Coffee, cocoa, and tea are known as the world's three major beverages. Although coffee was introduced to China only about a century ago, its growth in recent years has been rapid, and its community of enthusiasts continues to expand. Faced with numerous producing regions and brands around the world, beginners often do not know where to start. This article sorts through the classic beans of six representative coffee-producing countries worldwide—from the citrus and floral notes of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe, to the dark plum and snow pear notes of Kenya's little tomato, to the nutty sweetness of Brazil's Queen's farm, the herbal richness of Indonesia's Golden Mandheling, the jasmine and honey charm of Panama's Emerald Red Label Geisha, and the berry-tea character of China's Yunnan Typica. Each one is accompanied by recommended product information from Front Street Coffee, covering producing region, altitude, variety, processing method, and flavor description, helping readers build a clear understanding of coffee brand classifications and find the cup of good coffee that suits them.

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Coffee, tea, and cocoa are known as the world's three major beverages. Coffee has been in China for only a little over a hundred years, but it has truly entered the public eye only in recent years, with the number of drinkers increasing year by year, and Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has grown along with this wave. Many friends who are new to coffee can already casually name representative beans from well-known producing regions on various continents.

1. Yirgacheffe (Front Street Gutingding)

Yirgacheffe is one of the earliest producing regions recognized by many specialty coffee beginners. Mentioning it naturally brings Ethiopia to mind—the birthplace of coffee. Yirgacheffe was originally just a sub-region under the Sidamo producing area. Because the coffee produced in Yirgacheffe town was so outstanding in planting methods and flavor expression, even Ethiopia itself took pride in it, and even beans from other regions were labeled with the Yirgacheffe name. For this reason, Yirgacheffe eventually separated from Sidamo and became an independent producing region.

The characteristics of Yirgacheffe need no elaboration: bright fruit acidity, a clean cup, and delicate, elegant floral aromas. In "Specialty Coffee Studies," Mr. Han Huaizong's description of Yirgacheffe is one that Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) deeply agrees with—coffee enters the mouth, and a hundred flowers bloom. Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) Yirgacheffe Gutingding is exactly such a portrayal.

Front Street · Yirgacheffe Gutingding

Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia Cooperative: Gutingding Cooperative Altitude: 2000m–2100m Variety: Local heirloom varieties Processing method: Washed process Flavor: Citrus, black tea, floral, cream, caramel, almond

This bean from Front Street Gutingding not only has the signature flavor base of Yirgacheffe, but also offers a noticeable tea-like quality. Paired with citrus-like acidity, it really gives the illusion of drinking lemon tea. Friends who like lemon tea may want to give it a try.

2. Kenya (Front Street Little Tomato)

Kenyan coffee holds an extremely high status in the hearts of many veteran coffee enthusiasts and can be called a pearl of Africa. Kenya's earliest coffee varieties were introduced from Bourbon and India's Kent, and later Jamaican Blue Mountain Typica was introduced and planted on Mount Elgon. Today Kenya's most famous varieties are SL28 and SL34, both selected and bred by the Kenyan National Agricultural Laboratories (formerly the Scott Agricultural Laboratories).

SL28 is drought-tolerant and pest-resistant, suitable for cultivation at medium to high altitudes; SL34 is suitable for high-altitude areas with abundant rainfall. In flavor, the two are quite similar, but SL34 has richer acidity and a fuller body.

Kenyan coffee's signature blackberry acidity comes, on the one hand, from the local soil's rich phosphoric acid, and on the other hand, from Kenya's most famous K72 washed processing method.

The process of the K72 washed processing method is: harvest coffee cherries, depulp, ferment for 24 hours, and wash with water; then soak and ferment for another 24 hours, wash again, and repeat this three times, thereby achieving 72 hours of deep fermentation.

Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) Kenya Asalia coffee beans use the K72 washed processing method, giving a brighter, cleaner flavor and a fuller body at the same time.

Front Street Kenya Little Tomato

Region: Thika, Kenya Washing station: Asali Washing Station Altitude: 1550m–1750m Variety: SL28, SL34 Processing method: K72 washed process Flavor: Snow pear, dark plum, yellow sugar, cherry tomato, plum

3. Brazil (Front Street Queen's Farm)

Brazil ranks first in the world in coffee production. Coffee cultivation in Brazil began more than three hundred years ago. In the 1720s, a Portuguese captain from Brazil used his charms to win the heart of the wife of the governor of French Guiana in Cayenne, successfully bringing coffee seeds into Brazil.

Brazil's coffee-growing altitude is relatively low, roughly between 400 and 1,600 meters. In addition, sun-exposure cultivation is mostly used, allowing coffee cherries to absorb enough heat and mature early. Therefore, Brazilian beans have low density and a soft texture, showing a typical soft-bean style. This forms a sharp contrast in flavor with African beans: Brazilian coffee has low acidity, prominent nuttiness, good chocolate sweetness and body, but with a slight woody and earthy taste, while floral and orange notes are not obvious. Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) baristas often recommend Brazil to friends who do not like acidity, because Brazilian coffee is generally mild, and it is not easy to encounter the wild, flamboyant, bright acidity and orange notes of African beans.

