Readers who often read Front Street articles should know the term "golden planting belt". The cultivation of coffee has extremely high requirements on the climate and environment. Therefore, not all land can grow coffee! These places on the earth between 25° south latitude and 25° north latitude have a suitable climate, no frost, and abundant annual rainfall. They are very suitable for coffee cultivation, so they are called the "golden planting belt" of coffee!
Today, coffee is grown and produced in 79 countries and regions around the world, including Yunnan, my country. Different countries/regions have different climates and terroirs due to their geographical environment, and the coffee they produce has different flavors. As the saying goes, "A place of water and soil can support a person." This saying can also be applied to Douzi. 70% of the taste and taste of coffee beans is determined by its genes, and the remaining 30% is determined by the ecological environment in which it is grown (latitude, altitude, soil, sunshine, temperature, humidity, and a series of conditions).
Front Street Coffee believes that although the genes of a variety are very important, the geographical climate where it is grown cannot be ignored. Because they are the important factors that distinguish coffee from one production area from coffee from other production areas. These will form the characteristics of the final coffee taste, and these characteristics are what we call the "taste of terroir."
If you willFrom a geographical perspective, the "Golden Coffee Belt" can be divided into three major production areas: Africa, Latin America and Asia. Therefore, novices can start from them to understand the coffee production areas around the world:
african coffee
As the birthplace of coffee, Africa plays an important role in the entire industry. Everyone who falls in love with specialty coffee must have a cup of African coffee on the road to learning. Although the commercial cultivation of coffee has been developed around the world for hundreds of years, the tens of millions of wild coffee varieties in Africa are still the greatest treasure in the hearts of researchers. The common characteristics of African coffee are its rich aroma and charming fruit acidity. Its acidity is lively and exciting, but the mellowness of African coffee is often a little thin, and the sweetness is not very prominent. Because of this, the African single products that appear in coffee shops are basically not roasted too dark. The purpose is to retain more light small molecules such as fruit acid and floral aroma.
1. Ethiopia (rich floral fragrance, lively and bright fruit acidity)
Representing coffee——Front Street Oiran(It has an aromatic sweet and sour flavor, with floral and fruity sour and sweet flavors, low bitterness, and refreshing taste, suitable for drinking alone.)
As the source of countless well-known bean species, it is not an exaggeration to say that Ethiopia is the top coffee growing place in the world today. We must know that not only the familiar bean species such as Panama Geisha, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Hawaii Kona... famous bean species come from here, but it has also given birth to countless "classic coffees". Take the Front Street Bean List as an example, there is the Front Street Yirgacheffe with a white floral fragrance + lemon freshness, the Front Street Kaffa Forest with an orange + nutty fragrance, and the Front Street Guji Oiran with a sweet and sour berry + fermentation feeling.
2. Kenya (strong acidity and prominent berry aroma)
Representative coffee—Front Street Little Tomato Coffee: cherry tomatoes, berries, pear, blackberry, caramel
Although it is adjacent to Ethiopia, Kenyan coffee shows completely different fruit acid characteristics. Especially when roasted in medium and light, its flavor is mostly described as the aroma of ripe tomatoes, the bright acidity of cherry tomatoes and ebony in the entrance, the body is full, the middle part has a prominent sense of juice, the aftertaste is berry fruit, sweet brown sugar, and has the aroma of tea. There are four main reasons why Kenyan coffee has such a unique style: high altitude, high concentration of phosphate soil, double washing (K72 washing), and selected fine varieties (SL28 and SL34). If you are trying African coffee beans for the first time, Front Street recommends trying Ethiopian coffee beans first, and then slowly transition to Kenyan coffee.
latin american coffee
The characteristics of Latin American coffee beans are mainly known for their balance and body. Different from the herbal mellowness of Asian coffee production areas, Latin American coffee beans usually present the aroma of cocoa and dark chocolate, with moderate but not irritating fruit acid, and a certain caramel feeling.
1. Colombia (rich and thick aroma, bright acidity, nutty flavor, good balance)
Representative coffee - Front Street Cymbidium Coffee: dark chocolate, caramel, cream, nuts
After cupping, Front Street found that Colombian coffee is not as rich in body as Asian beans, and its acidity is not as bright as African coffee, but it has excellent balance, strong dark chocolate, nutty flavor and fruity acidity. Therefore, it can be used as a floral and fruit-type single product, such as Front Street's fruity tropical flavor, or as a recipe for low-acid and mellow Italian beans, such as Front Street's commercial blend that is full of fat.
If you want to learn about Colombian coffee, it is recommended to start with the most famous Cymbidium production area here to feel the essence of Colombian coffee given by the Andes Mountains, and then try other more refined estate coffee beans.
