In this blog I will highlight the different coffee producing regions and try to describe what the coffees taste like from these regions.
This will of course be a very general overview and taste will differ from farm to farm and crop to crop. But it will arm you with a general overview of what tastes to expect when you purchase coffee from a region, you can then explore the region country by country, farm by farm and discover all the taste's available in coffee.
First of all lets discover what makes a coffee growing region. Coffee trees like a moderate amount of sunshine and steady reliable rain. They like the temperature to stay around 20c - 30c. They also like the soil to be rich and porous.
Most coffee growing occurs around the equator and between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. These area's provide the rainfall and rich soil needed. But often these areas are too hot so most coffee growing is done at altitude, mostly above 1000ft. This moderates the temperature and gives good rainfall.
Africa
The two biggest producers of coffee in Africa are Ethiopia and Kenya. Most coffee producing nations occur on the East coast of Africa.
Coffee from Africa tends to have a wine like flavour, also some citrus and floral fragrances. They have good levels of acidity which leave a lingering taste in your mouth.
Central and Southern America
Coffee from this region are mild, smooth and easy to drink. Most people will be familiar with coffee from these parts. They have low to medium acidity levels so they lack the floral and wine punch of the Africans but they are smooth in your mouth.
Indonesia & Surrounding Islands
Coffees from this part of the world are very heavy bodied and very low acid levels. The major taste characteristics are of earthy flavours, like mushrooms and strong dark fruit flavours.
India
The famous coffees from India are the Monsoon coffee's. These are full bodied with low acidity. They give a big mouth feel. They have woody flavours with some having spicy notes.
As with most things the best way for you to discover the different tastes of coffee from different regions is to buy some and get brewing!!
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