Category: Coffee Origins
Rwanda Nyungwe: Africa's New Highland for Specialty Coffee
Rwanda is a latecomer to African specialty coffee, and Nyungwe is its core producing region. This article takes you through the rapid rise of Rwandan coffee, the characteristics of the Nyungwe region, and its flavors in the cup. [more…]
Hawaii·Kona: The Only American-Grown Coffee in the World
Hawaiian Kona is the only specialty coffee grown in the United States and one of the most expensive island coffees in the world. This article takes you through Kona's geography, its strict grading system, and its distinctive flavor. [more…]
Tanzania: Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru — Another Gem of Africa
Tanzania is another important specialty coffee producer in Africa, with Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru as its core producing regions. This article takes you through the history, geography, and flavor of Tanzanian coffee. [more…]
Ethiopia·Harar: Africa's Oldest Coffee Legend
Harar is one of Ethiopia's oldest coffee-producing regions and one of the earliest in the world to see commercial coffee cultivation. This article takes you through Harar's history, its unique processing methods, and how it performs in the cup. [more…]
Yemen · Mocha: The Origin of Coffee and Ancient Flavors
Yemen is the birthplace of commercial coffee cultivation, and the port of Mokha was once the starting point of the global coffee trade. This article takes you through the long history of Yemeni coffee, its unique processing methods, and how it performs in the cup. [more…]
Indonesia: Java and Flores — Diverse Island Flavors
Indonesia's Java and Flores are two specialty coffee-producing regions with just as much diverse flavor as Sumatra. This article introduces you to the geography, varieties, and distinctive flavors of these two island regions. [more…]
Indonesia · Sumatra Mandheling: The Rich, Low-Acidity Depth of Wet Hulling
Sumatra Mandheling is the most distinctive low-acid coffee in the world of specialty coffee, and its unique wet-hulling process gives Mandheling a heavy body with earthy and spicy herbal notes. This article takes you through the mystery of Mandheling's processing. [more…]
Jamaica Blue Mountain: One of the World's Most Expensive Classics
Jamaican Blue Mountain is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, known for its mild acidity, balanced body, and unique sparkling sensation. This article takes you through Blue Mountain's history, geography, strict grading system, and why it has been able to maintain a high price. [more…]
Panama · Boquete and Hacienda La Esmeralda: The Geisha Pilgrimage Site
Boquete is Panama's most famous coffee-producing region, and Hacienda La Esmeralda is the birthplace of the world's most expensive Geisha coffee. This article takes you through the geography of Boquete, the history of Geisha, the miracle of Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the mystery of Geisha's flavor. [more…]
Costa Rica · Western Valley: A Representative of Ecological Specialty
The Western Valley is one of Costa Rica's four major specialty coffee regions, known for its eco-friendly growing philosophy and diverse processing methods. This article introduces the characteristics and signature flavors of this region. [more…]
Costa Rica · Tarrazú: The Birthplace of Honey Processing
Tarrazú is Costa Rica's most renowned specialty coffee region and the birthplace of the world's "honey process" method. This article takes you through Tarrazú's geography, the birth of the honey process, and the unique flavors of this region. [more…]
Guatemala · Huehuetenango and Acatenango: The High-Altitude Twins
Huehuetenango and Acatenango are two adjacent high-altitude specialty coffee regions in Guatemala. The former is located in the Maya highlands near the Mexican border, while the latter sits right beside the Acatenango volcano. This article provides an in-depth analysis of these two high-altitude twin-star regions. [more…]
Guatemala Antigua: A Classic Collision of Volcanic Soil and Floral-Fruity Notes
Guatemala Antigua is one of the world's most prestigious specialty coffee regions, and its unique terrain—embraced by volcanoes on three sides—gives rise to its signature floral and fruity notes along with a full body. This article takes you deep into this Central American coffee gem. [more…]
Brazil · Mogiana and Bahia: A Specialty Experiment Field
Mogiana and Bahia are two other important specialty coffee regions in Brazil. Mogiana is known for its traditional natural process, while Bahia is a pioneer of specialty coffee experiments in Brazil. This article introduces you to the characteristics of these two regions. [more…]
Brazil · Cerrado and Sul de Minas: The Backbone of Global Coffee Production
Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, with Cerrado and Sul de Minas being its two most core producing regions. This article takes you through the history of coffee cultivation in Brazil, its flavor characteristics, and its unique place in the world of specialty coffee. [more…]
Colombia · Narino and Cauca: High-Scoring New Stars of Specialty Estates
Nariño and Cauca are two neighboring emerging specialty coffee regions in southern Colombia. The coffee produced here has, for consecutive years, earned high scores in the Cup of Excellence thanks to its full-bodied tartaric acidity, pronounced fruity notes, and complex layers. [more…]
Colombia · Huila Department: Balanced Sweetness of the Andes
Huila is Colombia's most prestigious specialty coffee region, and the coffee produced here is famous for its balanced acidity and sweetness, pronounced caramel sweetness, and clean cup profile. This article guides you through Huila's geography, varieties, flavors, and brewing. [more…]
Kenya·Nyeri and Thika: The Bold Acidity of Blackcurrant and Tomato
Kenyan coffee is regarded by the global specialty coffee community as the "benchmark of Africa" for its powerful acidity, full-bodied tartaric acid, and distinctive blackcurrant flavor. This article takes the two major producing regions of Nyeri and Thika as its starting point to provide an in-depth analysis of the ins and outs of Kenyan coffee. [more…]
Ethiopia: Sidamo and Guji: A Flavor Divide Between Two Major Producing Regions
Sidamo and Guji are the two specialty coffee regions in southern Ethiopia most often mentioned side by side. This article helps you clarify the flavor divide between them from four dimensions: history, geography, variety, and processing method. [more…]
Ethiopia · Yirgacheffe: The Floral-Fruity Doctrine of the Sidamo Highlands
Yirgacheffe is Ethiopia's most iconic specialty coffee region, renowned worldwide for the clean floral and citrus notes produced by its washed processing. This article takes you from history, geography, varieties, and processing methods all the way to the flavors in the cup, offering an in-depth understanding of the origins of this floral-and-fruity doctrine. [more…]