Colombia is one of the most fascinating countries in the world of specialty coffee 🇨🇴☕
Over the next 6 months, I’ll be exploring Colombian coffee through 24 different coffees to better understand what makes this origin so unique.
Each week we will break down a coffee step by step:
👀 visual analysis
👃 olfactory analysis
⚙️ extraction
☕ tasting
📊 scoring
Through this journey we will explore:
🌍 terroirs
🌱 varieties
⚙️ processing methods
🧪 fermentations
👨🌾 producers
🏆 competition coffees
The goal is simple: learn how to read and understand a coffee.
The series starts in early April.
Follow the exploration of Colombian coffee ☕🇨🇴
#specialtycoffee
#colombiancoffee
#coffeeeducation
#filtercoffee
#coffeelover @1zpresso@kruveinc@icosabrewhouse@apaxlab@nucleuscoffeetools@theforcetamper
☕🇨🇴 Jonathan Gasca — Zarza Coffee
@jonathangascaserna and @zarza_coffee.oficial
A coffee that perfectly represents what modern specialty coffee can become when origin, variety and roasting all work in the same direction.
This Geisha was produced by Zarza Coffee, a Colombian farm recognized for its precision farming and carefully controlled approach to fermentation and drying.
The clean parchment drying process helps preserve :
✨ clarity
🍯 sweetness
☁️ cup cleanliness
while allowing the Geisha variety to fully express its identity :
🌸 delicate florals
🍋 elegant acidity
✨ exceptional aromatic definition
The roasting, carried out by Paul Arnephy — Meilleur Ouvrier de France Roaster 2018 🇫🇷of @tribute.cafe , focuses on preserving that finesse rather than transforming it.
Every step feels guided by the same philosophy :
not to overpower the coffee,
but to reveal what is already naturally there.
And that’s probably what makes coffees like this so fascinating today :
☕ more than just a beverage,
a true expression of terroir, variety and craftsmanship behind every cup.
📌 Brewed using a flat bottom dripper of @normcorewares + profiler of @sibaristcoffee to maximize :
✨ clarity
☁️ stability
🌸 Geisha varietal expression.
#specialtycoffee #geisha #zarzacoffee #tributecoffee #thirdwavecoffee
Finca Tamana of @fincatamana is not a coffee designed to impress instantly.
It’s a coffee built around:
🧠 precision
🌱 terroir readability
⚙️ clean extraction
🔥 aromatic transparency
And that’s exactly what makes it so interesting to analyze.
With this series,
I wanted to read this coffee through two complementary perspectives:
📊 the varietal matrix
🏆 the CAD scoring report
⸻
📊 VARIETAL MATRIX — CASTILLO TAMBO
The varietal matrix helps visualize:
* the coffee structure
* its extraction behavior
* its sensory potential
Here,
Castillo Tambo reveals:
🌿 a clean herbal structure
🍒 precise red fruit notes
🍫 elegant dark chocolate sweetness
But most importantly:
⚠️ low extraction tolerance
🎯 very high precision requirements
👉 exactly the kind of coffee that rewards:
* stability
* homogeneous extraction
* softer brewing styles
while immediately exposing:
❌ turbulence
❌ over-extraction
❌ aggressive flow
⸻
🏆 CAD — OFFICIAL SCORING REPORT
Final score:
89 /100
Why?
Because this coffee delivers:
☕ an extremely transparent roast (roaster by @timwendelboe )
☕ excellent aromatic separation
☕ a very coherent modern espresso profile
without relying on:
* exaggerated fermentation
* artificial “wow effect”
* overwhelming intensity
👉 This is more about:
a technical and transparent espresso experience.
⸻
☕️ Espresso Reading
As the coffee cools:
🍊 acidity becomes clearer
🍯 sweetness increases
🌸 aromas separate more distinctly
And that’s precisely when this coffee becomes fascinating.
⸻
⚙️ Setup Used
Normcore HE 0.18 of @normcorewares
Why?
→ more even flow
→ better separation
→ clearer reading of the roast and terroir
Cup Coffee of @icosabrewhouse
⸻
📌
Sometimes,
the quietest coffees
are also the most complex to understand.
#normcore
#specialtycoffee
#timwendelboe
#castillo
#espresso
Some coffees impress instantly.
Others reveal their quality through precision.
@fincatamana is one of them.
Not because it’s explosive.
Not because it’s heavily processed.
But because every step feels controlled and intentional.
From the farm to the final extraction.
🍒 Selective picking
💧 Clean washed process
☀️ Slow drying
🔥 Transparent roasting
Everything is built around clarity.
And that’s what makes this coffee so interesting to study :
nothing is really hidden.
@timwendelboe is approach here is not about exaggerating the coffee.
