Colombian coffee beans

Colombian coffee beans rank third in the world in coffee bean production and have long been widely known as the base bean for blended coffee. But did you know? Colombian coffee beans also include specialty-grade beans with cupping scores of 85 or above. Today, we’re going to give you a brewing tutorial for Colombian coffee beans using what’s called the “lazy brewer’s method”—a pour-over drip brewing technique—to experience the flavor characteristics of Colombian coffee beans.

Before brewing, it’s important to first understand the beans. Overall, high-quality Colombian coffee beans mainly come from the southern regions, distributed along the Andes Mountains from south to north, including San Agustín in the department of Huila, Popayán in Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima. These areas are generally over 1,500 meters above sea level. With low latitude, high altitude, and diverse terrain, these regions offer ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. The resulting beans boast a rich variety of flavors—delicate floral notes, prominent acidity and sweetness, and notes of caramel—with a sweet finish. It’s fair to say their quality is on par with other top-producing regions.

Currently, almost all coffee in Colombia is produced and exported by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia). This is a non-profit trade association that currently represents more than 50,000 producers, most of whom are small family farms. The export grades of high-quality Colombian coffee beans are Supremo (Special Grade) and Excelso (Premium Grade).

What should you choose? This actually relates to the grading system for Colombian green coffee beans. They are categorized based on the size of the beans, with a minimum of 15 mesh size and even up to 20 mesh size for Special Grade beans. In the specialty coffee world, it's said that Colombia values larger beans, but in reality, bean size doesn’t directly indicate quality. However, it’s generally believed that the higher the altitude, the larger the beans of the same variety tend to be, and the better the flavor. One of Colombia’s clear advantages in coffee growing is its extremely high altitudes. So, in this sense, Special Grade beans are undoubtedly among the finest Colombian coffees.

For this session, we’ve selected one of Front Street Coffee’s everyday beans: Colombian Huila coffee beans. According to Front Street Coffee, the Huila region is a specialty coffee-growing area in Colombia, located in the southern part of the central mountain range mentioned earlier. The coffee in Huila is grown on hillsides surrounded by mountains at elevations above 1,500 meters. The bean variety is Caturra, a common variety in Central and South America that performs exceptionally well in international cuppings. It’s a premium Arabica variety, and it’s processed using the washed method. It’s generally believed that washed beans offer the most original and clean-bright flavors from the region, highlighting the characteristics of Colombian Huila coffee to the fullest. Meanwhile, Front Street Coffee aimed to showcase the traditional flavors of Colombian coffee—namely a full body with notes of nuts, caramel, and chocolate—so they opted for a medium roast.

Now that we’ve covered the essential information before brewing, let’s officially begin our Colombian coffee bean brewing tutorial.

Parameters: KONO filter cone / 86–87°C / 15g coffee grounds / 75% passing rate through a 0.85mm national standard sieve / 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio

Using the brewing method recommended by Front Street Coffee, we’ll perform a step-by-step extraction. The first pour is 30g of water for blooming, lasting about 30 seconds. The second pour is up to 125g of water, then wait until the water level drops close to exposing the coffee bed before proceeding to the third pour, up to 225g total. Remove the filter cone when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (start timing from the beginning of blooming). The total extraction time is 2 minutes 00 seconds. Throughout the brewing process, pay attention to how the coffee is extracting and adjust accordingly.

The resulting Colombian coffee has a well-balanced flavor overall, with noticeable sweetness. Upon tasting, you’ll get black chocolate, nuts, and caramel, along with soft fruity acidity as the temperature changes. The flavor and mouthfeel evolve as the temperature changes, which is quite an amazing experience. And perhaps this is why pour-over coffee is called “lazy coffee.” There’s a reason: no matter how intense the flavors are when the coffee is hot, as it cools down, even taking big sips becomes surprisingly pleasant—something I’ve tested many times myself.