What Are the Characteristics of Colombian Coffee?
Colombia sits in northwestern South America with a mild, humid climate and varied terrain, which allows harvesting across the year, with the main crop from October to January and a second from April to July. Its Arabica beans are known for a full, solid aroma, gentle entry, and bright fruity acidity rather than sharpness.
The country's regions differ noticeably. Beyond the classic Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales areas, Huila and Cauca have gained attention for layered flavor. Beans from estates there are sold as washed, anaerobic natural, double enzyme washed, wine barrel fermented, and decaf, and the article pairs several with V60 pour-over parameters.
As a major coffee country in northwestern South America, Colombia benefits from a mild climate and diverse terrain, allowing coffee to be harvested year-round. Its Arabica beans are renowned for being rich and balanced. From the classic three major regions of Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales to recently popular areas such as Huila and Cauca, Colombian coffee displays rich layers of flavor. Front Street Coffee has selected a variety of Colombian single-origin coffees, covering washed, anaerobic natural, double enzyme washed, wine barrel fermented, and decaf processing. This article analyzes one by one the origin, variety, processing method, and flavor of beans such as Huila, Flower Moon Night, Rose Valley, Sakura, Decaf, and San Jose Estate, and also includes V60 pour-over parameters and pouring techniques to help enthusiasts fully understand the diverse charm of Colombian coffee.
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Friends who prefer single-origin coffee should not miss the Colombian series brought by Front Street. The premium Front Street Colombia coffee has a full and solid aroma, is not harsh on entry, and its acidity is not sharp; instead, it presents bright and high-quality fruity acidity. In order to highlight the characteristic of Colombian coffee's rich aroma, the Colombian beans on Front Street's bean list are uniformly given a medium roast.
Front Street has learned that around the 16th to 17th centuries, a priest first brought Typica from the French Antilles in Venezuela to Colombia. Typica has elegant floral notes and excellent acidity, but its yield is extremely low, so most coffee farmers turned to planting higher-yielding varieties.
When getting to know a coffee, Front Street is accustomed to starting with its geographical location and climatic conditions. Colombia is located in northwestern South America, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. To the northwest it borders Panama, to the east Venezuela, to the southeast Brazil, to the south Peru, and to the southwest Ecuador. The country has a mild climate and humid air, and its diverse climate allows harvesting throughout the year. The main harvest season is concentrated from October to January, and the secondary harvest season is from April to July. Different varieties of coffee mature successively at different times. What is grown locally is Arabica coffee beans with unique quality. The flavor characteristics of Colombian coffee beans are: rich taste and long finish, making them a fine coffee indeed.
The superior geographical location has also given rise to many producing regions. Among the better known ones in Colombia are Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales, which are customarily collectively referred to as "MAM."
Next, a brief introduction to Front Street's Colombian coffees.
Front Street has multiple coffees from Colombia's Huila region. Huila Department is located at the southern end of the Central Cordillera in southern Colombia and is the country's most famous specialty coffee producing region. The hilly terrain surrounded by mountains has an altitude of more than 1,500 meters, and important rivers flow through here, bringing abundant rainfall. Such a geographical environment creates good conditions for the growth of high-quality coffee. Therefore, Front Street selected coffee from Colombia's Huila region as one of Front Street's seven major daily beans, aiming to let everyone taste the most original, clean, and bright flavor of Colombian coffee. The washed processing method can show the characteristics of Front Street Colombia Huila coffee to the greatest extent.
1. Front Street Colombia Huila Coffee
Region: Huila, Colombia
Altitude: 1,500-1,800 meters
Variety: Caturra
Processing method: Washed
Flavor: Dark chocolate, nuts, caramel on entry, with soft fruity acidity.
This Front Street Colombia Huila coffee is named after its origin, which shows that the quality of Colombian coffee from this region can represent the uniqueness of Huila coffee. It is 100% Arabica and selected by bean size and single variety. Its most prominent characteristic is that it is clean, balanced, and gentle.