It’s about revealing it as honestly as possible.
☕️
A roast designed for transparency.
A coffee built for readability.
An espresso that rewards precision.
That’s also why I paired it with the ⚙️ Normcore HE 0.18 basket of @normcorewares
Because with coffees like this :
extraction becomes part of the sensory reading.
More even flow.
Better separation.
Cleaner structure in the cup.
Not to transform the coffee.
But to let it speak more clearly.
🧠
Clean coffee is never accidental.
It’s the result of precision :
🌱 at the farm of @eliasroaparra
🔥 in the roast
⚙️ during extraction
—
#specialtycoffee
#timwendelboe
#normcore
#espresso
#lightroast
☕️ Why washed coffees are perfect for learning extraction
Before exotic fermentations and explosive profiles…
there were varieties like Typica.
Coffees built on:
✨ balance
🍯 sweetness
🍊 clarity
🌱 terroir expression
And that’s exactly what a washed process reveals.
Unlike more fermentative or heavily processed coffees, a washed coffee leaves far less room for artifice.
The result?
👉 the variety speaks more clearly
👉 the origin becomes easier to read
👉 extraction becomes essential
With this washed Nabusimake Typica of @atmanscoffee everything relies on precision.
Typica brings:
🌸 floral elegance
🍑 delicate and refined fruit notes
🍯 clean panela-like sweetness
☕️ a light and transparent structure
The washed process enhances:
✨ transparency
✨ aromatic separation
✨ coffee readability
But this clarity also comes with a trade-off:
⚠️ lower tolerance for mistakes
⚠️ uneven extraction appears quickly
⚠️ flow changes the cup dramatically
That’s why washed coffees are so interesting from a learning perspective.
They’re not trying to impress.
They’re trying to be understood.
⸻
☕️ Nabusimake — Washed Typica
🇨🇴 Colombia
👨🌾 Oliverio Villafaina
⚙️ NextLevel Pulsar @nextlevelbrewerco@normcorewares@squeaky.coffee #specialtycoffee #washedcoffee #typica #colombiancoffee #filtercoffee
☕️🇨🇴 Typica × Pulsar
Some coffees don’t need to be transformed.
They need to be understood.
For this Nabusimake Typica washed by @atmanscoffee I didn’t want an extraction that exaggerated the coffee.
I wanted clarity.
Balance.
Precision.
That’s why the Pulsar of @nextlevelbrewerco became interesting here.
Not just because of the valve,
but because it combines:
💧 immersion
💧 percolation
⚙️ flow control
With this kind of coffee, flow changes everything.
A slower flow brought:
🍯 more panela sweetness
🍫 more chocolate depth
🌰 a rounder finish
A faster flow revealed:
🍊 brighter tangelo notes
🍑 more apricot acidity
✨ a cleaner expression
And that’s what fascinates me with coffees like this.
The coffee itself doesn’t change.
The extraction changes the way we read it.
⸻
🌱 Typica washed
🇨🇴 Nabusimake — Sierra Nevada
☕️ Atmans Coffee
⚙️ NextLevel Pulsar
⸻
@nextlevelbrewerco@normcorewares@atmanscoffee
#coffee #specialtycoffee #pulsar #nextlevelbrewer #typica colombiancoffee
SIDRA — worth the precision? 🍓✨
A coffee that forgives nothing.
But can give everything.
⸻
🧠 Quick read:
• Very high aromatic potential
• Natural dessert-like profile
• Low extraction tolerance
• High precision required
👉 Translation:
you either elevate it… or you lose it.
⸻
🍓 In the cup:
A sweet and enveloping base,
carried by:
• ripe strawberry
• soft vanilla
• white chocolate
👉 a profile built on roundness and complexity,
without ever feeling excessive.
⸻
⚙️ The real challenge
Sidra is not an “easy” coffee.
* over-extracted → heavy, overwhelming
* under-extracted → hollow, lacking depth
👉 everything comes down to extraction control
⸻
🎯 Verdict
A very high-potential coffee…
with almost no margin for error
⸻
💬 How would you approach it?
Team ⚙️ precision
or 🍰 indulgence?#huila #colombia #normcore #analytics #sidra
Same coffee. Different cup. ☕️
Two extractions.
Two completely different experiences.
🌸 Normcore — Competition of @normcorewares
Clarity. Precision. Control.
🍯 Codale — Gourmet of @codale.workshop
Sweetness. Texture. Body.
Same beans.
Same water.
Same recipe.
Only one thing changed:
flow.
And flow defines everything.
📊 TDS confirms it:
1.26 → light & precise
1.49 → rich & textured
⸻
👉 So… what would you choose?
