Top 10 Coffee Producing Countries in the World - Introduction to Arabica Coffee Bean Origins and Flavor Characteristics

Coffee Growing Regions and Global Production

The coffee tree is an evergreen shrub suitable for growing in subtropical and tropical regions, distributed between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. This area is also known as the coffee belt or coffee zone. However, not all coffee seedlings planted within the coffee belt can grow successfully; other environmental factors must also be considered. Although coffee trees belong to tropical plants, they cannot withstand extremely hot and humid environments, nor can they tolerate all-day sun exposure. Therefore, coffee trees are mostly planted on well-drained mountain slopes where, in addition to suitable temperatures, the daily sunlight hours are relatively shorter compared to flatlands.

Based on these conditions, although most of Africa is located within the coffee belt, it is not the region with the highest production. Currently, Asia accounts for 32% of global production, Africa 12%, Central America 13%, and South America 43%.

Due to the varied topography and microclimates within the coffee belt, different varieties are suitable for cultivation. Currently, the most widely used commercial coffee varieties are Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Among these, Arabica has the best flavor and accounts for the largest production share (70%). Therefore, nine of the top ten coffee-producing countries primarily cultivate Arabica. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the characteristics of coffee beans from these coffee-producing countries one by one.

Brazilian Coffee Beans

Brazil is the largest coffee-producing country. Brazil's main producing regions include Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, and Espírito Santo, which account for 90% of the country's total exports. We commonly see Santos and Mogiana from São Paulo. Cerrado and Sul de Minas in Minas Gerais produce specialty Brazilian coffee beans due to their higher altitudes. Cerrado is located in the western part of Minas Gerais and is a flat plateau with elevations ranging from 750m to 1200m.

Sul de Minas consists of hilly terrain with elevations of 700m-1200m and is Brazil's earliest coffee production area. Due to rising labor costs, mechanical harvesting is now predominantly used. This region is also where coffee was first commercialized, and we can see many large exporters established here. The Bahia producing region in northern Brazil primarily produces washed Brazilian coffee, while the Espírito Santo region near the coast is the main export area for Brazilian Robusta varieties.

Brazilian Arabica beans are mainly Red Bourbon, with flavors of chocolate, peanuts, and cream, offering a balanced and rich taste. If friends want to try the flavor of Brazilian beans, they can choose FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian daily beans, which are produced in the Cerrado region and processed using semi-washed method. FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium-dark roast to highlight the nutty cream aroma and caramel chocolate notes of these beans.

Vietnamese Coffee Beans

Vietnam is the second-largest coffee-producing country. Due to its generally low altitude (mostly below 800 meters), it primarily cultivates Robusta. FrontStreet Coffee also imports Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans, but not for single-origin use—rather, they are used as raw ingredients for blends. Because Robusta's flavor is not particularly pleasant on its own, usually tasting like bitter barley tea, it possesses a relatively rich and full-bodied texture. Therefore, adding a small amount of Robusta to blend recipes can enhance overall richness.

FrontStreet Coffee's commercial espresso blend is precisely formulated with 60% Brazilian Arabica, 30% Colombian Arabica, and 10% Vietnamese Robusta. The extracted espresso has rich crema and very intense coffee flavor.

Colombian Coffee Beans

Colombia is the third-largest coffee-producing country, but its production is significantly lower than the first two countries. Colombia cultivates Arabica coffee beans nationwide, with currently planted varieties being mainly Caturra, Catuai, and Castillo.

Colombian coffee beans exhibit two types of flavor profiles: one is traditional washed coffee flavor, and the other is new-style anaerobic processed coffee flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee has selected washed coffee beans from the Huila region as Colombia's basic daily beans. Coffee in the Huila region is grown at altitudes of 1500-1800 meters, with the planted variety being Caturra. The flavor characteristics are nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and soft fruit acidity.

Additionally, the Flower Moon Night coffee beans, also from the Huila region, undergo anaerobic natural processing, with flavor characteristics of strawberry jam, roses, and liqueur-filled chocolates.

Indonesian Coffee Beans

Indonesia is the fourth-largest coffee-producing country, primarily producing Robusta beans, but its Arabica beans are also very famous. Arabica beans produced in North Sumatra are known as Mandheling and have a very rich texture. Among these, the Golden Mandheling from Pawani Company is the most famous.

PWN Company is Indonesia's largest green bean purchaser. Currently, the Golden Mandheling series is mainly produced in the Gayo Mountain region of Aceh Province. After purchasing green coffee beans, they must undergo three rounds of manual hand-sorting to select beans with consistent and plump appearance. Only beans with a defect rate below 3% qualify as Golden Mandheling, and only those produced by this company are considered genuine Golden Mandheling. Golden Mandheling coffee has a mellow and rich taste with caramel and dark chocolate flavors.

