Single-Origin Coffee Brewing Guide: Which Coffee Beans are Best for Beginners?

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Understanding Coffee Origins and Varieties

1. "Single origin" coffee beans belong to the Arabica species.

(This may change if Robusta beans achieve breakthrough development in the future)

2. The varieties closest to the original species are Typica and Bourbon.

Well-known varieties derived from Typica include Geisha and Maragogype;

Bourbon has produced famous varieties like Kenya SL28 and SL34, and Caturra;

Other varieties such as Catuai and Pacamara are hybrids.

Coffee Growing Regions

3. Coffee primarily grows in the Coffee Zone, centered around the equator between 23.5 degrees north and south latitude.

Main growing regions include Africa, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia.

Regional Flavor Profiles

4. African coffee beans have prominent fruit aromas (such as FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya AA),

Central American coffee beans offer more balanced and elegant flavors (like FrontStreet Coffee's Guatemala Antigua Flower God), with delicate layers (such as FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Geisha),

while Asian beans tend to be richer and fuller-bodied (like FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Lindu Mandheling).

Coffee Processing Methods

5. Coffee processing methods are mainly divided into natural, honey, and washed processing.

Natural processing yields fuller body and noticeable sweetness; washed processing produces cleaner, brighter flavors; honey processing generally falls between these two.

The Impact of Roast Levels

6. Coffee roast level also plays an important role.

Generally, lighter roasts better present the original flavors of coffee beans, usually with more acidity and fresher tea-like notes;

while darker roasts have higher caramelization, progressing from sweet to bitter, with fuller body.

If you're someone who doesn't enjoy "sour" coffee, you might start with Asian beans,

then try Central American beans with balanced, layered flavors, and gradually learn to appreciate the wild fruit acidity of African beans.

The full body of natural processed beans is also loved by most consumers, followed by comparing the different flavor profiles of honey and washed processing.

If you're accustomed to dark roast coffee, try embracing medium roast and light-medium roast beans to experience flavors closer to their natural state!

The Art of Coffee Appreciation

So, drinking coffee is actually a fascinating comprehensive study,

allowing tasters to not only perceive their own sensory abilities, from learning to smell and taste,

For newcomers to single origin coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe series is generally recommended. Among them, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Washed G2 is quite good and affordable for daily drinking.

I recommend finding a coffee shop and trying various varieties one by one, then you'll discover that generally, the more expensive the bean, the better the taste—expensive ones won't taste bad.

Then find a balance point between price and flavor that you can accept from among the beans you've tried.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online shop services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473