What Are the Most Distinctive Characteristics of Colombian Coffee? A Description of Pour-Over Flavor and Aroma

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Introduction to Colombian Coffee

When you first taste Colombian Huilan coffee, you'll be captivated by its dark chocolate and nutty notes, especially those who love chocolate will definitely enjoy it from the first sip!

Colombia initially didn't focus on specialty coffee, which is why you would often find Colombian coffee beans in blend varieties. With the advancement of specialty coffee, Colombia also began to focus on premium quality. Gradually, Colombian coffee beans appeared on the specialty coffee list, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Flower Moon Night coffee and Rose Valley coffee. At the same time, with market demand, Colombian coffee beans have also become a market for specialty coffee.

Colombia's Growing Environment

Colombian coffee beans are large and beautiful, which depends on their varieties and unique growing environment. Colombia is located in the northwest of the South American continent, bordering Panama in Central America. Located in the tropics, the climate varies with terrain, covering rich volcanic soil, with annual rainfall of 2000 to 3000mm, between 1°-11° 15' north latitude and 72°-78° west longitude. The climate is mild, the air is humid, and the diverse climate allows Colombian coffee to be harvested year-round. The southern part of the eastern plains and the Pacific coast have a tropical rainforest climate, mountainous areas at 1000-2000 meters altitude have a subtropical climate, and the northwest has a tropical savanna climate. Average annual temperature: 15.8-20.5°C. The average temperature in coffee regions will vary between 18°C and 22.5°C. Colombia's suitable climate provides a truly "natural pasture" for coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes this is the reason why Colombian coffee is of superior quality.

Colombian Coffee (Café de Colombia) originates from Colombia and is one of the few single-origin coffees sold under a country name in the world. In terms of quality, it has received praise unattainable by other coffees. Compared with other producing countries, Colombia is more concerned about developing products and promoting production. This point, combined with its superior geographical and climatic conditions, makes Colombian coffee high-quality, delicious, and renowned worldwide.

World coffee is divided into two major series. Brazil, the world's largest producer, has coffee beans that exhibit "hardness" with strong flavor; the other is represented by Colombia's "softness" with light and fragrant taste. The difference lies in the altitude and cultivation methods of the origin. Brazil plants coffee in the hilly red soil more extensively, while Colombia produces it in the mountain black soil with intensive cultivation. FrontStreet Coffee found that Colombian coffee exudes a light and elegant fragrance, not as strong as Brazilian coffee, nor as acidic as African coffee, but rather a sweet light fragrance, understated and elegant.

Main Coffee Growing Regions in Colombia

Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer and exporter, the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans, and the world's largest exporter of washed coffee beans. Colombia is most famous for regions such as Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales, which are habitually collectively referred to as "MAM".

Colombia's specialty coffee growing regions are mainly in the south, with altitudes above 1500 meters, including San Agustín in Huila, Popayán in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. Products from these places have refined acidity and berry notes, with caramel aroma and full sweetness.

Colombian Coffee Varieties

It's said that good coffee depends on its variety. Besides the natural growing environment, variety is also a very important factor. Colombia is the world's largest exporter of Arabica coffee beans and the world's largest exporter of washed coffee beans. Most coffee produced in Colombia belongs to the Arabica species, including varieties such as Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, and Maragogipe. Most classic Colombian coffees are Typica, Caturra, and Catuai.

Caturra and Catuai are the most common coffee varieties in Colombia. In addition, some famous local coffee estates grow Geisha coffee and some new coffee varieties, such as Colombia (yes, this is a coffee variety name), Castillo, and others.

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica variety Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is not as tall as Bourbon, but more compact. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yield than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing in Brazil, so it wasn't widely cultivated there. Instead, it became popular in Central and South America, with large-scale cultivation in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai is a coffee variety that is a man-made hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has relatively good resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. The Catuai tree is relatively short, and compared to other coffee trees, Catuai fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to pick. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no difference has been found in taste between yellow and red fruits. In fact, some people have found in cupping that although coffee processed from yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the coffee taste is inferior to that of red fruits.

Beginning in 1961, CENICAFE began research on the Robusta-blooded Timor variety. Subsequently, CENICAFE continued its research and development, releasing the second disease-resistant variety Tabi (a hybrid of Typica, Bourbon, and Timor) in 2002. In 2005, it released the most successful disease-resistant variety to date, Castillo. After the massive outbreak of leaf rust in 2008, Colombia began vigorously promoting the cultivation of Castillo.

