Why "Colombee"?
Bee's actually contribute to quality coffee.
- Coffee plants used for Colombee (and most if not all coffee plants in Colombia) are Arabica plants which are self-pollinating plants. Despite being so, the more bee’s assist pollination, the better quality the coffee fruit and ultimately the higher quality the coffee bean.
- All coffee beans are sourced 1 of 3 ways on the farm: Washed, Natural, or Honey. Our coffee is honey processed. Honey processed coffee is often considered "the best" by many coffee lovers because it combines the sweetness and complexity of a natural process with the clarity and bright acidity of a washed process. Though honey process is better environmentally, it's a labor intensive process and therefore rarer than Natural or Washed processes - making Colombee that much more special.
Also, Laura is from Colombia!
What about that 'Honey' Process?
The Best of Both Worlds
Washed (Wet) Process (65% of global production)
- The Method: Cherries are de-pulped, fermented to break down the sticky mucilage, and then washed clean before drying.
- The Flavor: Known for "clean" profiles that highlight the bean's true origin nuances. Because the fruit is removed early, there are no external flavors to hide behind, emphasizing acidity and terroir.
Natural (Dry) Process (25% of global production)
- The Method: Whole cherries are dried intact on beds or patios; the fruit is only removed once drying is complete.
- The Flavor: The bean absorbs sugars from the fermenting fruit, resulting in fruit-forward, intense, and heavy-bodied profiles. This requires precise climate control to prevent spoilage.
Honey Process (10% of global production)
The Method: A hybrid approach where the skin is removed, but varying levels of sticky mucilage (the "honey") are left on the bean during drying.
The Flavor: Offers a balance between the two extremes—boasting more sweetness and complexity than washed coffees, but with a more refined acidity than naturals.
Variations: Classified as White, Yellow, Red, or Black Honey depending on how much fruit is left on the bean.
How should I prepare my coffee?
YOU play a huge factor in the taste of your coffee
Honey-processed Colombian coffee beans tend to have flavor notes of red cherry, caramel, red apple, and stone fruits like peach. Unless drinking the coffee black, you will not notice the particulars of Colombee coffee.
This is how we drink our coffee:
- We tend to brew coffee using a chemex or automatic drip coffee maker. Therefore we grind Colombee coffee beans medium.
- We think our coffee tastes great in a 15:1 ratio (that is, 15 grams of water to every 1 gram of coffee beans). Our coffee pot holds 25oz of water, so we grind about 1.6oz of beans.
- Finally, we drink our coffee black, as we don’t want additives to overpower the natural taste that the high quality coffee beans bring to the table. (Which is also why we don’t make dark roast 🙂)
How you brew your coffee (french press, automatic drip, espresso, etc.) should match the grind size (fine v coarse) to get good flavor!