Single-origin coffee beans have taken the market by storm by offering unique flavours from hundreds of regions across the world. Each single-origin coffee roast has its own personality that has been cultivated by the area it was grown in.
Many coffee connoisseurs believe that single-origin coffees are far superior to blends because of their distinct flavour notes and ethical farming practices. For the everyday coffee consumer, its fun to explore the differences between coffees grown around the world.
Single Origin Coffee explained
Single-origin coffee is a title given to coffee beans that were grown, harvested, and prepared from one singular location. Until recently, the more popular coffee roasts were blends. Blends contain coffee beans from many different regions, giving the final brew a rounded and well-balanced taste.
Although blends are still popular, single origins have become the go-to coffee choice for serious coffee drinkers and those looking to expand their palette. This is because coffee grown from a singular location carries a unique taste and magnifies individual flavour profiles.
Single-origin coffee has popularised the phrase, “geography is a taste.”
If you have ever tried a single-origin coffee, it is easy to see why. The soil it is grown in, the elevation, and the weather all play an important role in the flavours of your coffee.
Why is Single Origin Coffee different to Blends?
Coffee blends are more commonly sold in grocery stores and by big-name coffee brands. A coffee blend consists of coffee beans that originate from more than one location. These coffee beans with varying origins are blended to create a balanced taste.
Contrary to popular belief, two coffee beans that come from the same country do not count as single-origin coffee when they are blended. This is because most countries contain regions with environmental diversity that affect the flavour of the coffee bean.
Both Machare and Mweka single-origin coffee beans are grown and harvested in Tanzania, yet their flavours are vastly different. Using both Machare and Mweka coffee beans in a single cup of coffee would create a blend, not a single-origin coffee.
Coffee blends are made to combine multiple flavours into one all-encompassing coffee taste. Coffee blends tend to be well-rounded with many indistinct flavours and undertones that present as a mild and even-tasting drink.
Single-origin coffees, on the other hand, contain distinctive flavours. Each single-origin coffee presents a unique flavour profile from the geographical region it was grown from. By brewing coffee beans that come from an individual location, baristas can magnify certain flavour notes and undertones over others.
Single-origin coffees tend to be of better quality as well. This is because coffee blends make it easy to hide low-quality coffee beans amongst the multitude of different flavours, bodies and acidities. Coffee blends can hide imperfections that single-origin roasts cannot.
The distinctive flavours and undertones of single-origin coffee make it easy to distinguish low-quality coffee beans. Because of this, single-origin coffees tend to be higher in quality than coffee blends.
Brazilian Coffee
Nearly the entire country of Brazil is considered a tropical region, which makes it better at growing certain foods such as coffee. Brazil’s hot and humid climate provides stable environmental factors and makes growing coffee easier and cheaper.
Nearly all the coffee cultivated in Brazil comes from the Arabian coffee plant. This is due to Brazil’s unique geography. Arabica coffee is more difficult to grow than the hardy Robusta coffee plant, yet flourishes in Brazil.
All coffee varieties grow best in humid environments but the Arabica plant is especially sensitive to waterlogging. The humid air and steep slopes of Brazil make it the perfect area to grow Arabica coffee.
Brazilian coffee is known for its low acidity.
Due to the heat and humidity of the area, Brazilian coffee is extremely mild and often has a nutty sweetness to it.
Most Brazilian roasts have a bitter-sweet and chocolatey undertone.
Colombian Coffee
Colombia is a mountainous country with many fertile areas to grow coffee. In higher altitudes, the cherry of the coffee plant will ripen more gradually. This slow ripening makes both the cherry and the coffee bean inside the cherry taste sweeter.
Colombia’s mild climate also contributes to its large production of coffee beans. Arabica coffee beans are highly susceptible to cold weather, making sunny Colombia a great place to grow and harvest them.
Although they are more difficult to grow, Colombia is one of the only countries in the world that solely produces Arabica coffee beans. These coffee cherries are picked by hand to ensure they are perfectly ripened before the coffee beans inside them are removed and prepared for roasting.