Colombia - a new variety sharing the country's name - was cultivated in 2008 as a hybrid with Caturra and Timor bloodlines, making it a Catimor variety. However, [FNC] insists that although Colombia is a direct descendant of Catimor, its flavor is far more elegant than typical Catimor because Colombia has undergone multiple generations of "backcrossing" with Arabica, eliminating the musty smell of large beans. Its flavor is more like Arabica while also possessing the disease resistance and high yield advantages of Robusta beans, making it a powerful tool for increasing production in Colombia.

Colombian Coffee Processing Methods

As the world's largest exporter of washed coffee beans, it's natural that most coffee beans in Colombia use the washed processing method. Additionally, specialty coffee is mostly produced on small and medium-sized self-operated farms. Compared to Brazil's large-scale cultivation, coffee from small farms is typically of higher quality. However, friends might notice that Colombian coffee beans now appear in many other special processing methods, such as wine barrel immersion, anaerobic fermentation, and others. These special processing methods continuously create innovation and bring progress to Colombian coffee in the specialty world.

For those who enjoy coffee with full fruit flavors, FrontStreet Coffee recommends trying the FrontStreet Boundary Estate Sidra and FrontStreet Boundary Estate Maragogipe from Colombia. Although grown in the same estate, FrontStreet Coffee found through cupping that Sidra and Maragogipe present completely different profiles under anaerobic natural processing conditions. Sidra has a very rich floral and fruit aroma, but the brewed coffee liquid presents a wine-like mellow charm; while Maragogipe has more berry notes, maximizing its juice-like quality. Both coffees can be purchased at FrontStreet Coffee's Tmall flagship store.

Washed Processing Method:

After picking, coffee cherries are first poured into large water tanks, where some underdeveloped inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature and full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the defective beans (fruits) floating on the surface are removed.

Then, a pulp remover is used to remove the outer skin and pulp of the coffee fruit, at which point the coffee beans still have a slippery layer of mucilage attached. The coffee beans with mucilage are placed in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours, during which microorganisms decompose the mucilage. After fermentation is complete, large amounts of clean water are used to wash away any remaining mucilage residue from the coffee beans. Finally, the clean coffee beans are dried in the sun.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that Colombian premium coffee's acidity, bitterness, and sweetness are perfectly balanced. With its unique aroma, after drinking, the fragrance fills the entire mouth. Exhaling the aroma from the mouth through the nose provides a very full experience. No matter what special processing method is used, it's an improvement based on the basic washed processing method. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed processed coffee beans can better reflect the essential flavor of the beans, which is why almost all of FrontStreet Coffee's staple beans are washed processed, and washed Huilan coffee also serves as the representative of Colombian coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Of course, to brew a good cup of coffee, besides the coffee variety, the freshness of the coffee beans is crucial. FrontStreet Coffee believes that bean freshness is a very important part of brewing. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who orders receives the freshest coffee possible. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure created by carbon dioxide in the packaging also helps the coffee flavor become mellow. Therefore, you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because it oxidizes relatively quickly after contact with air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Sidra brewing parameters:

Colombian Sidra coffee beans use medium-dark roast, so FrontStreet Coffee chose: Dripper: KONO dripper, Water temperature: 88°C, Dose: 15 grams, Ratio: 1:15, Grind size: Medium grind (Chinese standard #20 sieve 80% pass rate)

While Colombian Sidra and Maragogipe coffees use medium-light roast, so FrontStreet Coffee chose: Dripper: Hario V60, Water temperature: 90°C, Dose: 15 grams, Ratio: 1:15, Grind size: Medium-fine grind (Chinese standard #20 sieve 80% pass rate)

Using segmented extraction, bloom with 2 times the coffee powder amount of water, i.e., 30 grams of water for 30 seconds. Starting from 31 seconds, continue pouring in a small circular stream to 125 grams, then continue pouring to 225 grams and stop. Wait until all water drips through the filter, then remove the dripper. Time from the start of pouring, extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it evenly, then pour into cups for tasting.

Flavor Profiles:

Colombian Huilan Coffee Flavor: Rich acidity, caramel, sweet nuts, chocolate, admirable soft fruity acidity.

Colombian Sidra Coffee Flavor: Floral notes, preserved fruits, apricot with wine-like aftertaste, cream and fermentation notes.

Colombian Maragogipe Coffee Flavor: Spices, bright orange, blueberry-like flavors, prominent acidity, juice-like texture, ripe pineapple juice.

For different coffee roasting levels, brewing equipment also varies. Kono drippers are generally suitable for medium-dark roasted coffee beans, which have a more mellow taste; medium-light roasted coffee beans work well with Hario V60 drippers for a richer flavor profile. Whether it's coffee bean selection or brewing methods, welcome to FrontStreet Coffee to explore together.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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