Introduction to Colombian Coffee Varieties and History of Premium Colombian Coffee

In Colombia, that equally passionate South American country, coffee is known as "green gold." With its rich dark chocolate flavor and mellow taste, Colombian coffee has won over generations of coffee lovers.

With the arrival of the fourth wave of specialty coffee, Colombian coffee has taken on a completely new face. On FrontStreet Coffee's bean shelf, several Colombian coffees — full of fruit acidity and sweetness — have impressed many connoisseurs while drawing a new wave of beginners into the fold.

Colombian Coffee Growing Regions

Colombia lies in the northwest of South America, and its terrain can be roughly divided into the western mountainous region, the eastern Orinoco plains, and the Amazon plains. Its administrative divisions run to as many as 32 provinces, 20 of which grow coffee. Complex topography and wide differences in climate and soil give Colombian coffee its diverse, captivating flavors. The coffee-growing areas cluster on both sides of the western Andes and can be roughly divided into three regions: northern, central, and southern.

The northern region includes provinces such as La Guajira, Magdalena, and Cesar. Growing conditions here resemble those of Central America, with lower latitudes and higher temperatures. Because the coffee is more easily exposed to direct sunlight, cultivation in the north tends to favor shade-grown methods. Coffee from the north has a soft acidity and a high mellow quality.

The central region includes provinces such as Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, and Quindío. This is Colombia's largest coffee-producing area, with numerous growing districts spread throughout, and it is also the country's more traditional coffee region.

The southern region includes coffee-growing provinces such as Cauca, Huila, and Nariño. Because the growing areas sit closer to the equator and most of the coffee is grown at high altitude in mountainous terrain, the quality here is superior, with not only an obvious acidity but also distinctive floral and fruit flavors. Coffee from the southern regions is therefore preferred by many enthusiasts.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Selections

Among these, FrontStreet Coffee has chosen beans from the Huila province as the representative of Colombia in its daily bean series. The washed method removes excess sugars from the pulp and mucilage during final drying, revealing the most essential terroir of Colombian Huila. When roasting this daily bean from Huila, FrontStreet Coffee adopted a medium-dark roast to highlight the classic dark chocolate flavor and mellow texture. During cupping, FrontStreet Coffee tasted rich dark chocolate, a distinct and rounded lemon acidity, and a caramel-like sweetness.

Since the turn of the millennium, coffee lovers' pursuit of coffee has no longer stopped at rich chocolate flavor and a mellow taste. As roasting technology improved, roast levels grew lighter, presenting the rich fruit acidity and floral aromas in coffee to everyone. Gradually, taste shifted from rich, mellow coffee to the fruit-bomb styles of today.

On FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu blackboard, every classic producing country has its own section, and Colombia is no exception. If you like floral and fruity coffee, we recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Sidra coffee beans and FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Maragogipe coffee beans. Both use a medium roast and, once brewed, present elegant floral and fruity aromas with a soft fermented mouthfeel, leaving a deep impression and becoming favorites of many customers. If you would like to experience these flavors, you can order directly from FrontStreet Coffee's Taobao store and FrontStreet Coffee's Tmall flagship store.

Colombian Coffee Grading System

Colombian coffee focuses on size rather than flavor, so if you see the top grade "Supremo," don't assume it necessarily tastes good. It only indicates that 80% of the beans are 17 mesh or larger, which says nothing about flavor. Pay close attention to where the coffee comes from. Southern specialty regions will be marked with province and place names; without a specific origin noted, it is mostly commercial-grade beans.

How to Roast Colombian Coffee Beans?

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee sells Colombian region coffee beans including:

"FrontStreet Coffee Colombian Huila Coffee Beans" with flavor notes of nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and a soft fruit acidity

"FrontStreet Coffee Colombian Maragogipe Coffee Beans" with flavor notes of berries, blackcurrant, citrus, and dried fruit

"FrontStreet Coffee Colombian Sidra Coffee Beans" with flavor notes of grapes, passion fruit, apricot, almond, and chocolate

To preserve the soft acidity of Colombian beans and the sweetness that develops during caramelization, FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium roast while extending the time from the yellowing point to first crack, allowing the beans to develop greater sweetness.

To make sure everyone can taste the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, FrontStreet Coffee guarantees that beans ship within 5 days of the roast finishing.

How to Brew FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Coffee Beans?

FrontStreet Coffee brews Colombian coffee in a V60 dripper. The 60-degree conical dripper has larger holes, and its unique spiral ribs let air escape more easily, improving extraction quality.

Water temperature: 90–91°C

Grind size: fine sugar size / 80% pass-through on a Chinese standard #20 sieve

Powder-to-water ratio: 1:15

Amount: 15 grams

Three-stage pouring: in the first stage, inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then inject 95g (about 125g on the scale), finishing in roughly 1 minute. When the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, inject the remaining 100g (about 225g on the scale), finishing in roughly 1 minute 40 seconds. Dripping completes at 2'00", the dripper is removed, and extraction is done.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To get to know the Colombian region, start with FrontStreet's washed Huila coffee beans. Huila, in the southern central range, is the country's most famous specialty region — a hilly landscape ringed by mountains at growing altitudes above 1,500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge and supply abundant water and humidity. Roasted medium-dark, the beans emphasize the bittersweet richness of dark chocolate and nuts, with a moderate crema and a mellow body; they suit pour-over and French press as well as moka pot and espresso machine, so an Americano or latte is no trouble at all.

For the fruit-forward, modern side of Colombia, try FrontStreet's Sidra from the Frontera Estate. Colombia once relied almost entirely on washed processing, but recent years have brought inventive methods such as anaerobic fermentation, and this Sidra is processed as an anaerobic natural. The oxygen-free fermentation converts the coffee into richer tropical fruit aromas; roasted medium-light, it delivers complex, concentrated notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit in pour-over, cold brew, drip bags, or a moka pot.