Coffee Flavor Guide: Comprehensive Introduction to Coffee Flavors from Major Growing Regions

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The flavor profiles of coffee trouble many enthusiasts. With so many flavors listed on flavor charts, why can't I taste them? After all, not everyone has professional tasting abilities, or perhaps I taste plum flavor instead of peach. These differences arise from variations in cultural life, diet, and region - they're simply different descriptions of the same cup of coffee. Therefore, the most important aspect of coffee tasting is communication. Share your feelings about this particular bean - different experiences naturally lead to different descriptions, but such communication can bring much joy, can't it? Through theoretical learning while drinking coffee, experiencing more - coffee tasting | Aroma, Taste, Aftertaste: Three Steps to Teach You Coffee Tasting

Today, through several single-origin coffees, we'll distinguish and understand the flavor characteristics of specialty coffee beans from Africa, America, and Asia:

Coffee Bean Growing Regions

Coffee bean origins are mainly divided into: Africa, Central and South America, and Asia

Coffee trees are only suitable for growing in tropical or subtropical regions, making the zone between 25 degrees north and south latitude the most ideal for coffee cultivation. This coffee production zone is generally called the "Coffee Belt" or "Coffee Zone." The ideal growing conditions for coffee trees include: a warm climate with temperatures between 15°C-25°C, annual rainfall reaching 1500-2000mm, and rainfall timing that aligns with the flowering cycle of coffee trees.

Of course, besides the coordination of seasons and rainfall, fertile soil is also essential. The most suitable soil for coffee cultivation should be well-drained and contain fertile volcanic ash soil.

Flavor Characteristics by Region

Coffee beans from the three major continents each have their characteristics. Simply put: [African beans] have rich tropical fruit flavors, [American beans] have balanced flavor and mouthfeel, with soft fruit acidity alongside nut and cocoa flavors, while [Asian beans] tend toward quality herbal, spice, and caramel notes with a relatively heavy texture.

African Coffee: Characteristic - Captivating Fruit Acidity

African bean flavors: Ethiopian coffee has relatively strong orange aromas, while Kenyan coffee has rich berry aromas, along with the sour fragrance of plum juice and grapefruit, as well as the clear sweet fragrance of sugarcane. The orange aroma of Ethiopian coffee and the berry fragrance of Kenyan coffee are the greatest characteristics of African beans and what most fascinates coffee enthusiasts.

The general characteristics of African coffee include rich aroma and captivating fruit acidity. Its bright acidity is invigorating, but African coffee's body is often somewhat thin, and its sweetness isn't very prominent. Due to drought and water scarcity in Africa, the sun-drying method is mostly used for processing raw beans, often resulting in uneven and less attractive bean shapes with higher defect rates.

African Series Representatives:

Sidamo Natural

In the Hambella region of Sidamo, a particularly famous bean representative called "Horse Queen" is also quite outstanding. Hambella is located in Ethiopia's largest coffee producing region, Guji, administratively belonging to the Oromia State. Hambella's west faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore across mountains, with highland barriers reaching 3200 meters in altitude and about 30 kilometers in width between the two regions. To the southeast, east, and north, it borders Guji's Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha sub-regions, making it Ethiopia's highest altitude coffee sub-region (Harrar is Ethiopia's highest altitude main producing region). Among all these estates and processing stations, only natural sun-dried coffee from the "Buku Abel" estate and processing plant is called "Horse Queen." Buku Abel is a small village surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 2280 meters on the African continent.

FrontStreet Coffee's newly acquired 2018 new crop Ethiopian Horse Queen comes from the core Hambella region, a micro-batch from the Mountain Spring processing station. It's a small village surrounded by mountains at an altitude of 2280 meters, with December being its coffee harvest season each year. During this time, the mountains are filled with bright red, ripe coffee cherries, neatly arranged on African sun-drying beds in the village - this is where "Horse Queen" is processed.

Most Ethiopian coffee estates remain in their natural state, with local native varieties. Local coffee farmers pick in the mountains, with red-brown organic soil and average annual rainfall exceeding 1200mm. The altitude, day-night temperature differences - Horse Queen only selects fully red, completely ripe coffee cherries, all hand-picked. Dried on African trellises with limited fruit layer thickness and continuously turned at regular intervals 24 hours a day, the coffee undergoes low-temperature fermentation in the estate's uniquely advantageous natural environment.

