Colombian Coffee Characteristics Introduction to Colombian Premium Coffee Beans Colombian Coffee Brands

Colombian Coffee Excellence

In both yield and quality, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian coffee is at its best in the beans produced around Medellín. These beans have full, plump kernels, rich nutritional content, moderate acidity, excellent balance, intense aroma and a smooth, mellow mouthfeel. Besides Medellín, the capitals of two neighboring southern provinces, Armenia and Manizales, are also renowned coffee regions. They originally belonged to Antioquia Province, where Medellín is located, and the province once had a Caldas football team that reached the final of the Toyota Cup. Together these three areas form the world-famous "Coffee Belt."

Coffee workers harvest the fruit, also known as coffee cherries, by hand, climbing the mountains so they can carefully select and pick only the ripest, plumpest fruit. The vast majority of Colombian beans are processed using the washed method. After a medium roast they show a light, silky texture with occasional hints of acidity. Unlike the intense flavors of Brazilian coffee and Italian espresso, Colombian coffee is acclaimed as "green gold."

Varieties and Grades

The main variety of Colombian coffee is Coffea Arabica, or small-seeded coffee. Large-seeded coffee, Coffea Robusta, is mostly grown in its place of origin, Africa, such as the famous Madagascar coffee. Small-seeded coffee has several varieties. The world's largest producer, Brazil, has relatively large seeds, strong adaptability and high fruit yield. By comparison, the mild coffee produced in Colombia is a superior variety, related to its special geographical location and climate.

Colombian coffee is divided into more than 200 grades and shows strong regional character. Beans are graded with Supremo as the highest level, followed by Excelso, but only Supremo-grade coffee with beans above size 18 (18/64 inches in diameter) can be classified as specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian coffee has balanced flavors and a particularly smooth mouthfeel, like a gentleman among coffees, well-mannered and proper. Its producing regions are extensive, but coffee from the central mountainous areas is the best, with the richest texture. The most famous regions include Medellín, Armenia and Manizales, collectively known in the trade as "MAM." In addition, Nariño coffee offers delicious flavors and excellent quality. It is said that Starbucks, a company dedicated to specialty coffee, holds exclusive purchasing rights to Nariño Supremo beans, which are commonly found in its stores.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombia's balanced, low-acid character and Brazil's are close cousins, which makes FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffees a natural next step for anyone who enjoys this style. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic single origin from a well-known growing region: roasted medium, it shows the rich aromas of cream, peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut, with a rounded, non-acidic body, a slight bitterness and a smooth finish. It works as pour-over and also in a moka pot, as an SOE, in a siphon or in a French press.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen's Estate comes from Mogiana near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil lets the cherries absorb plenty of nutrients and develop a full aroma. The variety is the rare Yellow Bourbon, a mutation of Red Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character, and it reveals a sugarcane-like sweetness found in few other origins alongside fruit and chocolate notes, whether brewed as pour-over, in a moka pot or on a home espresso machine.

Brazil's low-acid, balanced and affordable profile also makes it the first choice in many espresso blends. FrontStreet Coffee's Classic blend is rich in oils, FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend is deeply nutty, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend is well balanced, and FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend is designed for coffee shops; all contain Brazilian beans, which contribute chocolate and cream aromas along with a soft sweet-sour-bitter balance that supports stable extraction.