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Coffee origins

What each growing region tastes like, and the conditions that make it taste that way — altitude, soil, rainfall, variety and processing, each with what it does to the cup.

Bolivia

• Caranavi — Delicate and floral, with honey, red apple and a clean silky acidity — one of the most refined cups in South America, and one of the hardest to find.

Brazil

• Cerrado Mineiro — Milk chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, low acidity, heavy syrupy body. The coffee that makes a flat white taste like a flat white.
• Chapada Diamantina — Sweeter and brighter than typical Brazilian coffee, with citrus, caramel and stone fruit over the familiar chocolate base.
• General — Chocolate, caramel and roasted nut, low acidity and a heavy body. The base of most espresso blends on earth.
• Minas Gerais — Chocolate, caramel and roasted nut with a heavy body and low acidity — the base note of most espresso blends in the world.
• Mogiana — Sweet and nutty, with milk chocolate, hazelnut and a soft, low acidity. Classic Brazilian, with a little more sweetness than the plateau.
• Sul de Minas — Milk chocolate and roasted nut with more sweetness and a livelier acidity than Cerrado — the same Brazilian base with the volume turned up.

Burundi

• Kayanza — Blackcurrant, red berry and lemon blossom, with a juicy acidity and silky body — bright and floral, close to Rwanda but often more intense.

China

• Yunnan — Clean and mild, with cocoa, walnut, brown sugar and a soft acidity. Competent and increasingly polished rather than distinctive — though the best recent lots are genuinely good.

Colombia

• Antioquia — Caramel and toasted nut with red apple, medium body, and a balanced acidity that never demands attention. The archetypal Colombian cup.
• Cauca — Bright and floral, with lime, panela sugar and a crisp, clean acidity. Among the most delicate Colombian coffees.
• General — Caramel, red apple and cocoa with a balanced acidity and medium body. The coffee most people picture when they think "coffee".
• Huila — Caramel and red apple over a cocoa base, with a soft, rounded acidity and a syrupy weight. The coffee most people picture when they think "coffee".
• Nariño — Lime and green apple over a dense sugarcane sweetness. The sharpest, most crystalline expression of Colombian coffee.
• Quindío — Classically balanced — caramel, nut and red apple, medium body, gentle acidity. The Colombian archetype.
• Santander — Full-bodied and sweet, with molasses, walnut and a low, soft acidity. Heavier and darker than the Colombian coffee most people picture.
• Tolima — Sweet and juicy, with panela sugar, tropical fruit and a clean bright acidity. Often the most fruit-forward of the major Colombian departments.

Costa Rica

• Central Valley — Balanced and clean, with cocoa, almond and a mild, sweet acidity. Classic and understated.
• Tarrazú — Clean bright acidity, honeyed sweetness and a crisp, almost polished finish. The most technically precise coffee in Central America.
• West Valley — Sweet and complex, with peach, honey and citrus over a clean body — often the most aromatic of Costa Rica's regions.

Cuba

• Sierra Maestra — Heavy-bodied and low-acid, with dark chocolate, tobacco and molasses. Traditional, old-fashioned and made for a dark roast.

Dominican Republic

• Barahona — Sweet and full-bodied, with chocolate, brown sugar and a mild, rounded acidity. Old-fashioned and comfortable rather than bright.

Ecuador

• Galápagos — Delicate and clean, with floral notes, soft citrus and a light body — closer to a high-grown coffee than its elevation has any right to produce.
• Loja — Floral and bright, with jasmine, citrus and a sweet, tea-like body. Delicate and distinctive.

El Salvador

• Apaneca-Ilamatepec — Sweet and creamy, with caramel, cocoa and orange, a soft acidity and a full body. Comfortable and generous.
• Chalatenango — Sweet and clean, with cocoa, orange and a soft, balanced acidity. Gentle and well-mannered.
• Santa Ana — Soft, creamy sweetness with cocoa, red apple and a gentle acidity — and, in Pacamara lots, an outsized floral and herbal intensity that tastes like a different country.

Ethiopia

• General — Floral and fruited — jasmine and citrus when washed, blueberry and wine when natural. The most aromatic coffee in the world.
• Guji — Peach, apricot and tropical fruit with a syrupy sweetness — rounder and more stone-fruited than Yirgacheffe's citrus and jasmine.
• Harrar — Blueberry and dried apricot with a heavy winey sweetness and a distinct spice — the wildest and least tidy of the great Ethiopian coffees.
• Jimma — Sweet and winey, with dried fruit, spice and a soft acidity. Rounder and less floral than the southern names, and increasingly good.
• Kaffa — Earthy and wine-like, with spice, dried fruit and a heavy sweetness — rustic and complex rather than clean.
• Limu — Clean and winey, with citrus, jasmine and a spiced sweetness — softer and more balanced than Yirgacheffe, with less floral intensity.
• Sidamo — Blueberry, strawberry and jammy ripe fruit when natural-processed; softer citrus and stone fruit when washed. The fruit-forward half of Ethiopia.
• Yirgacheffe — Jasmine, bergamot and lemon over a light, tea-like body — the most overtly floral coffee in commercial production, and the reference every other washed African coffee gets described against.

