Why Does Huila Coffee Represent Colombia Today?

Huila coffee has become the flagship representative of Colombia in specialty circles, and a washed Huila lot is what Front Street selected after repeated cuppings for its everyday offering. The region sits in southern Colombia at high altitude, and along with Cauca and Nariño it has repeatedly earned Cup of Excellence recognition for refined processing.

Colombia's coffee regions run along the Andes and are grouped into three major zones from south to north, with growing areas averaging roughly 18°C to 22.5°C and cherries ripening almost year-round. The old MAM trio dominated last century, but southern departments gained ground as the specialty arabica beans wave arrived, offering vibrant, fruit-forward profiles alongside rounder styles.

When it comes to Colombian coffee, many people picture the iconic image of a straw-hatted uncle leading a mule—this classic symbol has long been the calling card of Colombian coffee to the world. Colombia's coffee regions stretch across the Andes, divided from south to north into three major zones, and the diversity of climate and altitude means coffee cherries ripen almost year-round. In the last century, the "MAM" trio was the most famous, but with the rise of the specialty coffee wave, southern regions like Huila, Cauca, and Nariño have repeatedly won Cup of Excellence honors thanks to high altitudes and refined processing methods. After numerous cupping sessions, Front Street Coffee selected a washed bean from Huila as the flagship representative of Colombia, offering it in small packaging so enthusiasts can easily experience the classic flavor. This article will introduce the origin of the Uncle Juan logo, the logic behind Colombia's regional grading, and Front Street Coffee's brewing suggestions and flavor profile for the Huila everyday bean.

Front Street Coffee has a question to test you all first. If you search online for Colombian coffee brands, you'll likely come across an unforgettable trademark: a plain-featured old man wearing a white straw hat, an Andean wool poncho, a leather bag slung over his shoulder, canvas shoes on his feet, and a loyal mule by his side—this is Uncle Juan. His image frequently appears in advertisements and films, pushing the classic brand symbol of Colombian coffee to a global audience.

Colombian coffee is grown in the valleys of the Andes Mountains

Colombia's coffee regions are distributed along the Andes mountain range, with climate varying markedly with terrain: the southern eastern plains and the Pacific coast have a tropical rainforest climate, the mountains at 1,000 to 2,000 meters have a subtropical climate, and the northwest has a tropical savanna climate. The average temperature in coffee-growing areas generally fluctuates between 18°C and 22.5°C. Because geographic and climatic conditions are so diverse, whether you prefer a round, rich body or a vibrant, fruit-forward style, you can almost always find a corresponding bean in Colombia.

Colombia's regional division is quite clear. Influenced by both the latitudinal span and the topography of the Andes, the country can be grouped from south to north into three major sections: north, central, and south. The harvest seasons differ significantly between north and south, and the central region is further split into main and secondary seasons depending on whether it leans north or south, giving two harvest periods a year—the main season concentrated from October to January and the secondary season from April to July. The variable climate between the mountain ranges means this land has harvests almost year-round, with different varieties ripening in succession at different times, so busy pickers can always be seen among the trees.

In the last century, Colombia's most prominent coffee calling card was the "MAM" combination of Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales. With the evolution of specialty coffee, a group of specialty origins rose in southern Colombia, including San Agustín in Huila, Popayán in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. These places have extremely high altitudes, and combined with distinctive processing methods, their coffees have refined acidity and fruity notes, repeatedly achieving outstanding results in Cup of Excellence competitions. After repeated cupping comparisons, Front Street Coffee locked in a washed coffee bean from the Huila region among specialty origins as the flagship representative of Colombian coffee, listing it in small packaging so everyone can easily taste the classic Colombian flavor.

Huila Province is located in southern Colombia, in the southern part of the Central Cordillera, and is Colombia's most renowned specialty coffee region. The local terrain is hilly and surrounded by mountains, with planting altitudes generally above 1,500 meters, providing the high elevation and suitable temperatures needed to nurture quality Arabica beans. The soil is fertile, and Colombia's most important rivers converge here, bringing abundant water resources and moisture. The climate on the canyon slopes blocks cold winds while mountain breezes provide cooling and prevent high temperatures, and rainfall is plentiful—making it a truly blessed place for coffee cultivation.

