Coffee Growing Regions

Guatemalan coffee is highly regarded and carries classifications depending on region and flavor profiles for that region. Highland coffees produce a complex flavor encompassing smokey, spicy and sometimes chocolatey tones. The ocean exposed regions produce beans that exhibit a softer, gentler flavor but still with a fuller body.

Renown for their ‘fruity’ aromas, often displaying hints of blueberry, mango, raspberry, and other citrus fruits. Often described as ‘floral’,  Ethiopian coffees are usually medium roasted, full bodied with a mild to medium acidity. All growing regions produce Arabica beans.

Haitian coffee production has understandably suffered from natural disasters and international politics, which is a shame, because it’s coffee production heritage is one of the richest, going back 300 years. Coffees are often heavy in body with mild to moderate acidity, soft with a sweet mellowness and rich in flavor.

Renown for ‘Kona’ coffee beans which command a premium price. Typical Kona coffee have a medium body with ‘bright’ acidity. Often described as having a ‘rich’ flavor, but at the same time light and delicate with a complex aroma and taste. Some cups exhibit, buttery and spicy qualities too.

Indian coffee is grown exclusively in the shade and much of the bean harvest is ‘monsooned’, a process of leaving the beans exposed to monsoon winds. This increases the coffee’s sweetness and reduces its acidity. The coffee has a medium to full body with a subtle and rich flavor. As one might expect, the coffee has spicy notes to it including, nutmeg, cloves and cardamon.

Best known for it’s ‘Blue Mountain’ coffee, grown not surprisingly, in the Blue Mountain region of the country. The coffee is well balanced and full bodied. Some report that it has a slightly sweet flavor with a very rich, smooth, complex taste. It has a clean, bright taste with little bitterness.

Considered the birth place of coffee, its rich, high mountain volcanic soils give coffee from this region a taste like no other anywhere else in the world. Great acidity makes this a very ‘bright’ coffee. Rich and often having a ‘sweet’ side, tasters describe this coffee as having a floral, winey, fruity flavor.

Mexican coffees are for those people seeking a light, more acidic, delicate cup. Although not amongst the world’s finest, they have their place and are used in many blends. With a light to medium roast the cup is dry, somewhat fragrant and can have a ‘nutty’ taste.

Nicaragua

Coffee from Nicaragua is typically characteristic of those from the central American region, although often milder in acidity. Light to medium roasted, it has fruity notes reminiscent of pear and citrus fruits. Slightly florally, it has a light body. It’s often used in blends.

Tanzania

Tanzanian coffee is often identified as coming from peaberry beans – full oval beans rather than the flat halves of typical beans. Similar to Kenyan coffees, Tanzanian coffee are medium to full bodied, deep, rich with good acidity. Most coffee is grown near the border with Kenya, hence the similarity.

The focus of Vietnamese coffee production is 100% Robusta. As its name would suggest, Robusta gives a stronger taste, but often more natural. Often deep and rich you may detect a ‘buttery’ taste to it, add ing to the richness. That’s because the beans are roasted with clarified butter. Robusta has a higher caffeine content than Arabica, but you may find it more natural tasting. 

The home of ‘Mocha’. Arabian Mocha was originally shipped through the port of Mocha – which gave it its name. Yes, it conveniently has chocolate undertones, more so in the bean marketed as Mattari. It has a medium to full body, a fragrant aroma, bright acidity and earthy fruitiness.