Distribution of the Golden Coffee Growing Belt | Regions Suitable for Coffee Cultivation | Is Yunnan Suitable for Coffee Growing?

The Golden Coffee Belt

Coffee cultivation has extremely high requirements for climate and environment, therefore, not all land can grow coffee! The areas between 25° south latitude and 25° north latitude on Earth have suitable climates, no frost, and abundant annual rainfall, making them perfect for coffee cultivation. These regions are known as the coffee's "Golden Coffee Belt"!

Today, there are 79 countries and regions worldwide that grow and produce coffee, including Yunnan in China. Different countries/regions have formed different climates and terroirs due to their geographical environments, resulting in varying coffee flavors. As the saying goes, "different waters nurture different people," and this can also be applied to coffee beans. The taste and texture of coffee beans are 70% determined by their genetics, while the remaining 30% comes from their growing ecosystem (a series of conditions including latitude, altitude, soil, sunlight, temperature, humidity, etc.).

FrontStreet Coffee believes that while the genetic variety is certainly important, we cannot ignore the geographical climate where it grows. These are the crucial factors that distinguish coffee from one producing region from another, forming the final flavor characteristics of the coffee. These characteristics are what we call the "terroir" flavor.

The Impact of Environmental Factors

For example: if you have two beans of the same variety grown in different countries, using the same processing method and the same roast level, their final flavors will vary due to different growing environments.

Latitude

Most coffee growing regions worldwide are located in tropical areas between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn (including the equator). The geographical climate in this region remains between 16-25°C year-round, with no frost and abundant annual rainfall reaching 1600-2000 millimeters. In the coffee world, this zone is called the "Golden Coffee Belt."

Altitude

The lower the temperature in the growing environment, the slower coffee grows, allowing more time to absorb nutrients, resulting in richer flavors. Research shows that for every 100 meters increase in altitude, the temperature drops by 0.6 degrees Celsius.

Therefore, the higher the altitude, the colder the climate. Coffee grown in high-altitude environments grows much more slowly due to lower environmental temperatures. For every 300 meters increase in altitude, the sucrose content in coffee increases by 10%. During roasting, these sucrose compounds will produce more aromatic substances through chemical reactions! These substances are mainly acidic, which explains why high-altitude beans have fuller flavors and higher acidity!

Soil

The soil in growing areas directly affects coffee's body and acidic content, thanks to the minerals contained in the soil. Among these, "volcanic soil" is particularly special.

Volcanic soil contains high concentrations of sulfuric acid and sulfides, as well as rich potassium elements - these are the main contributors to coffee's acidic aroma. Speaking of Kenyan beans, the reason we can taste rounded acidity similar to cherry tomatoes in Kenyan beans, besides their washed processing, is another major factor: the soil is rich in phosphoric acid.

Sunlight

As mentioned earlier, low temperatures slow coffee growth, so higher temperatures naturally produce the opposite effect. That's right - we're talking about sunlight! The temperature from sun exposure is enough to shorten the growth cycle of coffee beans and accelerate maturation.

When coffee matures before absorbing enough nutrients, the brewed coffee will inevitably taste ordinary! To solve the problem of excessive sunlight, people came up with the idea of planting coffee trees under taller trees (commonly known as shade trees). This reduces most of the sunlight exposure, slowing growth and producing more delicious coffee.

Humidity

High humidity environments help increase malic acid and sugar generation in coffee pulp. These substances generated in the pulp are eventually absorbed by the coffee beans. Particularly for special processing methods like honey processing and anaerobic processing, coffee beans absorb more sugars, ultimately presenting full, juicy sweet and sour flavors.

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