2. Brazil (prominent nutty aroma, smooth taste)
Representative coffee - Front Street Queen Manor Coffee: cream, roasted peanuts, sugar cane, chocolate, coffee sugar
Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, and its presence can be found in almost every coffee shop. Compared with other Latin American countries, Brazil has a significantly lower altitude, lacks a microclimate, and is accustomed to planting coffee trees without shade trees. This has resulted in Brazilian coffee beans growing in the wind. There is nothing amazing about the taste, and it is more of a simple nutty flavor. However, due to its absolute advantage in cost performance, people tend to use it as the first choice base for Italian recipes, such as the Front Street Black Cocoa Basic Blend, the Front Street Classic Blend, etc., which all contain a large amount of Brazilian beans.
3. Costa Rica (nut, toffee flavor, moderate sweetness and sourness, mellow)
Representative coffee - Front Street Costa Rica blackberry coffee: floral aroma, ripe berries, grapes, fermentation, chocolate
High-altitude production areas, volcanic soil, and a unique micro-climate create a smooth taste, hard and full bean body, pure aroma, and a hint of cocoa flavor in Costa Rican coffee. Costa Rican coffee is mostly washed, but its aroma is not outstanding. However, with the help of its most representative honey treatment, it shows a "sweet as honey" fruit flavor and refreshing aroma, which has earned it more good reputation.
4. Panama (rich and attractive floral and fruity aroma, with a caramel feel)
Representative coffee - Front Street Panama Poquette Geisha coffee: jasmine, citrus, melon, caramel, tea flavor
Panamanian Caffeine Geisha is famous all over the world. The reason is inseparable from Panama's unique natural geographical conditions and specialized and refined management model. Panama has high altitude, volcanic ash soil, sufficient air humidity and light, and rich biological resources, which are all prerequisites for creating high-scoring coffee. As the Panamanian production area with the highest frequency, the town of Poquet is the area with the largest coffee production and the best quality in Panama. The familiar Jade Manor, Alida Manor, and Catova Manor are all located here, so Front Street Poquet Geisha is also defined as entry-level Panamanian coffee.
asian coffee
As one of the three major coffee bean producing areas in the world, Asia does not actually have as many famous coffee producing countries as Africa and Latin America, but its output cannot be underestimated, and it also has its own unique and recognizable flavor. The overall flavor of coffee-producing areas in Asia will be mainly mellow, with strong and round sweetness. Because of the thick characteristics of Asian coffee, it is very suitable as a base when making Italian blended coffee. Of course, it is also a good choice as a single-product hand brew.
1. Indonesian Sumatra (herbal flavor, strong taste)
Representative coffee - Front Street Mandheling coffee: herbs, spices, toast, dark chocolate, woods
Mentioning the word mellow, coffee drinkers all year round will first think of Mandheling from Sumatra, Indonesia. Mandheling is one of the most suitable coffee beans for dark roasting in the world. One of the important reasons is that its characteristics will not disappear after deep roasting. Mandheling's thick flavor and low acidity, coupled with the wet planing process brings the aroma of herbs and woods, and the thick taste like Chinese medicine make it very popular in Asia.
2. Yunnan, China (herbal, nutty)
Representative coffee - Front Street Yunnan arabica coffee: herbs, nuts, plum sour, chocolate
Yunnan is located south of the Tropic of Cancer and has a subtropical mountain climate. It has unique plateau red soil, fertile and loose soil, and a mild climate. It is the most suitable place in China for growing coffee trees. I believe many people know that Yunnan coffee started from the name "small grain". The small grain variety is what we call Arabica. When it was first introduced to China, farmers chose the name "small grain" instead in order to promote and distinguish it (Hainan Robusta is medium grain coffee). Today, the representative coffee of small grain varieties in Yunnan is Catim. Washing is the most common processing method. It is more suitable for medium roasting, which can show the herbal flavor of Asian coffee, with slightly sour plums on the cheeks and a moderate sense of balance.
3. Papua New Guinea (obvious aroma of nuts and chocolate, clean and quiet flavor)
Representative coffee - Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise: nuts, toast, cream, citrus, almonds
Many people may not know Papua New Guinea, a coffee-producing country, because the name is too long. It is generally referred to as "Papua" or its English abbreviation "PNG", but if you say "Little Blue Mountain", it may arouse a lot of curious eyes. Because the coffee variety in Papua is Typica imported from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, and the planting environment, altitude, and precipitation are very similar, it quickly adapted to the environment here. From the perspective of the same variety and island-type terroir, it is well-deserved as the "Little Blue Mountain".
Front Street believes that the regional flavor of Papua New Guinea coffee is very different from the spice, herbal and dull flavor of Indonesian coffee beans. Instead, it has a bright, sour and sweet, floral and fruity aroma, which is closer to the flavor of South America.
