreet Coffee's Huayeyue beans undergo Natural Anaerobic processing, to preserve the fermentation characteristics of the Huayeyue itself while showcasing full-bodied texture and sweet flavor notes, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters use a medium roast approach.

Yangjia 800N, with bean input of 480g. Preheat the roaster to 180°C, air damper at 3, heat at 130. Return temperature point at 1'42". When the roaster reaches 140°C, set air damper to 4. When temperature reaches 150.6°C, yellowing point at 6'20", the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma disappears completely, entering dehydration stage. At 180°C, reduce heat to 100, air damper unchanged. At 8'45", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 10'20", first crack begins, open air damper fully, develop for 1'50" after first crack, discharge at 196°C.

Frontsteet Huayeyue Cupping Notes

Dry Aroma: Berries, fermented ripe fruits

Wet Aroma: Fruit jam, liquor-filled chocolate

Flavor: Strawberry jam, cranberry tartness, fermented ripe fruits, liquor-filled chocolate

Frontsteet Huayeyue Brewing Tips

Dripper: Hario V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90°C

Coffee Amount: 15g

Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (77% pass-through rate with #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's segmented extraction method: First, use 30g of water to fully moisten the coffee grounds into a "hamburger" shape and bloom for 30 seconds (if no "hamburger" shape is visible, we should note whether the coffee beans aren't fresh enough or the grind is too coarse). For the second pour, at 50 seconds on the timer, pour water to 125g, then wait until the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed before the third pour. For the third pour, at 1'40" on the timer, pour water to 225g. The total extraction time is 1'55" after the coffee liquid has completely dripped through. After extraction is complete, gently shake to ensure the coffee liquid is fully mixed before tasting.

Frontsteet Huayeyue Brewing Flavor: First comes the sweet aroma of strawberry jam and the fermented sensation of ripe berries. Upon entry, the acidity of cranberry and berry juice sensation spread to every corner of the mouth, followed by the lingering aftertaste of liquor-filled chocolate presented in the nasal cavity.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473