During the harvest and processing season (December-January), its unique growing environment and natural climate create Horse Queen's distinctive flavors. We only begin the refined sun-drying process when the sugar content of the picked red cherries reaches above 30. For the first two days of sun-drying, the moisture of the red cherries must be maintained to allow their fructose to fully begin fermentation reactions. The processing station's nighttime temperature can drop to around 12°C. At night, to prevent sudden rainfall, thick plastic sheets are used for wrapping, allowing the red cherries to ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. During midday when temperatures are higher, shading is provided to prevent sun damage to the red cherries. After 18 days of sun-drying processing, when the moisture content of the raw coffee beans drops to around 13%, the sun-drying process is stopped. The beans are then packed in jute bags and stored in warehouses at 12-22°C with 40-50% humidity for about 50 days of raw bean aging and further dehydration.

Flavor: Aromatically, it has distinct cantaloupe and fermented wine fragrance, strawberry jam. The entry brings jackfruit-like soft acidity, with strawberry berry flavors emerging in the middle section, along with some sucrose aftertaste. The layers are quite rich.

Kenya Thika AA

Kenya is a famous coffee-producing country in East Africa, with coffee growing areas mainly concentrated in the plateau regions represented by Mount Kenya. The tropical climate and acidic red volcanic soil provide a naturally suitable growing environment for coffee, at altitudes around 1550-1750 meters. The seven major producing regions are most famous, including Nyeri, Thika, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Ruiru, Murang'a, and the west side of Mount Kenya. Main producing areas such as Nyeri and Ruiru in the central region have tropical climate and acidic red volcanic soil that provides a naturally suitable growing environment for coffee.

The main varieties cultivated are SL-28 and SL-34, the most respected varieties developed in the 1930s by Kenya's Scott Laboratories. Although Scott Laboratories no longer exists, it is now the National Agricultural Laboratory, part of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization. Both varieties are Bourbon-derived. SL-28 was developed from drought-resistant varieties originally planted in Tanganyika (part of modern Tanzania) and is generally considered the highest quality but has lower yields compared to other commercial Arabica varieties. SL-34 is a variant originally discovered near Kabete that performs well at lower altitudes. Both SL varieties display bronze-colored young leaves.

In terms of processing methods, the washed processing uses a repeated cycle of fermentation and washing. The highest quality coffee cherries are selected on the harvest day, then pulped and fermented for 24 hours. After 24 hours, they are washed again with clean river water. Then, they undergo another 24-hour fermentation in clean river water, followed by another wash. This cycle is repeated 3 times, reaching 72 hours total, thus called the Kenya-style 72-hour fermentation washed processing method, or K72 for short. This processing method allows coffee beans to ferment for extended periods at low temperatures, giving the beans brighter, cleaner yet fuller flavors!

Flavor: The wet aroma has mature tomato and floral notes. The entry brings cherry tomato and plum flavors, with bright acidity, clean mouthfeel, medium body. The middle section has prominent sweetness with a juicy sensation. The aftertaste features berry fragrance and brown sugar sweetness, with green tea aroma.

Central and South America: Characteristic - Balanced, Moderate Acidity and Mellow Aroma

Central and South American bean flavors: Generally speaking, the flavors are relatively conventional. Costa Rican coffee is mild and smooth, with acidic, sweet, and chocolate aromas blended together in perfect balance.

The overall flavor of Latin American coffee is characterized by balance, where all coffee flavors can be found in Latin American coffee. Good processing methods also result in beans that are larger and more uniform compared to African coffee, with lower defect rates.

American Series Representatives:

Costa Rica Honey Process

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America where coffee was introduced for cultivation. Located in the Central American isthmus with numerous volcanoes, it has natural advantages of sunlight and land. The climate is moderated by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes, producing coffee with characteristics of local microclimate terroir. The earliest cultivation sites were on the slopes of Poas and Barva volcanoes, which is today called the Central Valley region. After years of development, Costa Rica currently has eight major producing regions: Guanacaste, West Valley, Central Valley, Turrialba, Orosi, Tres Rios, Tarrazú, and Brunca.

The honey processing method is called Honey Process. What's called honey processing refers to the production process of raw beans that are sun-dried with the mucilage remaining. The juice produced during the coffee berry processing is used to soak the parchment beans during processing. Because the berry juice contains considerable sweetness and unique enzymes, the processed parchment beans contain richer flavors and very complex positive notes!

The more mucilage retained in processing, the richer and sweeter the final coffee flavor will be. The mucilage layer is the part with the highest sugar content in coffee fruit and is an important component of fermentation during coffee processing. It can be said that this part determines 80% of the nutritional supply during processing. Yellow honey retains 60% of mucilage, red honey retains 75% of mucilage, and black honey retains almost all mucilage. The sugars and acids from the mucilage layer become increasingly concentrated during drying, and these sugars penetrate into the coffee beans.