Due to Colombia’s high elevation, the coffee plant’s cherries can mature slowly, giving the coffee grown in this region a mellow and sweet taste with little acidity.
The strongest flavour note in Colombian coffee is a rich caramel, followed by a nutty aftertaste.
Cameroon Coffee
Cameroon is a Central African country whose heavy rainfall and volcanic soil make it the perfect place to grow flavorful coffee. The volcanic soil of Cameroon is nutrient-rich, providing not only sustenance to the coffee plant itself, but a unique taste to the brewed coffee it eventually makes.
A majority of Cameroon’s coffee crops are of the Robusta variety. Robusta coffee beans, as their name suggests, are significantly hardier than Arabica coffee beans. Their high caffeine content and easy nature make Robusta coffee beans popular among coffee lovers.
Although there are several plateaux in Cameroon that create the perfect environment for growing Arabica coffee beans, Cameroon’s Robusta coffee production nearly triples that of its Arabica coffee production.
Coffee produced from Cameroon is rich and nutty. It has a full-bodied taste due to the volcanic soil it was grown in.
A significant proportion of Cameroon’s coffee is used in blends, due to its well-balanced flavours and robust taste.
Machare Coffee
Machare is a coffee farm located in Northern Tanzania. Its location at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro has created a microclimate that is perfect for growing coffee, and the nearby forest conservation area and rivers have created a tropical bubble that allows coffee to grow quickly and efficiently in the otherwise mountainous area.
The Machare Farm is owned and operated by the local villages. This farm produces delicious, sustainable coffee by partnering with the Rainforest Alliance and Sustainable Harvest. Both of these nonprofit organisations have been working tirelessly to help solve environmental problems both in Tanzania and across the globe.
Machare Farm uses a full wash to prepare their coffee beans. This unique preparation process gives Machare coffee beans a very smooth finish.
Many describe this coffee as having a chocolate body with caramel undertones and medium acidity.
Mweken Coffee
Mweka is another area that benefits from the rich, volcanic soil of Mount Kilimanjaro. Located in Tanzania, Mweka village grows coffee using shade trees and drip irrigation to ensure the best-tasting crop.
The volcanic area of Mweka village provides drainage for any excess rainwater that would otherwise drown the coffee plant. The volcanic soil of the Mweka village contains higher amounts of carbon that allow growing plants to breathe and receive excess nutrients.
This creates more coffee cherries, from which the coffee bean is harvested, washed and prepared by locals.
Mweka coffee has a bright and acidic taste, yet a mild flavour. Its sweet and caramel flavour has been known to contain both citrus fruit and floral undertones with a chocolatey finish.
This coffee has multiple delicious flavour notes that are distinguished through the brewing process.
Which Single-Origin Coffee is best?
There is no “best” single-origin coffee, but there are a few attributes to keep in mind when looking for a great single-origin coffee roast to brew for yourself. However, the most important factor of course is your personal taste.
Some people prefer high acidity while others prefer a mild and smooth brew. Knowing what flavours you prefer in your coffee will help you make a better-educated decision when picking out a single-origin coffee.
Making sure that the single-origin coffee you are purchasing has been sustainably grown and harvested will not only help the environment and the coffee industry itself, but doing so will also ensure that you are drinking high quality coffee.
Lastly, expand your tastes by drinking coffee with unusual flavour notes.
Notes of blueberry may not be your first choice when it comes to a morning cup of coffee, but discovering new types of coffee is what single-origins are all about.
Single-Origin Coffee: Myths & Facts
Single-origin coffee is the most traceable coffee in the world. The consumer can track every coffee bean in a single-origin coffee roast to one region of the world.
Single-origin coffee is better for the environment because it supports the native bees and other wildlife. Single-origin coffee helps to preserve the biodiversity of their region.
The best way to enjoy the unique flavours of a single-origin coffee is by drinking it black.
Single-origin coffee does not always come from the Arabica coffee plant.
Most single-origin coffees are picked by hand.
Colombia supplies approximately 15% of the world’s coffee beans.
Ethiopia was the first country to discover and brew coffee.