How to Enjoy Latin American Coffee? What Are the Characteristics of Latin American Coffee?

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The Evolution of Coffee: From Ancient Discovery to Global Commodity

With the improvement of living standards, enjoying coffee has become a lifestyle trend today. However, how to appreciate a cup of coffee is a profound subject. What are the various knowledge about coffee and the taste differences between various growing regions?

A Global Phenomenon

Coffee is arguably the world's most common stimulant "drug" and the most economically valuable beverage. The United States is considered the highest coffee-consuming country, consuming four hundred million cups per day. In Finland, the average person drinks four to five cups of coffee daily, setting the record for highest individual coffee consumption. Other countries such as Sweden, Italy, Japan, and South Korea are also important coffee-consuming nations.

Ancient Origins

It is believed that in the sixth century AD, an Ethiopian shepherd accidentally discovered that after his sheep ate the red fruits of a certain shrub, they became full of energy. The shepherd then shared the fruits with monks, who found they helped maintain alertness during evening prayers. This fruit was coffee beans. Historians agree that coffee originated in the Ethiopian highlands, where the initial method of consumption was directly chewing coffee beans, rather than the brewing method used today.

Spread Through the Islamic World to Europe

In the fifteenth century, coffee was introduced to Mecca, and Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca spread coffee throughout the Islamic world. Thus, from Cairo, Istanbul, and Tehran, it eventually reached Venice. By the late seventeenth century, coffee had become a common commodity in Europe, and coffee shop culture gradually formed. Because Europeans systematically planned coffee production in their colonies, coffee was able to become a global beverage and international crop.

Introduction to Latin America

There are multiple versions of how coffee was introduced to Latin America. It is generally believed that French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu (1687-1774) stole one, or perhaps several, coffee seedlings from a royal greenhouse in 1720 and brought them to Martinique in the Caribbean, opening up prosperous business opportunities for Latin American coffee. Another theory suggests that the Dutch were the first to transplant coffee to their Latin American colony of Suriname.

The Coffee Growing Belt

The coffee growing belt is distributed between 25 degrees north and south latitude. Countries in this growing belt include not only Ethiopia, Yemen, and Kenya but also vast regions of Latin America. Arabica is a high-altitude variety and the mainstream coffee species. Latin America has many highlands between 600 and 1,500 meters, with sufficient sunlight, making it suitable for Arabica cultivation. A coffee plant can be harvested after four years of planting and then enters its peak production period, continuously producing for decades, making it an economic crop with high return on investment. However, coffee is a crop that requires significant labor. During the colonial period, coffee plantation owners were local oligarchs and large landowners, with labor sourced from indigenous people or black slaves. By the late nineteenth century, in addition to traditional large coffee plantations, family-run small coffee farms began to emerge, while well-funded multinational companies also competed for a share of the coffee market. Behind Latin America's coffee economy lies a history of exploitation, injustice, and monopolistic cheap labor.

Market Volatility and Production Challenges

Brazil, the world's largest coffee exporter accounting for one-third of global production, has experienced continuous drought in its central and southern growing regions since the end of 2013. Production is expected to decrease sharply by 30%. On February 17th and 18th, prices surged consecutively, setting records for the largest fluctuation in thirteen years. Insufficient moisture during the fruit development stage not only affects quality but may also cause the beans to dry and fall before harvest in May, resulting in complete crop failure. The current purchase price averages $2 per pound, already much higher than the $1.50 at the beginning of the year. However, if the drought continues unresolved, $3 per pound is imminent. Coffee production encounters turbulence every two years in a cycle, with inventory levels lower than incoming shipments and far below consumption levels. Supply and demand imbalance next year is almost unavoidable.

Central American Coffee Crisis

The international market price of Arabica coffee fluctuated, breaking through $180.25 per 45.5 kg bag on February 27th, rising by $70 over the past three months. For Central American coffee farmers whose income is extremely unstable and dependent on weather conditions, soaring prices are not good news because leaf rust disease has led to reduced harvests, thus losing opportunities to earn huge profits. Looking at the relatively well-known Guatemalan coffee in Taiwan, the "Guatemalan Coffee Association Ancafe" released export statistics for 2013 up to the end of September last year, showing 3,706,000 bags, a sharp decrease of 38% compared to the previous fiscal year, reflecting three consecutive years of alarming records since 2010. The "Honduran Coffee Export Association Adecafeh" also showed a 24% decline in exports, losing $650 million, which has an unimaginably large impact on extremely poor coffee farmers.

Recovery and Regional Variations

Panama's exports, which suffered severe declines of 30.19% and 18.92% in 2011 and 2012 respectively, have gradually stabilized since 2013 through strong marketing efforts. On Cerro Tute mountain, which reaches an altitude of 1,800 meters in Veraguas province, Father Hector Gallego established the first coffee farmers' cooperative forty-five years ago, growing organic coffee. The "Café Tute," with taste comparable to exported specialty coffee, continues to provide the same fragrance at affordable prices to the provincial capital Santiago and neighboring villages through free word-of-mouth without advertising expenses. Unfortunately, Taiwanese coffee importers missed this opportunity.

October 2013 to 2014 latest harvest data from Central American coffee associations show that the severely affected Nicaragua declined by 79.5%, Guatemala by 42.4%, and Costa Rica by 9.1%. South American Colombia, Peru, and Caribbean Dominican Republic grew by 47.5%, 14.4%, and 7.6% respectively, partially filling the international market shortage.

Flavor Characteristics by Region

If African coffee has good berry flavors and Asian coffee has distinct herbal plant flavors, then Latin American coffee belongs to the more balanced and varied category.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations:

V60/88-90℃/1:15 ratio/Time: two minutes

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