What Coffees Are Suitable for Beginners How to Choose Single-Origin Coffee for Newcomers

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FrontStreet Coffee · Beginner's Guide to Single Origin Coffee Selection

"Single origin" is a broad term, typically simply explained as coming from a single producer, single crop, or the same region of a producing country. "Single estate" and "single region" represent coffee from the same estate, processing plant, or cooperative, where buyers can see labels indicating the growing region, specific region or estate name, and even micro-lots (specific varieties within a particular estate).

However, this doesn't fully represent the meaning of single origin. As Andra Vlaicu from SCAE says: "The most important thing about single origin coffee is its traceability. You can know exactly where the coffee comes from. It's single origin rather than a blended formula." Typically, these are of higher quality, and you can see the production history of specific estates. At the same time, these coffees present their authentic flavor profiles, possessing the characteristics of specific coffee varieties grown in particular regions.

Single origin coffee beans have distinct personalities. Typically, specialty coffee shops offer 3-5 or more types of single origin coffee beans for you to choose from:

First, you can prioritize by region: African beans, American beans, or Asian beans. For example, Asian beans are represented by the mellow FrontStreet Coffee Indonesian Lintong Mandheling, while African beans are represented by the renowned FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe with its citrus flavors. American beans that come to mind include FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rican coffee beans, widely known for their honey processing.

Next, you can briefly understand several common types of beans: if you prefer something more acidic, choose FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Little Tomato or FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. If you prefer something mellow, select FrontStreet Coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 or FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling. There are also some sweet beans, such as FrontStreet Coffee Panama Boquete Geisha, which have floral and sweet potato flavors.

Regional Flavor Profiles

Colombia, Nicaragua, Brazil: Chocolate, nuts, caramel

Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda: Sweet, acidic, nutty, lemony, sometimes tart

India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea: Herbal, spicy, savory

Coffee bean growing regions mainly include Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and island regions. African beans generally have citrus, berry, and sugarcane-sweet acidic aromas. Common Ethiopian coffees include FrontStreet Coffee Washed Yirgacheffe and FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Natural Guji. Central and South American beans have balanced flavors. Most FrontStreet Coffee Panama Geisha beans have jasmine floral aromas, nectar-like sweetness, and bright, varied fruit acidity. FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rican coffee beans have gentle acidity with chocolate and nutty flavors. Asian and island region beans have higher body than Central and South American and African beans. Most are medium-dark roasted, with subtle herbal, pine, and spicy low notes, with low acidity. Island beans, such as FrontStreet Coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1, have light and mild flavors.

Knowledge Extension

Among the four main processing methods, washed processing has the highest acidity, natural processing has better sweetness and complexity, honey processing falls between the two, while wet-hulling tends toward bitterness.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473