Coffee Origins

Ethiopia is where coffee comes from, and it still produces some of the most distinctive and complex cups in the world. Ethiopian beans tend to be intensely fruity and floral in a way that surprises people who are used to darker roasts. A well-prepared Ethiopian pour over can taste almost like fruit juice. The two main processing styles are washed, which is clean and floral, and natural, which is wilder and jammier with more berry character.

Kenyan coffee has a bold and distinctive character unlike almost anywhere else. The acidity is bright and sometimes wine-like, with a savory edge that can include unexpected notes like tomato or blackcurrant. This is not a beginner cup in the sense that the flavors are polarizing. People who love Kenyan coffee become obsessed with it. The AA and AB grading refers to bean size, not quality, though AA tends to be more consistent.

Colombia is the origin most people recommend for beginners and there is a good reason for that. Colombian coffee is balanced, clean, and approachable without being boring. It has enough acidity to be interesting, enough sweetness to be pleasant, and a mild nuttiness that most people find immediately enjoyable. Colombia also has incredible growing diversity because of its mountain ranges, so you will find everything from soft and sweet to bright and complex depending on the region.

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world and its beans have a very recognizable character. Low acidity, heavy body, and strong nutty chocolate notes. Brazilian beans are not flashy or complex but they are incredibly consistent and satisfying. They are the backbone of most espresso blends because the heavy body and chocolate notes pull the shot together. Natural processing is very common in Brazil which adds sweetness and depth.

Peru is one of the most underrated coffee origins in the world. Peruvian beans tend to be soft, sweet, and gentle with mild chocolate and caramel notes and very little of the sharp acidity that some people find off-putting. It is a crowd-pleasing origin that works well for people transitioning from commercial to specialty coffee. Organic and fair-trade certifications are very common in Peruvian coffee.

Ecuador is one of only about fifteen countries that grow and export both arabica and robusta. Its specialty arabica comes mostly from the Andean south, in Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe, with newer growing areas north of Quito in Pichincha. Exports are small, but the best high-altitude lots are sweet and bright, with fruit and floral notes. Ecuador is also known for Sidra, a cross of Bourbon and Typica that roasters prize for its fruity, floral cup.

Bolivia grows very little coffee, and the best of it grows high. Most specialty lots come from small family farms in Caranavi and the Yungas valleys northeast of La Paz, at roughly 1,200 to 2,000 meters. The best cups are clean, sweet and delicate, with caramel, citrus and floral notes. It is hard coffee to grow and ship: the country is landlocked, so beans travel through Peru to reach a port, and leaf rust has cut yields in recent years.

Guatemala produces coffee with a distinctive combination of full body and bright acidity that sets it apart from other Central American origins. The high altitude growing regions produce beans with a complex sweetness and a chocolate backbone that makes them very satisfying. Different growing regions within Guatemala produce noticeably different cups, from the floral Huehuetenango to the bold Antigua.

Costa Rica has a well-deserved reputation for producing very clean and consistently high-quality coffee. The country has strict regulations around coffee production and only arabica is permitted by law. Honey processing is very popular in Costa Rica, which produces a sweet middle ground between the clean character of washed coffees and the fruit intensity of naturals. Expect bright, sweet, and very approachable cups.

Mexican coffee is mild, smooth, and very approachable. It lacks the dramatic complexity of Ethiopian or Kenyan coffee but makes up for it with consistency and drinkability. Mexican beans are commonly used in blends because of their smooth, neutral base character. Chiapas and Oaxaca are the most well known producing regions. Organic certification is very common in Mexican specialty coffee.

Honduras exports more coffee than any other country in Central America, and the best of it grows in the high western mountains along the borders with Guatemala and El Salvador. A good Honduran cup is sweet and balanced. Chocolate is the most common note, with caramel, nuts and mild citrus around it. Marcala, in the southwest, became Central America's first protected coffee origin in 2005. Quality varies a lot from lot to lot, so a named farm or cooperative tells you more than the country does.

El Salvador is known for sweet, smooth, clean coffee, much of it from the heirloom Bourbon variety its growers have championed since the 1930s. Salvadoran researchers also developed Pacamara, a cross of the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties. It has big beans and a deep, savory-sweet cup, often with floral notes on top. Most of the coffee grows in the volcanic west, around Santa Ana and the Apaneca range.

Nicaraguan coffee grows in a small pocket of the north, in regions such as Jinotega, Matagalpa and Nueva Segovia. The classic cup is mild and balanced, with a smooth body, gentle acidity, and notes of chocolate, caramel and nuts. Jinotega often adds floral and yellow fruit notes, and high farms in Nueva Segovia, some above 1,500 meters, produce delicate, floral lots that stand apart from the national style.

