Flavor Characteristics and Processing Methods of Coffee Beans from the World's Three Major Coffee Regions

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With the development of the specialty coffee industry, coffee enthusiasts now have access to countless single-origin coffees. FrontStreet Coffee's online store alone offers over 200 different single-origin coffee beans from various regions and estates, which can be overwhelming for newcomers to coffee. In fact, coffee beans can be mainly divided into three coffee growing regions, each with its own representative flavor profile. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the characteristics of the world's three major coffee growing regions.

World's Three Major Coffee Growing Regions Distribution

The three major coffee growing regions primarily refer to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For example, African region coffees tend to have acidic flavor profiles, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, which are famous for their unique citrus and lemon acidity. Asian region coffees are known for their distinctive herbal notes and rich, full-bodied taste, with Indonesian Mandheling coffee being a representative of this region. Latin American region coffee beans mainly feature nutty and cocoa flavors with generally balanced overall profiles.

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, each of these three regions has its flavor representatives. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the most outstanding single-origin coffee beans from these three major growing regions.

African Region Coffee Beans

The flavors of the African region are mainly characterized by excellent acidity. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the most representative countries of the African coffee region are Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, and its neighbor Kenya. Although coffee beans from both regions are famous for their pleasant acidity, their acid profiles are quite different. For example, Ethiopia has long been famous for the citrus and lemon acidity of Yirgacheffe coffee beans, while Kenyan coffee beans are known for their cherry tomato acidity. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce coffee beans from both regions.

Ethiopian Region Coffee Beans

Ethiopia's most famous coffee growing region is undoubtedly Yirgacheffe. Within Yirgacheffe, there are many micro-regions, and due to factors like altitude and microclimate, coffee beans produced by different cooperatives in Yirgacheffe have slight flavor variations. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's store also offers many coffee beans from various Yirgacheffe micro-regions using different processing methods for coffee enthusiasts to taste.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 2300m
Variety: Local Landrace
Processing: Natural Process
Flavor: Berries, Lemon, Strawberry, Fermented Wine Aroma

FrontStreet Coffee's natural red cherry coffee beans are made from 100% mature coffee beans using natural processing, resulting in highly aromatic flavors with rich sweetness and fermented notes.

The origin of this coffee bean comes from the "Red Cherry Project" jointly initiated by local Ethiopian coffee farmers and Dutch trader Trabocca. The project aims to improve the quality of coffee from small-scale farms and increase farmers' income. Harvesting fully mature coffee fruits requires not only picking fully red, ripe fruits but also doing so entirely by hand - these are just the basic requirements. There are also corresponding requirements for coffee bean processing methods.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Gedeb Cooperative Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 1900-2300m
Variety: Local Landrace
Processing: Washed Process
Flavor: Tropical Fruits, Cream, Honey, Berries, Citrus

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, the Gedeb cooperative was originally part of the Yirgacheffe Union YCFCU's Werka cooperative and became independent as the Gedeb cooperative in 2012. It currently has about 300 small farmer members. Because Gedeb village was one of the first areas to be established independently, many small farmers were also members of the original Werka cooperative, so their coffee production skills are excellent. Naturally, the coffee beans they produce have exceptional flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Aricha Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 1900-2100m
Variety: Local Landrace
Processing: Natural Process
Flavor: Light Fermented Wine Aroma, Sweet Orange, Spices, Honey Sweetness

Aricha is produced at the Kebel Aricha processing station, where about 650-700 small coffee farmers deliver their ripe coffee cherries for processing in exchange for cash. After screening available cherries, the station places them directly on drying racks. For the first few days of drying, they are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent over-fermentation. After four to six weeks of natural drying, workers remove the outer fruit pulp by machine depending on weather and temperature conditions, then transport them to Addis for storage. Usually, naturally processed beans are stored as parchment beans until export, when they are hulled to ensure green bean quality.

Kenyan Coffee Growing Region

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Kenyan coffee beans are mainly famous for their unique cherry tomato acidity. This is thanks to the locally developed 72-hour washed processing method and Kenya's unique SL34 and SL28 coffee varieties, all of which contribute to Kenyan coffee's distinctive flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Assalia Coffee Beans

Country: Kenya
Region: Assalia (Honey Processing Station)
Altitude: 1550-1750m
Variety: SL28, SL34
Processing: 72-Hour Washed Process
Flavor: Pear, Dark Plum, Brown Sugar, Cherry Tomato, Plum

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Assalia coffee beans use the 72-hour washed processing method, which was developed in Kenya. This processing method requires coffee beans to be fermented at low temperatures for extended periods, finally completing with air-drying and dehydration. Coffee beans processed using this method achieve brighter, cleaner, yet fuller flavors.

