Nav: Home > Coffee >

What is the definition of specialty coffee? What does coffee flavor refer to? How do coffee flavors develop?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, "This bean comes from Ethiopia in Africa, that bean is from Panama in Central America, and this one is from Sumatra..." Have you ever noticed a phenomenon? Except for a few well-known beans like Geisha, compared to other information, most baristas, when introducing a bean

"This bean comes from Ethiopia in Africa, that bean is from Panama in Central America, and this one is from Sumatra..."

Have you noticed a phenomenon? Except for some well-known beans like Geisha, when introducing a coffee, most baristas prioritize mentioning the origin information. Just like tea and wine. Many friends are puzzled - isn't it just a cup of coffee? Why always emphasize the origin?

It's quite simple! Because coffee from different origins carries different "flavors of terroir"! So what is the flavor of terroir? Don't worry, let FrontStreet Coffee explain it to you gradually!

What is the Flavor of Terroir?

Terroir refers to the natural environment, customs, and habits of a place. For coffee, terroir mainly refers to the entire environment where coffee is grown. For example, soil, temperature, rainfall, climate, and so on. The flavor of terroir naturally refers to the taste that coffee develops under such terroir conditions.

FrontStreet Coffee likes to quote an old saying: "When tangerines grow south of the Huai River, they become tangerines; when grown north of the Huai River, they become bitter oranges." With completely identical varieties and processing methods, terroir is the key factor that determines coffee flavor. Because different origins have completely different terroirs, the coffee flavors they produce have distinct characteristics. Since the flavors of most origins have very distinctive characteristics, when we first mention the origin, knowledgeable enthusiasts can immediately associate the bean with a general flavor profile. Just like when we talk about Kenya, people immediately think of the sweet and sour aroma of cherry tomatoes and dark plums.

The differences in terroir flavors are not only limited to differences between countries; even within the same country and the same land, terroir flavors can vary. For example, Ethiopia's Sidamo and Yirgacheffe: Sidamo coffee flavors are mainly sweet and sour tastes like citrus and pineapple, while coffee produced in the Yirgacheffe region mainly features fresher flavors like lemon and white floral notes.

Then, within terroir, there are three main factors that influence coffee flavor. People have listed these three factors as the three elements of terroir. So FrontStreet Coffee's pop quiz: What are these three elements that affect coffee flavor?

The Three Elements of Terroir

Soil: The nutrition needed for plant growth mainly comes from the soil's supply. Therefore, the type and nutrient content of the soil play a very important role in crop quality. Coffee is also a type of crop, so soil is crucial to the formation of coffee flavor, affecting acidity and body the most.

Climate: Because coffee is a tropical plant that dislikes cold, not all places are suitable for growing coffee. Generally, coffee is grown near the "Coffee Belt." This is a tropical area centered on the equator, within 25 degrees north and south latitude. Different origins within the coffee belt have different climate types, which also influence coffee flavor development.

Altitude: It is often said in the industry that "the higher the altitude, the better the coffee," and this is not without reason. Altitude has the greatest impact on temperature. When coffee is grown at higher altitudes, the ambient temperature is lower. Low temperatures slow down the maturity of coffee cherries. Although this extends the coffee's ripening time and reduces yields, the cherries can absorb more nutrients. When the same beans are planted at different altitudes, coffee grown at low altitudes will harvest earlier than coffee grown at high altitudes, while high-altitude coffee will have fuller flavors than low-altitude coffee.

Finally, we need to understand that while terroir's influence on coffee flavor is certainly important, in the entire process from seed to cup, what it does is give coffee the basic conditions (flavors), rather than determining the final coffee performance. Besides terroir, the variety genetics of coffee beans, processing methods, roast degree, and extraction patterns all affect coffee flavor formation, so everyone should avoid this misunderstanding.