Where is arabica coffee from and how is it graded?
Colombian coffee is almost entirely Coffea arabica, so the country is one of the clearest answers to where arabica coffee is from today. Beans grow across the Coffee Triangle formed by Medellín, Armenia and Manizales, are hand-picked, wet-processed and medium roasted. Medellín lots are plump with moderate acidity and strong overall balance.
The arabica species originated in Africa, which is where coffee comes from originally; robusta still grows mainly there, as in Madagascar. Colombian beans carry the nickname green gold for their light, silky mouthfeel and mild acidity, softer than Brazilian coffee or Italian espresso. Grades are split into Supremo and Excelso by screen size, and Nariño Supremo is a southern lot bought exclusively by Starbucks.
Colombian coffee is world-renowned for its balanced, smooth taste and rich aroma, with the three cities of Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales together forming the famous "Coffee Triangle." For Front Street Coffee, the top recommendation among Colombian coffees is the Medellín growing region, where beans are plump, acidity is moderate, and balance is outstanding. Colombian coffee beans are mostly Coffea arabica, hand-picked and wet-processed, and after medium roasting they present a light, silky flavor, earning the reputation of "green gold." This article will guide you through Colombian coffee's varieties and grades, main growing regions, and Front Street recommendations, and explain the difference between Supremo and Excelso, as well as the Nariño Supremo coffee beans exclusively purchased by Starbucks.
From the two dimensions of yield and quality, the most highly regarded Front Street Colombian coffee comes from the Medellín growing region. The coffee beans produced there are plump, full of nutrients, with just the right acidity, excellent overall balance, and at the same time a rich aroma and a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Besides Medellín, the capitals of the two neighboring provinces to its south—Armenia and Manizales—also abound in high-quality coffee. These two cities originally belonged to Antioquia Department, where Medellín is located; the department once had a Caldas football team that even competed in the final Toyota Cup. Together, the three places form the world-famous "Coffee Triangle."[1]
The coffee fruit (also called coffee cherry) is entirely hand-picked by workers who go up the mountains, so the beans can be carefully selected, picking only the ripest and plumpest fruit. The vast majority of Colombian coffee beans are wet-processed, and after medium roasting and brewing, they have a light, silky mouthfeel with an occasional hint of acidity, not as intense as Brazilian coffee or Italian espresso, and thus enjoy the reputation of "green gold."[4]
Varieties and Grades
The cultivated varieties of Colombian coffee are mainly Coffea arabica, that is, small-fruit coffee (small-bean coffee). In contrast, Coffea robusta is mostly grown in its native Africa, such as the well-known Madagascar coffee. Coffea arabica has several variants; Brazil's coffee, which ranks first in world production, has relatively large seeds, strong adaptability, and high fruiting yield; while the mild coffee produced in Colombia belongs to a higher-quality variety, which is inseparable from its special geographical location and climatic conditions.[1]
Colombian coffee is divided into more than 200 grades, with very obvious regional characteristics. For Colombian beans, Supremo is the highest grade, followed by Excelso; however, only Supremo coffee of bean size 18 (18/64 inch) or above can be listed as specialty coffee. Front Street Colombian coffee has a balanced flavor and a relatively smooth mouthfeel, like a gentleman among coffees, proper and conventional. Its growing regions are widely distributed, but the coffee from the central mountain range is the best in quality, with a heavy body, among which the growing regions of Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales are the most well-known, conventionally referred to collectively as "MAM." In Nariño coffee is delicious and of very good quality. It is said that Starbucks, a company dedicated to dealing in specialty coffee, holds the exclusive purchasing rights to Nariño Supremo coffee beans, and these beans are commonly seen in their chain stores.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
