An Introduction to Coffee Bean Red Wine Processing Methods: Red Honey, Natural, and Washed

FrontStreet Coffee · Coffee Bean Red Wine Processing Method Introduction

Grind-size references throughout this guide are based on the Yangjia Xiaofeima grinder. The figures above are for reference only — adjust them to your actual brewing conditions and personal taste.

These FrontStreet Coffee Colombian beans are processed with a special red-wine method. After the pulp is removed and the beans are washed clean, they rest in a water-free fermentation tank for 20.6 hours, after which the beans are spread on raised beds for 10 days of sun-drying. The distinctive flavor this process produces is well worth seeking out.

Coffee Bean and Origin Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee Colombian Red Wine Process

Country of Origin: Colombia

Estate: JOAQUIN

Altitude: 2100 meters

Varieties: Typica/Caturra

Processing Method: Red Wine Processing Method

Cupping Score: 89 points

Fermentation Methods

Acetic Acid Fermentation Method: cleaner, lively acidity, brighter acidity, citric acid

Lactic Acid Fermentation Method: a more rounded mouthfeel, lower cleanliness than acetic fermentation, higher body, malic acid/tartaric acid

Before this, processing plants relied on traditional manual methods passed down through generations — such as biting a bean to gauge the degree of fermentation. That approach is uncontrollable and variable.

The controlled fermentation method instead uses pH monitoring to track the degree of fermentation, delivering predictable results and consistent batches.

Origin Information

Quindío Department, on the eastern foothills of the Colombian Andes. Growing altitude 1800-2000 meters, average temperature 16°C, high green-bean density, and correspondingly higher demands during roasting.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the innovation of a red-wine process intrigues you, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian line rewards further exploration. Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile: it serves both espresso blends and pour-over single origins, and spans fruit-acid profiles, full-bodied styles, and aroma-driven types — so there is something for almost every taste. A fine place to begin is the FrontStreet Colombia Huila. Huila province, in the southern central Andes, is the country's best-known specialty region: a landscape of encircling mountains where planting rises above 1500 meters and Colombia's most important rivers converge, bringing abundant water and humidity. Roasted medium-dark, it foregrounds dark chocolate and sweet nutty notes with moderate oils and a full body, and it works as pour-over and French press as well as moka pot and espresso machine, making americanos and lattes with equal ease.

For a more vivid, fruit-forward cup, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the Colombia Boundary Estate Sidra, processed anaerobic-natural. Anaerobic fermentation is a newer sensory experience, sometimes called carbonic maceration — essentially fermentation in a low-oxygen or oxygen-free environment, usually in a pressure-resistant stainless-steel tank where temperature, time, and pH can be controlled. The best-known forms are anaerobic natural and anaerobic washed, and the Sidra uses the anaerobic natural route, which transforms the coffee and concentrates tropical-fruit aroma. Roasted medium-light, it can be brewed as pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot, yielding complex, intense notes of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit.

For anyone with a home espresso machine or a moka pot, FrontStreet's Premium Blend comes highly recommended. This espresso blend is tailored to the café, combining the creamy, nutty character of Brazilian coffee with the dark, bittersweet chocolate of Colombian coffee; during extraction it produces a fine, golden crema. It pairs beautifully with milk for a rich, silky latte, is very forgiving for beginners, and can also serve as the base for americanos, cappuccinos, and mochas.