How the Origin of Your Coffee Beans Can Impact Flavor

Not unlike wine, coffee beans take on different qualities of flavor depending on where they’re grown. Altitude, soil, and plant variety all play a role in building the flavor profile of the bean. While no two coffee farms will produce the exact same flavors, these factors result in distinct underlying notes that can be tied to the coffee’s origin. Understanding what profiles to expect can help you prepare your coffee just the way you like it, pair it with food, or choose a favorite blend. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to take your taste buds on a trip around the world!

What Else Can Affect Coffee Flavor?

Before we dive into different regions, though, remember that origin doesn’t determine your coffee’s flavor on its own. Roasting, brewing, and even the harvesting process will also significantly affect the drink’s taste.

At Civilized Coffee, we take care to select the best beans from each region to roast and deliver to you. By working directly with farmers, we also guarantee our beans are sustainably sourced – because we have to admit, coffee tastes better when you know exactly where it’s from.

Ethiopian Coffee

As the originator of coffee, it’s unsurprising then that Ethiopia is also the largest coffee producer in Africa. It is also the country of origin for the Arabica coffee variety, which accounts for about 70 percent of coffee beans worldwide.

Beans from Ethiopia are complex with full-bodied flavors. You can expect to taste distinctly floral and citrus notes, with come together for a unique and intricate profile.

Our Ethiopian Sidamo coffee, grown in the Sidamo province in the Ethiopian highlands, is a medium roast, with a flavor profile of wild blueberry, mocha, and lemon zest. Thanks to farm’s elevation, the beans grow more slowly, allowing them time to develop more robust flavors.

Kenyan Coffee

Like its Ethiopian neighbor, Kenyan coffee also presents fruity citrus notes; however, its flavors are much more vibrant with bright acidity, due in part to it being grown at high altitude. It also imparts floral notes, balanced by a sweet finish.

Our Kenyan Blend is a light blonde roast, bringing forward the coffee’s natural flavors of vanilla, milk chocolate, and orange blossom.

Tanzanian Coffee

While coffee cherries generally contain two seeds, peaberry coffee beans have only one. Though peaberries can be grown elsewhere in the world, they are closely tied to Tanzanian coffee varieties. Our Tanzanian Peaberry coffee is no exception, grown at high elevation in rich volcanic soil on Mount Kilimanjaro. Like Kenyan varieties, this altitude gives the coffee a high acidity and bright flavor. Drinkers can expect lightly sweet, citrus notes with hints of chocolate or caramel.

Our Tanzanian Peaberry coffee is a medium roast, with a profile featuring red currant, brown spice, and caramel.

Colombian Coffee

While Colombian coffee can be very varied in flavor, most are well-known for their sweet, caramel flavor, which is offset by hints of nuttiness and a subtle acidity. They are generally well-balanced, rich, and bright. This blend of flavors is highly popular as well, making Colombia the third-largest exporter of coffee after Brazil and Vietnam.

Our Colombian Excelso coffee is a medium roast, with a profile of brown sugar, citrus, and caramel.

Brazilian Coffee

Brazilian coffee is often “unwashed,” a method of natural processing which means the coffee cherries are picked then dried whole. This results in a fuller and sweeter body, as compared to the more vibrant and acidic washed variety.

Coffee profiles here are more chocolatey with a creamier finish. Our Brazil Natural coffee is a dark espresso roast, with flavors of dark chocolate, caramel, and toasted almond.