Front Street Brazil Queen's Farm

Region: Mogiana, Brazil Farm: Queen's Farm Altitude: 1400m–1950m Variety: Yellow Bourbon Processing method: Natural process Flavor: Nuts, creamy peanut, cane sugar, fermented fruit

4. Indonesia (Front Street Golden Mandheling)

Indonesian coffee is no stranger to many coffee beginners. Among them, kopi luwak is famous for its scarce production and high price. The Indonesian coffee most easily accessible to the public, however, is none other than Mandheling.

Mandheling is mainly produced in the Sumatra region of Indonesia, with a rich, intense body and a distinctive character. The formation of this unique flavor is closely related to the local processing method: Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia, with abundant rainfall year-round and shorter sunshine hours than Ethiopia and Brazil. If natural processing were used, it would easily produce fermented or moldy beans; in addition, local economic conditions are limited, and washed processing requires a large amount of water. Therefore, most Indonesian Mandheling uses a locally distinctive semi-washed method, namely the wet-hulling method.

Wet hulling, also known as Wet Hulling, has the following process: after the coffee cherries are depulped, they are soaked in water for 1–2 hours, rubbed against each other to remove part of the mucilage, and undergo the first drying, at which point the moisture content drops to between 20% and 35%. The coffee beans, whose mucilage layer has not yet solidified, are sent to the processing plant for a second drying, with moisture content reduced to about 18%. After the second drying is completed, the parchment layer is removed, followed by a final drying until the moisture content drops to 11%.

Mr. Han Huaizong once described the flavor characteristics of wet-hulled coffee beans in his book: "This is also a rare processing method in the world, accidentally creating Mandheling's special low-acidity, thick, and subdued aroma flavor." Through years of cupping different batches of wet-hulled Indonesian coffee beans, Front Street has found that they have lower acidity, a thick body, and unique flavors such as herbal spices, but the drawback is that the quality is not stable enough. Of course, unstable quality cannot be entirely attributed to wet hulling; in most cases, it may be related to the poor quality of some green coffee beans themselves.

Front Street · Indonesia Golden Mandheling

Region: Gayo Mountain, Aceh, North Sumatra, Indonesia Altitude: 1100m–1600m Variety: Ateng Processing method: Wet-hulled process Flavor: Spices, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs, chocolate

5. Panama (Front Street Emerald Red Label Geisha)

Today Geisha coffee is famous for its high price. Geisha's rise to fame is inseparable from Panama's Emerald Estate—it is both the discoverer and promoter of Geisha. Geisha was introduced to Panama in the 1960s. After more than forty years of quiet accumulation, it finally won the BOP championship in 2004 and became famous overnight, becoming the supreme treasure in the minds of many specialty coffee enthusiasts.

The refined and elegant flavor of the Geisha variety comes from a specific growing environment. Geisha is extremely demanding about growing conditions: high-altitude planting, shade cultivation, and fertile soil. For this reason, the Geisha coffee from Panama's Emerald Estate on Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) bean list has obvious floral aromas and refined, elegant fruit acidity. This elegant flavor is also one of the reasons it has swept the world.

Front Street · Emerald Estate Red Label Geisha

Region: Boquete, Panama Farm: Emerald Estate Altitude: 1700+m Variety: Geisha Processing method: Natural process Flavor: Citrus, jasmine, honey, berries

6. Yunnan, China (Front Street 2013 Yunnan Typica)

In China, the history of tea is more than a thousand years earlier than that of coffee, and the earliest traceable history of coffee circulation in China dates back to 1870. The history of coffee cultivation in Yunnan is disputed, with three accounts: 1902, 1892, and 1904.

The earliest coffee variety planted in Yunnan was Typica, but with the advancement of opening policies, international brands such as Starbucks and Nestlé entered Yunnan and promoted the cultivation of the Catimor variety, which has strong disease resistance and high yield but inferior flavor. Over time, Yunnan arabica coffee gradually evolved from Typica in the past to today's Catimor.

Yunnan's coffee-producing areas are mainly distributed in the southwestern part of the province: Lincang, Baoshan, Pu'er, and Dehong. Lincang borders Pu'er to the east, Dali to the north, Baoshan to the west, and Myanmar to the southwest. Lincang's average annual temperature is between 16.8 and 17.2°C, with distinct dry and wet seasons and abundant sunshine. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) established its own estate in Lincang, and in 2021, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) launched its first self-produced coffee beans.

Front Street Yunnan Natural Typica

Region: Lincang, Yunnan, China Farm: Yunnan Front Street Coffee Estate Altitude: 1300m Variety: Typica Processing method: Natural process Flavor: Berries, brown sugar, nuts, tea-like

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.