Asian Region Coffee Beans

The representatives of the Asian coffee region are undoubtedly Indonesian Mandheling and Yunnan coffee. Both coffee beans carry the unique herbal notes characteristic of the Asian region. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce coffee beans from both regions.

Indonesian Region Coffee Beans

Indonesian Mandheling became famous because the local climate is humid, so local coffee farmers developed the wet-hulling processing method to handle coffee beans. This creates coffee beans with unique earthy and herbal notes, and they taste very rich and full-bodied. Therefore, Mandheling is loved by coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's most popular single-origin coffee bean is Mandheling. FrontStreet Coffee believes that wet-hulling is the factor that made Mandheling coffee go global, because when coffee enthusiasts mention Mandheling coffee, they think of wet-hulling, showing they have a complementary relationship.

FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Variety: Ateng
Processing: Wet-Hulled
Flavor: Toasted Bread, Nuts, Pine, Caramel, Herbal

Frontsteet's Golden Mandheling is the latest release from PWN company in recent months. Unlike previous PWN Golden Mandheling beans, this latest batch comes from Sumatra's Aceh Gayo Mountain region, while the previous one was from Lake Tawa in Sumatra. According to FrontStreet Coffee's cupping and brewing tests of this latest Golden Mandheling coffee, compared to previous Golden Mandheling, it has more toasted bread flavor, making it taste richer and more full-bodied.

Additionally, Golden Mandheling specifications require 18 screen size or above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (in a 300g green bean sample), belonging to the highest G1 grade. The color is dark green, and the shape is neat, flat beans. After strict selection, FrontStreet Coffee found that Golden Mandheling not only lacks the typical earthy impurities of regular Mandheling but also tastes cleaner and brighter.

FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Tiger Mandheling Coffee Beans

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra
Altitude: 1500m
Variety: Caturra, Typica, Sidikalong
Processing: Wet-Hulled
Flavor: Cream, Dark Chocolate, Nuts, Balanced Taste

Tiger Mandheling requires 17 screen size or above with a defect rate below 4%. Since Tiger Mandheling's main varieties are Caturra and Typica, Caturra has citrus and lemon acidity in taste, while Typica has a persistent sweet aftertaste, making Tiger Mandheling taste relatively uniform with high clarity.

FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Aged Mandheling Coffee Beans

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra
Altitude: 1500m
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Wet-Hulled
Flavor: Ripe Pu-erh Tea, Caramel, Herbal, Chocolate, Low Acidity

Aged Mandheling refers to Mandheling coffee beans that have undergone aging treatment, where green beans are naturally aged through extended storage time (usually 2-3 years). This process leads to reduced coffee acidity and color changes in green beans. Additionally, aged coffee beans must be stored in cool, ventilated conditions to prevent mold and moisture. Because of the dim storage environment and extended time, improperly handled aged coffee often cannot escape complex flavors similar to mold or what's commonly called burlap or leather notes.

China Yunnan Region Coffee Beans

Yunnan region actually has a long history of coffee cultivation, but it hasn't entered the specialty coffee market for long. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee believes Yunnan region coffee has great development potential. For this reason, FrontStreet Coffee established a coffee plantation at the border of Yunnan's Baoshan and Myanmar, specifically planting Typica variety Yunnan coffee beans. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce Yunnan coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee's plantation.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Huaguoshan Coffee Beans

Country: China
Region: Yunnan Baoshan
Altitude: 1450-1550m
Variety: Typica
Processing: Washed Process
Flavor: Citrus, Nuts, Plum, Melon Aroma, Brown Sugar, Black Tea Sensation

The difference between FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Huaguoshan coffee beans and Yunnan Xiaoli beans is that Huaguoshan is Typica variety, while Yunnan Xiaoli is Catimor. In fact, both beans can be called small-grain coffee, but because Typica's floral and fruit acidity is gentler and richer, the name Huaguoshan was specifically chosen to distinguish the two varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Xiaoli Coffee Beans (Daily Beans)

Country: China
Region: Yunnan Baoshan
Altitude: 1200m
Variety: Catimor
Processing: Washed Process
Flavor: Herbal, Nutty Aroma, Chocolate, Caramel

Yunnan Xiaoli coffee refers to small-grain coffee cultivated in Yunnan region. Coffee is an evergreen small tree of the Rubiaceae family, native to Africa. Currently, the main cultivated beverage plants are small-grain coffee and medium-grain coffee. Traditionally, small-grain coffee cultivated in China's Yunnan specifically refers to mixed populations of Bourbon and Typica varieties.

