What Are the Ideal Conditions for Coffee Growth and Do You Understand the Main Coffee Cultivation Regions?

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Coffee Growing Regions

The parts of the world suited to coffee growing are known as the "Coffee Belt," located geographically roughly between 25 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude on both sides of the equator. What factors affect coffee quality and flavor? The variety of the coffee trees, the chemical compounds in the soil, weather conditions, rainfall and sunshine duration, and the altitude all have a significant impact on the final flavor. These factors act throughout the various stages of production, which is why coffee from different regions tastes so different.

Geographically speaking, temperature determines the zones and water shapes the forms. On temperature, the tropical and subtropical zones among the world's five climate zones are the most ideal. On rainfall, the tropical and subtropical areas with abundant precipitation are the most suitable.

The global Coffee Belt lies mainly in areas with relatively abundant rainfall between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

The global Coffee Belt is divided into three major producing regions, echoing the three characters that form the Chinese word for coffee. The first covers the Americas: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brazil, and others. The second covers Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Cote d'Ivoire, among others. The third covers Asia: Indonesia, India, Yunnan in China, and others.

A brief note on the Africa region. Despite its size, Africa actually has only a few countries and areas growing coffee, because of the particularity of its geography. To the north lies the world's largest desert, the Sahara, and to the south the oldest plateau continent, which together make it hard to produce a climate suited to coffee. Only the countries and regions near the equator are relatively suitable for coffee trees, and the beans they produce are of very high quality.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mission

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a research specialty coffee shop, happy to share coffee knowledge. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three low-discount coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices, and that has also been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

When people talk about Yunnan coffee they usually say Yunnan Small Bean, and "small bean" is simply another name for Arabica, because among the three original coffee species it produces the smallest fruit. The story goes back to 1904, when the French missionary Tian Deneng brought coffee seed, Typica, from Vietnam into Yunnan and planted the first coffee tree in Zhugula village, Binchuan county. Yunnan's favorable geography and climate made the crop a success, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean comes from the Baoshan region, washed and roasted medium, brewing into soft nut and chocolate sweetness with a light plum acidity, a friendly-priced introduction to Yunnan coffee.

Yunnan coffee is grown mainly across the southwest of the province, in Baoshan, Dehong, Pu'er, and Lincang. Coffee prefers a warm climate, tolerates heat but not cold, and grows best with plenty of light, with the ideal growing temperature between 16°C and 21°C. Measured from the equator, the world's golden coffee belt runs to 25 degrees north, and Yunnan happens to sit on it. Most of Yunnan is around 1,000 meters in elevation, with fertile slopes, ample sunlight, abundant rain, and large day-night temperature swings, all of which favor the trees.

To taste Yunnan coffee more clearly, try FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica. FrontStreet Coffee built its own estate in 2013 and planted Typica there, both because it is one of the oldest varieties, carrying pure Arabica genetics with an elegant, clean flavor long recognized as a specialty variety, and because the first coffee trees planted in Yunnan were also Typica, brought in by the French missionary. Typica is processed naturally, the oldest and most traditional method, and FrontStreet Coffee roasts it medium so the cup is more balanced and the sweet-tart character stands out, with dark berry notes, caramel sweetness, chocolate, a hint of dried apricot, and a black tea finish.

For an espresso taste of Yunnan, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend combines Yunnan Small Bean with Brazil Cerrado. The Brazilian side supplies mixed nut aromas and a balanced body, while the Yunnan side carries chocolate and citrus, so the Americano comes out balanced across sweet, sour, and bitter with nut and brown sugar sweetness, and the latte turns smooth and creamy with almond and cream notes, very easy for beginners to work with.