Colombian coffee has long been known as "green gold," famous for its dark chocolate flavor and full body. As the specialty coffee wave advances, this South American country reveals a richer side. From north to south, 20 growing provinces are distributed on both sides of the Andes Mountains, and differences in terrain and climate create a diverse flavor profile. Front Street Coffee selects beans such as Huila, Maragogipe, and Sidra, presenting fruity acidity and classic richness through different roast levels. This article will explain in detail the regional characteristics, grading system, roasting key points, and V60 brewing parameters of Colombian coffee to help you fully understand this charming producing country.

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In this equally passionate land of South America, Colombians affectionately call coffee "green gold." It is precisely because of its full body and intense dark chocolate character that the coffee here has won the favor of generation after generation of enthusiasts.

As the fourth wave of specialty coffee sweeps in, Colombian coffee has also turned a new page. On the bean shelves of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), there are many beans from this country, and with their abundant fruity sweetness and acidity, they have both amazed veteran coffee fans and successfully attracted many coffee beginners.

Colombia is located in northwestern South America, and its terrain can be roughly divided into the mountainous west, the Orinoco plains in the east, and the Amazon plains. The country has 32 administrative departments, of which 20 have coffee cultivation. Complex topography and diverse climate and soil conditions give Colombian coffee a rich and fascinating flavor expression. These growing areas are mainly concentrated on both sides of the western Andes Mountains and can be roughly grouped into three major regions by geographic location: north, central, and south.

The northern region covers La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, and other areas. The coffee-growing environment in this region is quite similar to that of Central America, with lower latitude and higher temperatures, and crops are more likely to be directly exposed to sunlight, so shaded cultivation is more often adopted locally. The coffee produced here has mild acidity, while its aroma and body are both relatively prominent.

The central region includes Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Quindío, and others. This is Colombia's largest coffee-producing region, home to a large number of coffee-growing areas, and it is also a more traditional coffee-producing area in the country.

The southern region includes growing departments such as Cauca, Huila, and Nariño. Because the coffee farms in this region are closer to the equator and mostly located in high-altitude mountainous areas, the coffee produced is more outstanding in quality, not only with clear and bright acidity but also with distinctive floral and fruity aromas. For this reason, coffee from the southern producing areas has won the favor of more coffee enthusiasts.

In its daily drinking bean series, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) specially selected beans from the Huila producing area as the representative of Colombia as a producing country. This bean uses the washed processing method. Because excess sugars in the fruit skin, pulp, and pectin no longer participate in the later drying stage, Huila's most authentic terroir characteristics can be fully presented. When roasting this daily drinking bean Huila, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chose a medium-dark roast in order to highlight the classic dark chocolate flavor and full body. During cupping, Front Street captured from it an intense dark chocolate tone, clear and rounded citric acidity, and a caramel-like sweetness.

After entering the new millennium, coffee enthusiasts' pursuits were no longer limited to rich chocolate flavor and mellow body. As roasting technology continued to improve, the roast level of coffee beans gradually became lighter, allowing the abundant fruity acidity and floral aromas in the beans to be revealed. Gradually, enthusiasts' preferences shifted from the rich and full-bodied style to today's fruit-bomb-like coffee.

On the bean list blackboard of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), every classic producing country has its own dedicated section, and Colombia is naturally no exception. If you prefer coffee with floral and fruity notes, we recommend Front Street Colombia Sidra coffee beans and Front Street Colombia Maragogipe coffee beans. Both beans use a medium roast and show elegant floral and fruity aromas and a soft fermented texture after brewing, leaving a deep impression and becoming the favorite of many customers. If you want to experience such flavors, you can place an order directly at the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Taobao store and the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

Colombian Coffee Grading System

Colombian coffee focuses on size rather than flavor, so if you see the top grade "Supremo," do not assume it must represent something delicious.

This only indicates that 80% of the coffee beans are above 17 mesh, and has nothing to do with flavor at all. Therefore, you must especially look at which producing region it is from. Specialty producing regions in the south will indicate the department and place of origin. If none are indicated, then it is most likely commercial coffee beans.

How Are Colombian Coffee Beans Roasted?

The Colombian coffee beans currently sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are:

"Front Street Colombia Huila Coffee Beans" Flavor profile: nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, soft fruity acidity

" Front Street Colombia Maragogipe Coffee Beans " Flavor profile: berries, blackcurrant, citrus, candied fruit

" Front Street Colombia Sidra Coffee Beans " Flavor profile: grape, passion fruit, apricot, almond, chocolate

In order to preserve the soft acidity of coffee beans from the Colombian producing region and the sweetness after caramelization, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a medium roast while extending the time from the yellowing point to the start of first crack, allowing the coffee beans to develop better sweetness.

To let every friend taste the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) guarantees that coffee beans are shipped within 5 days after roasting is completed ~!!!

How Are Front Street Colombian Coffee Beans Brewed?

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a V60 dripper to brew Colombian coffee. The holes of the 60 conical dripper are relatively large, and together with its unique spiral curved ribs, air is more easily expelled, thereby improving extraction quality.

Water temperature: 90-91°C

Grind size: fine granulated sugar size / 80% of grounds passing through a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Coffee dose: 15 grams

Three-stage pouring: In the first stage, pour 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95 grams (about 125 grams shown on the scale), finishing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100 grams (about 225 grams shown on the scale), finishing in about 1 minute 40 seconds. Dripping is completed at 2'00", remove the dripper, and extraction is complete.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.