Most Colombian coffee uses traditional washed processing

Colombia's coffee regions are rich in water resources, making them very suitable for washed processing. Family-run farms are usually equipped with special green bean processing machines (Ecomill or Eco-Pulper). Farmers pour the harvested coffee cherries into the machine, where the skin and pulp are removed, and only a very small amount of water is needed to carry away most of the mucilage. The parchment beans with a small amount of remaining mucilage then go into a small tank or container—possibly a tiled tank—to rest overnight for fermentation, allowing the residual mucilage to loosen. The next day they are rinsed clean with fresh water, and finally spread out under the sun to dry to the target moisture content. Washed processing both ensures high coffee quality and allows Huila coffee to show its most authentic flavor characteristics. This is also why Front Street Coffee prioritizes washed lots when selecting everyday beans.

In recent years, as the industry has continued to advance, besides washed coffees, many single lots using fermented processing have emerged from Colombian regions. This is done to further ferment the pulp artificially so the green beans develop richer fruity aromas. For example, Front Street Coffee's Dividing Line Pink Bourbon and Front Street Coffee's Dividing Line Maragogype use double anaerobic natural methods, giving the coffee notes reminiscent of passion fruit, grape, and blackcurrant juice. They are deeply loved by many friends and can be purchased at Front Street Coffee's Tmall flagship store.

Characteristics of Colombian green bean grades

Colombian green coffee beans are currently graded by screen size. Although green bean size is not the core standard determining coffee quality and flavor, many regions believe that plump, uniform, large beans indicate that the coffee beans have reached full maturity, can develop better aroma types, and are more conducive to even roasting, thereby forming consistent flavor.

Screens of fixed sizes are usually used for grading, with different specifications corresponding to different hole sizes. For example, if the mesh is 17 screen, beans larger than this size cannot pass through the screen, so the larger the screen number, the larger the beans retained on the screen. The most common export grades are UGQ, EP, and Supremo.

Excelso UGQ 12*60 (1.5%): UGQ stands for Usual Good Quality. Green bean size is above 14 screen, with 1.5% of green beans allowed between 12 and 14 screen but must be above 12 screen, and more than 50% above 15 screen.

Excelso EP 12*60 (10%): EP stands for European Preparation. Green bean size is above 15 screen, with 10% of green beans allowed below 15 screen but must be above 14 screen.

Excelso Supremo 12*60 (5%): Green bean size is above 17 screen, with 5% of green beans allowed below 17 screen but must be above 14 screen.

Regardless of which level the green bean screen size belongs to, as long as it is exported it all falls under the Excelso grade. In other words, most Colombian green coffee beans exported around the world today must be marked with the word Excelso on their burlap sacks. The Excelso export grade is the most widely used export standard adopted by the FNC and is also the highest grade for Colombian green bean exports.

In addition, Colombia also has Extra, which is above 16 screen; Premium, which is larger than Supremo at above 18 screen; and Minama, where almost all green beans are uniformly 15 screen, among others. Colombia also has coffee beans that do not reach the Excelso export grade, locally called "Product of Colombia," generally used to make commercial-grade instant coffee.

In Colombia, every farmer reports a number and enters green bean information for future traceability. The names of Colombian exported green coffee beans usually follow the format country + region + grade + other details. For example, the green beans of Front Street Coffee's Huila everyday bean are Colombia Huila Supremo SC17/18 FNC.

Front Street Coffee's brewing suggestions

The washed Huila everyday bean has both gentle acidity and suitable body and sweetness. Front Street Coffee wanted to present the classic Colombian nutty profile while retaining some acidity, so it chose a medium-dark roast. Before releasing any coffee bean, Front Street Coffee conducts at least one cupping evaluation, as cupping allows us to more objectively reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the coffee.

Considering that the Huila everyday bean uses a medium-dark roast, with a flavor leaning toward rich, full-bodied nutty and chocolate notes, the darker roast makes the coffee beans more porous and the coffee grounds more absorbent. To avoid extracting too many off-flavors, Front Street Coffee chooses a medium grind. For temperature, Front Street Coffee appropriately lowers the water temperature to avoid excessive burnt bitterness in medium-dark roasted coffee, and uses a KONO dripper for extraction.

Dripper: KONO dripper

Water temperature: 88°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Coffee grounds: 15g

Grind size: EK43s - setting 10.5 (75% passing rate on No. 20 standard sieve)

Pour the coffee grounds into a V60 dripper, wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds to form a dome and bloom for 30s, then pour in a thin stream in circles from the inside out to 125g and pause. When the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, continue pouring the third stage with the same thin stream to 225g, until all the coffee liquid has filtered through, then remove the dripper. The time is about 2 minutes.

This Colombian Huila everyday bean has obvious roasted aromas of chocolate, nuts, and caramel on the palate, smooth and sweet, with moderate body and a clean mouthfeel. As the temperature drops, you can feel a pleasant, gentle acidity.

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