Coffee from Different Regions

Posted: April 22, 2017 | By: Rocio Ramos

Sip…. ahhhhh. Coffee: the delicious, energy-boosting beverage we all know and love. But, do we know where our morning joe comes from and why it tastes the way that it does, whether it be smooth, bitter, smoky, or citrusy? Almost all the flavor in that delicious cup of coffee is a result of where it was grown.

Here are the main regions in which coffee is cultivated, and how those coffee growing regions affect the taste of our morning beverage:

Africa:

Both East and West Africa produce their own coffee. The Ivory Coast in West Africa is one of the world’s largest cultivators of Robusta coffee. Beans from the Ivory Coast are best suited for darker roasts, and are often used as espresso beans. Beans from the Ivory Coast are highly aromatic, and have a light body and acidity.

In East Africa, Ethiopian beans are very bold tasting, earthy and full-bodied. Also hailing from East Africa, Kenyan beans, extremely well-known in the US, have a sharp flavor, with an almost fruity acidity, are full-bodied, and have a rich scent.

Asia:

In Asia, Vietnam also produces Robusta coffee beans, like the Ivory Coast. Vietnamese coffee beans have a light acidity, good balance, and are mild-bodied.

The more popular Asian coffee beans from Indonesia are known for being finely aged. This is where the popular Sumatra coffee comes from. Indonesian coffee is rich, full-bodied, and has a mild acidity.

North America:

Though it isn’t well-known, Mexico is one of the top producers of coffee in the world. Mexican coffee tends to be sharp and have a depth of flavor. Mexican coffee beans make excellent dark roasts.

Hawaii is the only state in the United States that has the capability of producing coffee, as most of the USA mainland is too far from the Bean Belt. Hawaiian coffee, referred to as Kona coffee, is grown in rich volcanic soil. Just the right amount of rain and tree coverage provides Hawaii’s coffee crops with the perfect environment for rich, aromatic, medium-bodied coffee beans.

South America:

South America is one of the largest coffee producing regions. Columbia tends to be the most widely known producer of coffee. Their beans tend to yield a very mild body and well-balanced acidity.

Brazil, the largest producer of coffee in the world, grows both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. Brazilian coffee is known for being sweet, medium-bodied, and typically has a low acidity.

Central America:

Central America is – by far – our favorite coffee region!  Rich volcanic soil in Guatemala provides for rich full-bodied coffee beans. Guatemalan beans have both spicy and chocolaty notes. A little farther south, Costa Rican coffee beans are medium bodied, and tend to be acidic and highly balanced.

Arguably the best beans hail from Nicaragua. Coffee farms in the recently rising country tend to be small, which means that your beans are organic and free of harmful chemicals and pesticides that many large coffee producing countries use. Nicaraguan beans are medium-bodied and have a highly-balanced flavor. They tend to be extremely smooth, and have a citrusy scent and flavor.

#Youngevity


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