Small-grain coffee is the most widely cultivated species in the Coffea genus. Due to its strong cold resistance and tolerance to short-term low temperatures, it can grow at altitudes of 2100 meters in tropical regions, but is not drought-tolerant; branches are relatively fragile and cannot withstand strong winds; disease resistance is relatively weak; fruits fall easily after ripening; after processing, the coffee taste is mellow and has lower caffeine content.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Natural Catimor Coffee Beans

Country: China
Region: Yunnan (Baoshan)
Altitude: 1450-1550m
Variety: Catimor
Processing: Red Cherry Natural Process
Flavor: Caramel, Dried Fruit, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Herbal, Woody

Most of Yunnan currently grows Catimor, which is a hybrid of Caturra (a Bourbon lineage branch in Arabica) and Robusta varieties. The reason for planting this variety is that Catimor has Robusta genes, making it more disease-resistant than single old varieties, and it also has good yields. Compared to delicate old varieties with poor disease resistance and low yields, farmers naturally prefer growing Catimor, so a Catimor trend has now swept Yunnan.

Latin American Region Coffee Beans

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Latin American coffee beans are known for their balance and nutty cocoa flavors. This is because the terrain and climate conditions in Latin American growing regions vary greatly, so their coffee flavors are not as extreme as Asian and African coffees, but rather neutralize their coffee flavors. Among the more representative regions are Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, Costa Rica, the founder of honey processing, and Colombia. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce representative coffee beans from these three regions.

Brazilian Region Coffee Beans

The Brazilian region mainly grows Bourbon variety coffee beans, therefore exhibiting excellent sweetness in flavor expression. The following coffee bean is what Frontsteet believes best represents Brazilian coffee flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen's Manor

Country: Brazil
Region: Mogiana
Altitude: 1400-1950
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Pulped Natural
Flavor: Nuts, Creamy Peanuts, Fermented Fruit Notes, Cane Sugar

Queen's Manor mainly exports specialty Bourbon variety coffee. Environmental protection is quite thorough. Due to the higher altitude and non-plain terrain, machines cannot be used for harvesting - fruits are picked entirely by hand. They also plant low-yield, high-quality Bourbon varieties, representing the essence of fine Brazilian coffee. Therefore, Frontsteet believes this estate's coffee best represents Brazil's quality coffee.

Costa Rican Coffee Growing Region

Costa Rican region coffee beans mainly use honey processing. This is because local coffee plantations are on mountains, making it very inconvenient to transport coffee cherries to processing stations downhill, and coffee fruits are easily damaged during transport. Meanwhile, coffee buyers also purchase coffee beans at exploitative prices. Therefore, coffee farmers developed unique honey processing methods to produce and sell their own coffee, increasing income.

And with the advancement of Costa Rican coffee technology, many special honey-processed coffee beans have appeared on the market. For example, the Musician Series coffee from Costa Rica's Canet Estate in FrontStreet Coffee's store is very popular among coffee enthusiasts.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Musician Series Bach Coffee Beans

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazú
Altitude: 1950m
Variety: Caturra
Processing: Raisin Honey Process
Flavor: Tropical Fruits, Berries, Nuts, Cream, Caramel, Floral Notes

FrontStreet Coffee's Bach coffee beans use raisin honey processing, which retains 100% of the coffee fruit's mucilage and also employs zero-water processing, making this a very sweet coffee bean. Bach coffee beans exhibit white wine mouthfeel and balanced acidity, with more intense fermented notes in flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Musician Series Beethoven Coffee Beans

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazú
Altitude: 1800-1950m
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Washed Process
Flavor: Citrus, Berries, Floral Notes, Light Fermented Wine Aroma

FrontStreet Coffee's Beethoven coffee beans in-store is the only coffee bean in the Musician Series using washed processing, so its flavor expression is cleaner and brighter, with citrus-toned aroma.