Panama is a small producer with an outsized reputation, built almost entirely on one variety. In 2004 a Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete won the Best of Panama competition and set an auction record, and Panama Geisha has been one of the most sought-after coffees in the world ever since. A washed Geisha is delicate and floral, with jasmine, bergamot and citrus over a light, tea-like body. Panama's other coffees, mostly Caturra and Catuai from the same volcanic highlands of Chiriquí, are clean, balanced and far easier on the wallet.

Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the most famous and expensive coffees in the world. The reputation comes from the unique microclimate of the Blue Mountains which produces a very clean, mild, and balanced cup with almost no bitterness. The honest truth is that the flavor rarely justifies the price for most people. It is smooth and pleasant but lacks the complexity or drama you would expect from something so expensive. You are partly paying for prestige.

Yemeni coffee is one of the oldest and most distinctive in the world. Grown on ancient terraced hillsides using traditional methods, the beans have a wild, complex character that reflects centuries of cultivation. Expect dark fruit, wine-like notes, a hint of spice, and an earthiness that is completely unlike anything from Africa or the Americas. Supply is limited and quality is inconsistent due to the country's situation, but exceptional lots still reach the specialty market.

Indian coffee has a very distinctive earthy and spiced character. The most famous Indian coffee is Monsooned Malabar, where green beans are exposed to monsoon winds which causes them to swell, lose their acidity, and develop an intensely earthy, musty, and full-bodied character. It is not for everyone but is fascinating and very different from anything else. Standard Indian washed coffees are smoother with chocolate and spice notes.

Indonesia produces some of the heaviest and most earthy coffees in the world. Sumatra is the most well known region and its beans have a distinctive syrupy body and low acidity with deep earthy, herbal, and sometimes mushroom-like notes. This character comes partly from the wet-hulling processing method unique to the region. Sulawesi and Java produce slightly cleaner and more structured cups. Indonesian coffees divide opinion strongly.

Papua New Guinea sits in an interesting middle ground between the fruit-forward character of African coffees and the heavy body of Indonesian ones. Expect tropical fruit notes, a full body, and a mild earthiness in the background. The quality has improved significantly in recent years as specialty buyers have invested in the region. Still relatively uncommon in specialty shops but worth seeking out.

Kona coffee from Hawaii is one of the most famous American products and one of the priciest coffees you can buy. Grown on the slopes of volcanic mountains on the Big Island, it has a smooth, mild, and buttery character with macadamia-like nuttiness and gentle sweetness. Like Jamaica Blue Mountain, the price reflects the prestige and limited supply as much as the quality. Be aware that many bags labeled Kona Blend contain as little as 10% actual Kona coffee.

Tanzanian coffee shares some of the fruit-forward brightness of its Kenyan neighbor but tends to be a bit softer and less intense. Expect bright acidity, berry and stone fruit notes, and a pleasant wine-like quality. Peaberry beans from Tanzania are particularly sought after. A peaberry is a natural mutation where only one bean develops inside the cherry instead of two, resulting in a rounder bean that many believe has more concentrated flavor.

Rwanda has emerged as one of the most exciting African origins in specialty coffee over the past two decades. The high altitude growing conditions and careful washing station practices produce incredibly clean and vibrant cups with floral and red fruit character. Rwandan coffees often have a distinctive hibiscus or berry note that is recognizable once you have tasted it. The coffee industry has been a significant part of the country's economic recovery and the quality reflects that investment.

Burundi sits just south of Rwanda and grows coffee much the same way: smallholder farms on high hills grow local Bourbon, and the cherries go to washing stations for processing. The result is clean and bright, with red fruit, citrus and black tea notes and a sweet, honeyed finish. Much of the best coffee comes from the north, in provinces such as Kayanza and Ngozi.

Uganda is East Africa's largest coffee exporter by volume, and about four fifths of what it sells is robusta, a species native to the region. The specialty side is arabica from two mountain ranges: Mount Elgon on the Kenyan border, home of Bugisu coffee, and the Rwenzori Mountains in the west. Good Ugandan arabica is sweet and creamy with chocolate, berry and citrus notes, and the best washed lots have real brightness.

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world but is almost entirely robusta, which is a different species to the arabica used in specialty coffee. Robusta has roughly twice the caffeine, much more bitterness, and very little of the fruit and floral character that makes arabica interesting. Vietnamese coffee culture is built around this robust, bitter character and it works beautifully in traditional Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, which balances and transforms the intensity.