2. Front Street Colombia Flower Moon Night Coffee
Region: Finca Acevedo Gatine, Huila
Processing method: Anaerobic natural
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1,800 meters
This Front Street Flower Moon Night uses the currently popular anaerobic processing and has a very rich strawberry jam flavor, prominent fermentation aroma, and sweet chocolate mouthfeel that is intoxicating.
First, the coffee cherries are placed in sealed fermentation tanks for low-temperature fermentation, extending the entire fermentation time. After 15-20 days of fermentation, the coffee flavor gains more possibilities. Nurtured by time, slow drying allows the coffee cherries to develop optimal water activity during this process. First, flavor development is better; second, green beans can also be maintained longer during seasonal storage cycles. After fermentation is completed, these coffee fruits are then sun-dried. Front Street has learned that the most basic flavors people associate with Colombia are nuts and chocolate, and because Colombia continues to innovate in coffee post-processing, many coffee beans with prominent flavors have emerged, which Front Street also continuously follows. In addition to this foundation, this Front Street Flower Moon Night also has rich fruity aromas, which is a pleasant surprise.
3. Front Street Colombia Rose Valley Coffee
Estate: Colombia Big Tree Estate
Region: Santander region
Processing method: Anaerobic double enzyme washed
Altitude: 1,700 meters
Variety: Caturra
The coffee variety of Front Street Rose Valley is Caturra, commonly found in the Americas. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon and was discovered in Brazil in 1937. Caturra continues the citrus and nutty tone of the Bourbon variety, but is more productive because of its dwarf plant size. Through cupping many Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans, Front Street found that the difference between Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans is: Front Street Colombia coffee has a rich and solid aroma, excellent acidity, and is highly balanced; while Front Street Brazil coffee is smooth on entry, low in acidity, and has good body. Colombia has many excellent coffee estates, and Front Street has also turned its attention to Big Tree Estate, which has been in operation for more than 20 years. Its rich peach flavor surprises many friends who like peach oolong.
The processing method of this Front Street Rose Valley Colombian coffee bean is anaerobic enzyme washed. The first half of this method is similar to washed processing: defective beans are removed by flotation, then the pulp and skin are removed by machine, and the processed coffee beans are placed in a sealed container. Carbon dioxide is injected to expel oxygen, slowing the decomposition rate of sugars in the coffee mucilage under an oxygen-free environment, and the pH value also decreases more slowly, extending fermentation time. Coffee beans from this region are known for strong flavor, lasting finish, and a unique fresh herbal aroma.
4. Front Street Colombia Sakura Coffee
Region: Cauca region, Colombia
Coffee estate: Paradise Estate
Growing altitude: 2,050 meters
Coffee variety: Castillo
Processing method: Double anaerobic washed
Flavor: Sakura, osmanthus, passion fruit, sweet aroma, rounded mouthfeel, lasting finish.
Through double anaerobic washed processing, it expresses aromas of mugwort, mint, and eucalyptus, as well as flavors of berries and strawberry candy.
The terrain, rainfall, temperature, and volcanic soil of Cauca Department create excellent conditions for growing Colombian coffee, so it is generally regarded as a region with Colombian origin certification. Eighty percent of the department is mountainous, and the high altitude creates a large temperature difference at night, allowing coffee seeds and fruits to fully absorb nutrients, and also giving Cauca Department better acidity and praised sweetness.
In addition to planting Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, and Pacamara, which are common in American producing regions, Paradise Estate also grows three disease-resistant varieties unique to Colombia: Castillo, Tabi, and the Colombia variety that shares the country's name, and is planning to try other different varieties.
This Front Street Colombia Sakura bean uses the most popular processing method in recent years. Coffee fruits are generally placed in an anaerobic environment for fermentation, then removed from the anaerobic environment for the next step. This method is called anaerobic fermentation processing. Therefore, this Front Street Sakura bean has citrus-lemon acidity and a smooth mouthfeel.