Colombian Coffee Growing Region

Colombia is the world's second-largest coffee exporter and also the country that exports the most Arabica variety coffee beans. Colombia also has many coffee beans processed using special methods, with impressive flavor expressions. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will recommend some special Colombian coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Colombia San José Estate Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia
Region: Caldas
Altitude: 1750m
Variety: Castillo
Processing: Refined Washed Rum Barrel Fermentation Process
Flavor: Rum, Liquor Chocolate, Tropical Fruits, Maple Syrup

The owner of San José Estate can be considered the founder of barrel fermentation processing. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, she is the third-generation female owner of San José Estate. Because she is dedicated to promoting Colombian coffee, she broke through and tried to forge a different path between traditional production and modern specialty coffee trends. With this premise, during one occasion accompanying her husband in rum making, she had an inspiration: what if coffee green beans were placed in oak barrels - would they absorb oak barrel flavors like original wine, achieving barrel-aged effects?

Under this concept, owner Monsalve Botero began placing green beans in rum barrels of different ages for winemaking-style low-temperature fermentation starting in 2013, comparing fermentation flavors from different brewing times. Through such experiments, she selected the most suitable barrels and fermentation duration lengths. Finally, she successfully found the optimal combination, achieving special and satisfying flavors, thus creating rum barrel fermented coffee that differs from traditional washed processing.

FrontStreet Coffee Colombia Flower Moon Night Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia
Region: Huila (El Espectador Farm)
Altitude: 1800m
Variety: Caturra
Processing: Anaerobic Natural Process
Flavor: Strawberry, Honey Peach, Fermented Wine Aroma, Chocolate, Fruit Wine

FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Moon Night coffee beans come from anaerobic natural coffee beans developed by El Espectador farm owner Ramirez. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, he comes from a coffee-growing family and started coffee production at age 18. He previously worked in coffee professional roles in Acevedo city and later had the opportunity to buy the farm called El Espectador.

This farm grows Caturra, a common coffee variety. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, often featuring refreshing fruit acidity and light sweetness in flavor. This also sets the tone for Flower Moon Night coffee. Additionally, the previous owner of El Espectador farm initiated a special processing plan three years ago and told Ramirez how to carry out special processing projects. With his passion for coffee cultivation, Ramirez changed the fermentation process that couldn't achieve desired results.

He places coffee fruits in sealed fermentation tanks and uses low-temperature fermentation to extend the entire fermentation time. With 15-20 days of fermentation, coffee flavors gain more possibilities. Over time, slow drying allows coffee cherries to develop optimal water activity during this process. This not only develops better flavors but also allows green beans to maintain longer during seasonal storage cycles. After fermentation, these coffee fruits undergo natural drying processing. This processing method is what FrontStreet Coffee now calls anaerobic natural processing.

FrontStreet Coffee Colombia Rose Valley Coffee Beans

Country: Colombia
Region: Santander (Big Tree Estate)
Altitude: 1700m
Variety: Caturra
Processing: Anaerobic Double Enzyme Washed Processing Method
Flavor: Honey, Juicy Sensation, Strawberry

Rose Valley coffee comes from Big Tree Estate in Colombia's Santander region. Farm owner Vargas has operated Big Tree Farm for coffee cultivation for 20 years. At Big Tree Farm, only fully mature, bright red coffee fruits are selected for picking. Defective floating beans are removed through washing, followed by two rounds of anaerobic fermentation and special enzyme group fermentation. The farm owner also pays great attention to the coffee bean drying process, avoiding excessively high temperatures and adopting slow drying methods. This is the double enzyme anaerobic processing method mentioned above by FrontStreet Coffee.

Its process involves removing floating beans through washing, then placing the processed coffee beans in a closed container, injecting carbon dioxide to expel oxygen. In an oxygen-free environment, the decomposition speed of sugars in coffee fruit mucilage slows down, and pH decreases more slowly, extending fermentation time to develop better coffee sweetness and more balanced flavors.

The above are the coffee beans organized by FrontStreet Coffee that represent the three major coffee growing regions. We hope this article helps coffee enthusiasts better understand relevant coffee growing region flavors to select coffee beans suitable for their taste preferences.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

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