Primarily Caturra is cultivated, with flavors featuring lemon or citrus acidity. In terms of sweetness, it doesn't match Typica and Bourbon because Caturra's sweetness depends on the grower's fertilization frequency and dosage. It has high yield capacity, but maintaining this capacity requires continuous fertilization and pruning, resulting in short plants with many branches. Although yield increases, the 2-year harvest cycle and higher care costs still restrict production.

Flavor: Has floral and creamy aromas, with lemon, plum, sweet orange, and peach flavors. Grapefruit-like juicy sensation, natural sweetness, delicate mouthfeel, perfectly balanced overall.

Guatemala Miracle Manor

Characteristic: Bitter and aromatic, excellent mouthfeel.

Guatemala's coffee grows in the high-altitude cloud belt, with large temperature differences between morning and evening - such climate conditions prevent coffee from growing too quickly. The Chinese translation of the place name Huehuetenango Highlands has great temperament. Located in northwestern Guatemala, the highlands have fertile soil and sufficient rainfall. The unique cloud belt generated by the high-altitude valley terrain is the best coffee-growing environment bestowed by heaven. Therefore, the Huehuetenango Highlands are world-famous for producing excellent quality coffee. Most winning coffee beans in Guatemala's annual coffee competitions come from the Huehuetenango Highlands, receiving excellent international reviews.

Miracle Manor grows in this region and has fertile volcanic soil. The volcanic ash has moisturizing effects, retaining sufficient moisture and temperature to protect the region's coffee from frost damage. In flavor, it features delicate citrus acidity as a distinctive characteristic.

In terms of processing, it uses the method of washing first then drying. After harvesting, the beans are placed in water tanks to remove debris and unripe beans, then put into pulpers to remove the pulp and skin. They are placed in fermentation tanks to decompose the mucilage remaining on the parchment, then put into washing pools to remove the mucilage, resulting in raw beans with parchment. Finally, they are placed on sun-drying patios or in dryers for sun-drying processing.

Mostly Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai are cultivated, having wonderful sweetness, balance, and complex changing flavors.

Flavor: Sweet and sour sensations are distinct yet gentle, with rich chocolate and nut flavors. Tea-like notes are obvious, with slight smokiness in the later section. Fruit acidity is gentle, with high body and cleanliness.

Asian Coffee: Characteristic - Deep Flavors and Rich Mouthfeel

Asian and island bean flavors: Higher body than Central and South American beans and African beans, but with lower acidity. The flavors slightly include woody, herbal, spice, and earthy notes, with low mellow aromas predominating over bright acidic fragrances. Island beans are relatively light and gentle, with an elegant tone.

Asian Series Representatives:

Lintong Mandheling

Indonesia's main coffee producing areas include Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi islands, with Sumatra's "Mandheling" being the most famous. In the northern Lake Tawar area, it can be called Aceh coffee or Lake Tawar coffee, while the Lintong and Lake Toba areas can be called Mandheling. It's divided into eight provinces, but only two provinces grow coffee extensively - Aceh Province and North Sumatra Province. The most representative coffee producing areas in these two provinces are the Gayo mountains around Lake Tawar in Aceh Province, planted by local indigenous Gayo people.

North Sumatra Province coffee is planted around Lake Toba. This lake is extremely large and is the world's largest volcanic lake. The Mandheling from Lake Tawar and Lake Toba is the famous "Two Lakes, Two Mandhelings," and south of Lake Toba is the Lintong producing region.

Lintong Mandheling grows on highland mountain terrain at 1000-1500 meters altitude, with numerous volcanoes and volcanic lakes within its territory. The most famous coffee growing area is located near the freshwater Lake Lawar. Fresh soil comes from volcanic mud - a primitive brown ash substance mixed with considerable organic matter. Combined with the local tropical rainforest climate and sufficient year-round rainfall, it provides the most suitable geographical and climatic environment for coffee growth.

The commonly used processing method is wet-hulling, which makes the flavor profile full-bodied and intense with a very distinct personality. Because Indonesia's humidity is between 70-90% year-round with constant typhoons, in such a humid climate, the drying efficiency of coffee cherries must be accelerated. First, the skin and pulp are removed, leaving parchment and mucilage to ferment in water pools. Then the mucilage is washed away, and the parchment is sun-dried for 2-3 days until moisture content reaches 20-24%. The parchment is then removed, allowing sunlight to directly reach the raw bean surface, causing the coffee beans to dry quickly - 2-3 times faster than washed processing. Therefore, the beans are more easily squeezed and form small gaps, which is what we commonly call "horse hoof" or "sheep hoof" beans.

Flavor: Sweet herbs, cinnamon-like spices, full-bodied rich sweetness, caramel, cream, walnut, chocolate. Fruit acidity is calm and gentle, with strong cantaloupe fragrance in the aroma, faint spices, and herbal notes that are full-bodied with rich sweetness.

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