Guatemala

• Acatenango — Bright and complex, with orange, cocoa and a firm, clean acidity. Structured and lively.
• Antigua — Cocoa and toffee with a gentle spice, full velvety body, and a quiet well-mannered acidity. Structured rather than showy.
• Atitlán — Bright citrus and red fruit over cocoa, with a crisp acidity and a fuller body than the brightness suggests.
• Cobán — Winey and fruity, with plum, cocoa and a soft, spicy acidity — the least "Guatemalan" of Guatemala's regions.
• Huehuetenango — Bright citrus and stone fruit over cocoa, with a fuller body than the acidity leads you to expect. The most fruit-forward coffee in Guatemala.
• San Marcos — Delicate and floral, with peach, jasmine and a soft, sweet acidity — the most aromatic of Guatemala's regions.

Honduras

• Copán — Sweet and rounded, with caramel, chocolate and red apple, medium body and a mild acidity. Comfortable and easy.
• Marcala — Sweet and balanced, with caramel, milk chocolate and stone fruit, and a soft, rounded acidity. An easy, well-mannered cup.
• Santa Bárbara — Complex and bright, with tropical fruit, floral notes and a juicy, sweet acidity — closer to a fine Ethiopian than to typical Central American coffee.

India

• Araku Valley — Sweet and mild, with cocoa, dried fruit and warm spice, a full body and gentle acidity. Rounded and comfortable.
• Coorg — Full-bodied and mild, with cocoa, nut and warm spice, and a very soft acidity. Rounded and comfortable.
• Karnataka — Full-bodied and low-acid, with cocoa, toasted nut and warm baking spice. Arabica here is soft and rounded; the robusta is unusually good and often washed.
• Malabar Coast — Almost no acidity at all — heavy, musty and nutty, with tobacco, cereal and a thick syrupy body. Genuinely unlike any other coffee.

Indonesia

• Aceh Gayo, Sumatra — Earthy, herbal and cedar-like, with tobacco and dark chocolate, very low acidity and a heavy syrupy body. The most polarising profile in coffee.
• Bajawa, Flores — Sweet and full, with chocolate, tobacco and a soft dark-fruit acidity — heavier than Bali, cleaner than Sumatra.
• General — Earthy, herbal and cedar-like with a heavy syrupy body and very low acidity — though the washed islands taste nothing like that.
• Ijen Plateau, Java — Clean and syrupy, with cocoa, cedar and a mild spice — heavier than a washed Latin American but far tidier than Sumatra.
• Kintamani, Bali — Bright and clean for Indonesian coffee, with citrus, sweet spice and a medium body. Noticeably fruitier than Sumatra or Sulawesi.
• Lintong, Sumatra — Earthy and herbal with cedar, dark chocolate and a hint of sweet tobacco — recognisably Sumatran, generally cleaner and sweeter than Gayo.
• Toraja, Sulawesi — Dark chocolate and warm spice with a hint of cedar, full-bodied and low in acidity — recognisably Indonesian, but cleaner and less earthy than Sumatra.

Jamaica

• Blue Mountains — Mild, sweet and unusually smooth — nutty and lightly floral, with gentle acidity and almost no bitterness. Famous for what it lacks as much as what it has.

Kenya

• Embu — Blackcurrant, plum and citrus with a juicy acidity and a rounded body — full Kenyan character, a little less sharp.
• Kiambu — Blackcurrant and citrus with a full body and a slightly softer acidity than the Mount Kenya regions — recognisably Kenyan, a little rounder.
• Kirinyaga — Intense blackcurrant and grapefruit with a juicy, wine-like acidity and a sweetness that keeps it from turning harsh. Kenya at full volume.
• Nyeri — Blackcurrant, grapefruit and tomato-leaf savouriness over a juicy, almost wine-like acidity. The most intense acidity in commercial coffee.

Laos

• Bolaven Plateau — Sweet and mellow, with cocoa, caramel and a soft stone-fruit acidity. Gentle, rounded and rarely challenging.

