Premium Colombian Coffee Introduction - Recommended Gourmet Coffee Beans from Colombia

The Iconic Symbol of Colombian Coffee

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Whenever we search for Colombian coffee brands, we encounter a very familiar logo: a kind-faced coffee farmer Uncle Juan wearing a white straw hat, draped in an Andean wool vest, carrying a leather bag across his shoulder, wearing canvas shoes, accompanied by his loyal donkey. This symbol appears in various advertisements and film works, bringing the classic brand image of Colombian coffee to the world.

Colombian Coffee Growing Regions

Colombian coffee is grown in the valley areas of the Andes Mountains. Colombia's coffee-producing regions are situated within the Andes Mountains, with climates varying by terrain. The southern part of the eastern plains and the Pacific coast have a tropical rainforest climate, mountainous areas at elevations of 1000-2000 meters have a subtropical climate, and the northwest region has a tropical savanna climate. The average temperature in coffee regions ranges between 18°C-22.5°C. Due to differences in geographical and climatic characteristics, whether you want a round, rich coffee or a vibrant, fruity coffee, you should be able to find it in Colombia.

Colombian coffee regions have very distinct boundaries. Due to the span of latitudes and the influence of Andean topography, they are divided into three major regions from south to north: Northern, Central, and Southern. The northern and southern regions have relatively distinct harvest seasons, while the central region has primary and secondary harvest seasons depending on whether it leans north or south, with two harvesting periods throughout the year. The main harvest season is from October to January, and the secondary harvest season is from April to July. The diverse climate between mountains means harvest season occurs year-round here, with different types of coffee ripening successively at different times, so we can see busy figures picking in the forests during all seasons.

In the last century, Colombian coffee was most famously known through the "MAM" formed by Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales. With the development of specialty coffee, many specialty coffee-producing areas have emerged in southern Colombia, including San Augustin in Huila, Popayan in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. The extremely high altitudes and unique processing methods produce coffee with delicate acidity and fruit flavors, often winning excellent rankings in Cup of Excellence competitions. After multiple cupping comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee selected washed coffee beans from the Huila region among specialty coffee regions as the representative of Colombian coffee, making them available in small packages so everyone can taste the classic Colombian flavor.

Huila: The Pride of Colombian Coffee

Huila Province is located in the southern part of the Central Mountain Range in southern Colombia and is the most famous specialty coffee-producing region in Colombia. The local area consists of hills surrounded by mountains, with cultivation altitudes above 1500 meters, possessing the high altitude and suitable temperatures for growing high-quality Arabica beans. With excellent soil and geographical advantages for coffee cultivation, Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources and water vapor. The climate of the canyon slopes not only prevents cold winds from entering but also brings cool mountain breezes without high temperatures, and with sufficient rainfall, it can be said to be a uniquely blessed coffee cultivation area.

Traditional Processing Methods

Most Colombian coffee uses traditional washed processing. Colombia's coffee-producing regions have abundant water resources, making them very suitable for washed processing. Family-based farms are equipped with special green bean processing machines (Ecomill or Eco-Pulper). Farmers pour harvested coffee cherries into them, which not only removes the skin and pulp but also requires only a very small amount of water to remove most of the mucilage. Parchment beans with residual small amounts of mucilage enter a small pool or container, which might be a tiled pool, for overnight fermentation to loosen the remaining mucilage. The next day, they are thoroughly rinsed with clean water, and finally spread under the sun to dry to the target moisture content. Washed processing not only ensures high coffee quality but also allows Huila coffee to present its most authentic flavor characteristics. This is also why FrontStreet Coffee prioritizes washed processing batches when selecting daily consumption beans.

Colombian Green Bean Grading System

Currently, Colombian coffee green beans are graded by size. Although green bean size is not the main determinant of coffee quality and flavor, many producing regions believe that full, uniform, and large beans indicate that the coffee beans have reached complete maturity, can develop better aromatic profiles, and are more conducive to even roasting, thus forming consistent flavors.

Typically, fixed-size screens are used, with different specifications corresponding to different hole sizes. For example, if the screen holes are size 17, beans larger than this size cannot pass through the screen, so larger screen numbers indicate larger bean particles remaining on the screen. The most common export grades are UGQ, EP, and Supremo.

Excelso UGQ 12*60 (1.5%): UGQ stands for Usual Good Quality. Green bean size is above 14 mesh, allowing 1.5% of beans to be between 12-14 mesh, but must be above 12 mesh, with over 50% above 15 mesh.

Excelso EP 12*60 (10%): EP stands for European Preparation. Green bean size is above 15 mesh, allowing 10% of beans to be smaller than 15 mesh, but must be above 14 mesh.

Excelso Supremo 12*60 (5%): Green bean size is above 17 mesh, allowing 5% of beans to be smaller than 17 mesh, but must be above 14 mesh.

Regardless of the green bean size grade, as long as green beans are exported, they belong to the Excelso grade. In other words, most Colombian coffee green bean bags exported worldwide today must be marked with the Excelso grade. The Excelso export grade is currently the most widely used export standard grade adopted by FNC and is also the optimal grade for Colombian green bean exports.

Additionally, Colombia has Extra for beans above 16 mesh, Premium for beans above 18 mesh (even larger than Supremo), and Minama for beans almost uniformly sized at 15 mesh. Colombia also has coffee beans that do not meet the Excelso export grade, which are locally called "Product of Colombia" and generally used for making commercial-grade instant coffee.

In Colombia, each farmer reports a number and logs green bean information, facilitating future traceability. Colombian exported coffee green bean names typically follow the format: Country + Region + Grade + Other information. For example, the green beans for FrontStreet Coffee's Huila daily consumption beans are Colombia Huila Supremo SC17/18 FNC.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Washed-processed Huila daily consumption beans have both soft acidity and appropriate body and aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee hopes to present the classic Colombian nutty notes while retaining some acidity, so we chose medium-dark roasting. Before launching any coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee conducts at least one cupping evaluation, as cupping allows us to more objectively reflect the coffee's strengths and weaknesses.

Considering that the Huila daily consumption beans use medium-dark roasting with flavors leaning toward nutty, chocolate-rich, and thick notes, the deeper roasting makes the coffee beans more porous and the coffee powder more absorbent. To avoid extracting excessive off-flavors, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a medium grind size. In terms of temperature, FrontStreet Coffee reduces the water temperature slightly to avoid excessive bitter and burnt flavors in medium-dark roast coffee, pairing it with a KONO dripper for extraction.

Dripper: KONO dripper

Water Temperature: 88°C

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Coffee Powder: 15g

Grind Size: EK43s - setting 10.5 (75% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve)

Pour the coffee powder into the dripper, wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of water to form a dome and bloom for 30s. Then use a small water stream to pour in circles from inside to outside to 125g, wait until the coffee bed drops to half the dripper's height, continue with the same fine water stream to inject the third segment to 225g, and remove the dripper once all coffee liquid has filtered through, taking about 2 minutes total.

This Colombian Huila daily consumption bean has distinct roasted aromas of chocolate, nuts, and caramel. It's smooth and sweet, with moderate body and a clean taste. As the temperature decreases, you can experience pleasant, soft acidity.

Important Notice :

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