5. Front Street Colombia Huila Decaf Coffee
Region: Huila, Colombia
Altitude: 1,750 meters
Variety: Typica, Caturra, Castillo
Processing method: Swiss Water Process decaffeination
Flavor: Dark chocolate, caramel, nuts, full-bodied.
In terms of variety, this batch of Front Street Colombia decaf coffee includes three coffee varieties: Typica, Caturra, and Castillo. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon with super strong adaptability. It does not need shade trees and can be exposed directly to sunlight, commonly known as sun-grown coffee. It uses Swiss Water Process decaffeination technology.
The Swiss Water Process was developed by the Swiss company Coffex in the late 1970s, and SWISS WATER® is now patented. This processing method soaks green coffee beans in hot water; the soaking stage actually already removes part of the caffeine. The soaked solution is then filtered through activated carbon, and finally the solution is returned to the coffee beans. This series of steps can more effectively remove caffeine. In addition to not requiring chemical solvents, the soaked solution can also be reused in different batches of processing, but the coffee will still lose flavor during the filtration process. The caffeine removal rate of this method can reach 99.9%, and it is also the method with the highest caffeine removal rate. This Front Street decaf coffee bean satisfies the needs of some people who want to drink coffee but do not want to consume too much caffeine.
6. Front Street Colombia San Jose Estate Coffee
Processing method: Fine washed rum barrel processing
Variety: Castillo variety
Altitude: 1,750 meters
Flavor: Rum, rum chocolate, tropical fruit, maple syrup
Castillo is a new-generation leaf rust-resistant coffee variety jointly cultivated by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and the National Coffee Research Center of Colombia (Cenicafé). After 23 years of research and trials, Cenicafé developed the fifth generation of Castillo and officially promoted commercial cultivation in 2005. Castillo is known for smoothness, aroma, and citric acidity.
This Front Street San Jose bean obtained by Front Street uses washed rum barrel fermentation: after the coffee fruit is depulped, it is placed in aged oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation. After low-temperature fermentation, it undergoes washed processing, and finally it is dried on raised beds. Colombia's unique natural conditions produce coffee with a full mouthfeel, nutty and dark chocolate aromas, and smooth, pleasant fruity acidity. Therefore, Colombian single-origin coffee has always been deeply loved by the public. Enthusiasts who like pour-over coffee should not miss these Front Street Colombian coffees.
How does Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brew Front Street Colombian coffee beans?
After Front Street introduced several coffees from Colombia above, everyone can roughly understand what different flavors each bean presents through different processing methods. At the same time, it also gives rise to a question that friends in the shop often ask out of curiosity: How should Front Street Colombian coffee be drunk?
[Brewing parameters]
Because Front Street Colombia coffee aims to highlight its aroma and high-quality acidity, the Hario V60 dripper is used during brewing. The V60 dripper has a large opening, and together with its spiral rib design, air is more easily expelled, thereby improving extraction quality. The extracted coffee has a lighter mouthfeel, and the fruity acidity and aroma are more obvious.
Dripper: Hario V60
Water temperature: 90°C
Dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: EK43s#10 (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve)
When brewing Front Street Colombia coffee, Front Street uses a three-stage pouring method. First pour 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour the second stage of water up to 125 grams for segmentation. When the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, pour the third stage of water up to 225 grams and stop pouring. Wait for the water in the dripper to completely drip through, then remove the dripper. Total extraction time is 2’00’’.
Through repeated brewing and careful observation, Front Street found that for beans such as Front Street Flower Moon Night and Front Street Rose Valley, in addition to the fact that Front Street coffee beans are usually freshly roasted within five days, which causes coffee particles to absorb water and expand during blooming, because they are specially processed, the coffee particles easily absorb water and expand, but the water flow speed during extraction is too fast, so the water flow should be controlled to be as small as possible when pouring.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