Ethiopian Coffee Beans

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica coffee beans. In Ethiopia, many coffee trees grow in their natural state, so the production model here differs significantly from that in the Americas. In recent years, Ethiopia has also emerged with many excellent micro-regions, such as Yirgacheffe, Guji, Wollega, and others. Because of the wide variety of coffee trees and complex genetic diversity here, varieties are generally collectively referred to as "heirloom" when describing them externally.

The most famous coffee beans should be Yirgacheffe. FrontStreet Coffee has also adopted washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans as representative of Ethiopian daily beans. The flavor characteristics of washed Yirgacheffe are jasmine floral fragrance, citrus, honey, and green tea.

Indian Coffee Beans

India is also a major coffee bean-producing country, primarily focusing on Robusta. Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are India's main coffee-producing regions, accounting for over 90% of the country's total coffee production. Today, 2/3 of Indian coffee is Robusta, with Arabica accounting for only 1/3. Coffee is mainly distributed in southwestern Karnataka, where both varieties are grown, accounting for 50% of India's total coffee production; southern Kerala focuses on Robusta, accounting for 30% of production; southeastern Tamil Nadu grows both varieties, accounting for 10% of India's total coffee production; the remaining 10% is scattered among emerging northern producing regions.

Among the more famous coffee beans are monsooned processed coffee beans. Monsooned coffee must be made from natural processed beans. All processing facilities for monsooned coffee face west to receive the salty and moist monsoon winds blowing from the southwest sea. Coffee beans are spread flat in monsooning fields with windows fully open. After monsooning to a certain degree, they are bagged. However, because the beans expand considerably during this process, the coffee bags cannot be filled too full, nor can they be stacked too densely to avoid mold growth due to poor ventilation. The beans must also be periodically removed and burlap bags replaced to prevent mold growth—a quite time-consuming and labor-intensive process.

The monsooning period lasts approximately twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans must also undergo smoke treatment to repel weevils, followed by manual sorting to remove any beans that have not turned golden yellow. After three to four months of monsooning, green coffee beans expand to one to two times their original size, with reduced weight and density.

Honduran Coffee Beans

Honduran coffee can be divided into six major producing regions, mainly located in the western and southern Copán, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraíso regions. The altitude areas producing specialty coffee have an average cultivation height of 1,100 meters or more. In these regions, 69% of cultivated coffee is HG grade, 12% is SHG, and 19% is CS.

Honduran coffee has a rich and full-bodied texture with neither astringent nor sour taste. It possesses high richness and aroma, showing considerable character. Honduran coffee can reveal multi-layered flavors depending on different roast levels. If we were to name the most famous Honduran coffee beans, it would undoubtedly be the Sherry coffee beans, produced by the Moca estate in Masaguara, using refined washed whiskey barrel fermentation processing. They have flavors of vanilla cream, sherry wine aroma, and chocolate.

Kenyan Coffee Beans

Kenyan coffee is famous for its bright acidity. In the 1930s, Kenya selected SL28 and SL34 varieties through the Scott Laboratories for nationwide cultivation. Kenyan coffee beans are graded by size, with AA being the best, followed by AB. The benefit of grading by size is that after selecting varieties, larger coffee beans represent plumpness and quality, making them very suitable for roasting. This ensures uniform quality in Kenyan coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the classic acidity of Kenyan coffee is attributed to Kenya's 72-hour washed processing method. Kenya's process begins with 24 hours of washed fermentation, followed by cleaning off the loosened mucilage, then another 24 hours of fermentation in clean water tanks, after another cleaning, and finally another 24 hours of fermentation, totaling 72 hours. This high-degree of washed processing stably controls quality and expresses bright acidity with clean sweetness.

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan Assalia as an example, its flavors are solid small tomato acidity, plum, and blackberry.

Costa Rican Coffee Beans

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to introduce coffee for cultivation, with a long history and a complete coffee organization system from production to sales. Located in the Central American Isthmus, the volcanic soil is very fertile and well-drained, especially in the Central Plateau. Here, coffee cultivation areas benefit from fertile volcanic ash of volcanic terrain, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable abundant rainfall, making coffee one of the main agricultural products. All its coffee beans are Arabica varieties. The flavor is pure, the aroma is pleasant, and it possesses impeccable balance in both acidity and texture. The coffee beans are plump, with ideal acidity and unique, intense aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee has selected coffee beans from the Tarrazú region as representative of Costa Rican daily beans. Here, coffee is grown at an altitude of 1500 meters, the variety is Caturra, and it uses washed processing. The flavor characteristics are sweet orange, toffee, and chocolate.

Guatemalan Coffee Beans

Guatemalan coffee beans are famous for their distinctive smoky flavor. FrontStreet Coffee has selected coffee beans from the Huehuetenango region as representative of Guatemalan daily beans.

The Huehuetenango region is located in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala and is famous for producing excellent quality beans. Coffee from this region possesses citrus-like acidity, rich and intense flavor, considerable richness, and smoky taste is its most distinctive flavor characteristic.

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