Mexico

• Chiapas — Mild and clean, with milk chocolate, almond and a soft citrus lift. Gentle, unassertive and consistently pleasant rather than dramatic.
• Oaxaca — Light and clean, with almond, milk chocolate and a delicate citrus edge. Gentle and low-risk — the definition of a mild coffee.
• Veracruz — Mild and sweet, with almond, caramel and a light citrus edge. Gentle and low-risk.

Nicaragua

• Jinotega — Sweet and mellow, with chocolate, caramel and orange, medium body and a soft acidity. Approachable and consistently decent.
• Matagalpa — Sweet and balanced, with chocolate, orange and a soft acidity. Rounded and unassertive.
• Nueva Segovia — Bright and floral, with citrus, honey and a crisp, clean acidity — the most delicate and expressive Nicaraguan coffee.

Panama

• Boquete — At its best, jasmine, peach and bergamot with a tea-like delicacy that barely reads as coffee. At its most expensive, the most sought-after cup in the world.
• Volcán — Clean and sweet, with citrus, honey and a bright acidity — less overtly floral than Boquete, and often better value.

Papua New Guinea

• Eastern Highlands — Juicy tropical fruit and brown sugar with a full, syrupy body and moderate acidity — sweeter and rounder than Indonesian coffee despite the proximity.

Peru

• Amazonas — Sweet and floral, with honey, red fruit and a clean bright acidity — the most refined and expressive of Peru's regions.
• Cajamarca — Sweet and clean, with caramel, cocoa and gentle citrus. Mild-mannered, well balanced and usually excellent value.
• Chanchamayo — Sweet and nutty, with cocoa, caramel and a mild acidity. Gentle, clean and dependable.
• Cusco — Sweet and floral, with citrus, honey and a clean, delicate acidity. Refined and lighter-bodied than most Peruvian coffee.

Philippines

• Cordillera — Sweet and mild, with cocoa, nut and a soft citrus acidity. Clean and gentle, with a fuller body than the altitude suggests.

Puerto Rico

• Yauco — Balanced and clean, with cocoa, caramel and a soft citrus edge. Mild, polished and extremely scarce.

Rwanda

• Lake Kivu — Floral and red-fruited, with orange blossom, cherry and a silky, tea-like body. Delicate and bright, in the Rwandan mould.
• Southern Province — Red berry, orange blossom and brown sugar with a tea-like delicacy and a clean, bright acidity — closer to a fine Ethiopian than to its Kenyan neighbour.

Taiwan

• Alishan — Delicate and tea-like, with orange blossom, honey and a light, silky body — closer to a fine oolong than to most coffee.

Tanzania

• Kilimanjaro — Blackcurrant and citrus with a wine-like acidity and a fuller, rounder body than its Kenyan neighbours — Kenya's intensity with the edges softened.
• Mbeya — Sweet and clean, with black tea, citrus and red fruit, a medium body and a bright but civil acidity.

Thailand

• Chiang Mai Highlands — Sweet and clean, with orange, honey and cocoa, a medium body and a bright, gentle acidity. Polished and easy to like.

Timor-Leste

• Maubisse — Sweet and clean, with cocoa, brown sugar and soft red fruit, a full body and mild acidity. Gentle and rounded rather than dramatic.

Uganda

• Mount Elgon — The washed arabica from Mount Elgon — Bugisu — is bright and winey with blackcurrant and a full body. Uganda's wild robusta is a different animal entirely: heavy, chocolatey and powerful.
• Rwenzori — Bright and fruity, with red berry, citrus and a clean acidity over a medium body. Closer to a Kenyan than to Uganda's lowland robusta.

United States of America

• Kona, Hawaii — Gently nutty and sweet with a soft, buttery body, low acidity and a very clean finish. Mild in the way Blue Mountain is mild.

Vietnam

• Central Highlands — Robusta: heavy-bodied, low-acid and bittersweet, with dark chocolate, roasted grain and a woody edge. Built for condensed milk and ice.
• Da Lat — Clean and sweet, with cocoa, nut and a soft citrus acidity. Recognisably arabica, and nothing like the robusta the country is known for.
• General — Robusta: heavy-bodied, low-acid and bittersweet, with dark chocolate, roasted grain and a woody edge. Built for condensed milk and ice.

Yemen

• Haraz — Intense dried fruit and spice — date, raisin, cardamom and cocoa — with a heavy body and a winey depth. The most concentrated coffee on this site.
• Mocha Highlands — Dried fruit, cocoa, cardamom and a distinctive winey funk — intense, layered and unlike any modern origin. Rustic in a way that is either thrilling or faulty depending on the lot.