Clarity & precision
or
Sweetness & body
Comment your choice 👇 @digitizefluid@difluid_kr@difluid_catherina1@sibaristcoffee@sibarist.professional #huilacolombia #lasso #dripper #colombia #specialtycoffee
Not all coffees are meant to be easy.
Some are meant to be understood.
This Bourbon Sidra from @nestornefferlasso in @fincadiviso (Huila, Colombia),
roasted by @typikah , is one of them.
A rare and complex variety, often associated with
Bourbon × Ethiopian lineage, known for its:
🌸 Intense florals
🍑 Clean fruit profile
🎯 Exceptional precision
⸻
But here’s the real question 👇
You’re not just tasting a coffee.
You’re tasting an extraction choice.
Same beans.
Same water.
Two completely different expressions:
🌸 Clarity & precision (Normcore + fast flow) dripper of @normcorewares
🍯 Sweetness & texture (Codale + controlled flow) dripper of @codale.workshop
⸻
🎯 TAKEAWAY
Great green coffee.
Precise roasting.
Controlled extraction.
👉 That’s where the difference is made. #normcore #columbiacoffee #sidracoffee #coffee #huila @sibaristcoffee@sibarist.professional
Pink Bourbon 🌸
La Muralla — Colombia 🇨🇴
Roasted by @atmanscoffee
—
With this coffee, I quickly realized one thing:
I couldn’t force it.
Every time I pushed the extraction a bit too much,
the cup became hollow… unbalanced… almost closed.
So I changed my approach.
Less intervention.
More listening.
—
📊 CAD — 91 / 100
A clean, precise cup.
No exaggeration. No distortion.
🌸 clean florals
🍏🍐 very clear apple & pear
🍃 long, almost white-tea finish
Nothing flashy.
But everything is right.
—
📐 Varietal matrix
This Pink Bourbon behaves exactly as expected:
• very high aromatic potential
• very delicate structure
• very low tolerance
👉 it doesn’t forgive
—
And that’s exactly what I like about this kind of coffee.
You can’t fake it.
You have to adapt.
—
As a roaster or a brewer,
this is not a coffee you control.
It’s a coffee you learn to read.
—
💎 High potential.
Low margin for error.
—
This is the kind of profile that reminds me
why I love working with certain varieties.
Not for their intensity.
But for their precision.
—
📌 Keeping this one as a reference
👀 How would you approach it? @normcorewares #coffeelover #colombia #huila #atmanscoffee
Pink Bourbon — La Muralla 🇨🇴 🌸 of @atmanscoffee
A delicate, high-altitude washed coffee.
Floral, light, precise… and unforgiving.
This isn’t about pushing extraction.
It’s about controlling it.
—
🌱 Coffee profile
🌸 white florals (jasmine)
🍏🍐 juicy apple & pear
✨ light body, clean acidity
👉 fragile structure → low-energy extraction required
—
⚙️ Full setup
🔺 Conical dripper → aromatic lift of @normcorewares
🌸 LilyDrip → flow control of @lilydrip
💧 Melodrip → energy control @fdmbyoptikalblitz
❄️ Paragon → aroma protection @nucleuscoffeetools
Each tool controls a variable:
flow • energy • temperature • expression
—
☕ Brew recipe
15g → 240g (1:16)
92.5°C — ZP6 grind: 5.2
Bloom 45g (45s)
Melodrip + Paragon: 0:45 → 1:30
Soft, controlled pours
⏱️ 2:45 – 3:00
—
💧 Water (APAX Lab) of @apaxlab
Mont Roucous base
4–5 Tonik
2 Lylac
0–1 Jamm
👉 low mineralization = higher clarity & floral expression
—
☕ In the cup
🌸 bright florals
🍏🍐 juicy fruit
🍃 long, elegant, tea-like finish
Clean. Luminous. Precise.
—
This is not a recipe.
It’s a way to understand the coffee.
📌 Save this guide
You’ll use it again
#pinkbourbon #filtercoffee #colombiacoffee #normcore #barcelona @difluid_kr@digitizefluid
A coffee is never just a recipe.
It’s a combination of decisions:
variety, process, terroir, roast.
Each one shapes the cup differently:
🌱 Variety defines the structure and how the coffee extracts
💧 Process controls clarity and precision
⛰️ Terroir builds balance and natural sweetness
🔥 Roast determines how demanding the extraction will be
Pink Bourbon — Huila of @atmanscoffee 🇨🇴 is the perfect example:
a floral, light, high-precision coffee with very little margin for error.
That’s why you can’t treat every coffee the same.
If you don’t read the coffee,
you can’t extract it properly.
Great cups don’t come from recipes.
They come from understanding.
☕✨ @normcorewares@lilydripusa@lilydrip
#barcelona#huila#specialtycoffee #pinkbourbon #pourover
