The Top 5 Best Countries to Grow Coffee

Where do coffee farmers do better?

Picking the best coffee producing countries is no easy task. As we’ve discussed before, coffee beans are highly susceptible to the climate conditions and soils in which they grow. For example, most of the great quality coffee come from lands that are close to the Equator, because of the warm temperature. Coffee also has very specific harvest seasons and depending on the country where it’s produced, different characteristics and flavors will flourish in your cup.

So yes, it’s also a matter of taste and preferences, but when it comes to defining which countries produce the best coffee, we need to consider quality, profiles, how much they produce per year, among other factors. There is no official list, but considering what we know from each region and how much they’ve grown over the last years, you should definitely keep your eyes open for coffees that come from these places.

Kenya

Kenya has definitely made itself a place among the world coffee industry and producers. It produces around 750,000 bags per year, and they’re known for their high-quality and acidity. Coffees from Kenya have a unique profile, they’re sweet and bright, leaving a lingering tingle on your lips. This is in part because its primary coffee production regions are on deep, fertile and acidic volcanic soils, found in highlands between 1,400 to 2,000 meters above sea level.

However, despite being famous for its high-quality coffee, Kenya hasn’t been able to recover from the decline in the commodity prices during the 80s. Kenyan producers have to fund coffee research, and there’s still much work to be done to increase the effectiveness of cooperatives.

Honduras

Honduras is an example of how coffee can help a country’s economy grow exponentially over the decades. In the last 25 years, coffee production has become a story of hard work and success for Honduras. In 2011 it became Central America’s most prominent coffee producer, and in 2012 it ranked seventh in the world and was the second-biggest exporter of high-quality Arabica beans on the planet, competing ably with heavyweights such as Colombia and Brazil. Quite impressive for a country that has historically struggled with poverty and violence. It has fairly earned a place on our list.

There are now around 110,000 coffee producers registered in the country, 92 percent of which are classified as small producers. So when it comes to artisanal coffee, Honduran single-origins are very popular among the specialty coffee lovers. Honduras produces around 4.2 million bags of coffee per year, and their coffee is known for their hazelnut and red currant flavors.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is pretty much a bastion of progress and environmental policies in Central America; it’s also home to some great specialty coffee. Costa Rica produces around 1.4 million bags of coffee per year and its beans are known to have a medium body and sharp acidity, enough to balance flavors like honey or toasted nut, so the coffee is never too sweet or too dull.

In Costa Rica, small estates and cooperatives have been developing relationships with coffee buyers for years, which allows them to work together to focus on quality, increased production, and environmental sustainability. Over the last years, Costa Rica has transformed itself from a volume producer of average quality coffee to a significant producer of high-market specialty coffee. Worth a try, huh?

Colombia

As many people know, one of the greatest things about Colombian coffee is its diversity. The country’s different micro-weathers allow coffee production to be unique and nuanced all across the land. Here you can find both low and high acidity coffees, as well as fruity and nutty notes. Colombia was also responsible of producing 11 million bags of coffee in 2013, and due to its close location to the Equator, many regions experience two harvest seasons, giving us the opportunity to have fresh Colombian coffee all year round.

Colombia has also been ranking high regarding sustainable production, and many small-scale producers are thriving in Colombian coffee culture. Craft, handiwork and great climate conditions explain the extraordinary flavors of Colombian coffee.

Ethiopia

This list wouldn’t be complete without the birthplace of our favorite beverage. Ethiopia has the perfect climate and biological conditions for coffee. Wherein other countries, coffee is “produced,” in Ethiopia coffee naturally grows. Ethiopian coffee tends to be bold and full-bodied, although flavors differ according to how the bean is processed.

Ethiopian beans come both natural (where the fruit covering the grain is dried before being removed) and washed. Ethiopia produces around 6.6 million bags of coffee a year, making it one of the world’s greatest coffee producers. Because of being a natural plantation to these lands, it rarely incites climate or disease-born chaos. Coffee still grows wild all over Ethiopia, and there are thousands of undiscovered varietals, it’s a real coffee paradise.

Have you tried cups of coffee from any of these countries? Which one is your favorite? Tell us what you think! At That Coffee Roasters, you can find coffee roasts and products coming from all these countries. Contact us and start living an authentic coffee experience!

Sources: Solidaridad Network, Thrillist, The Daily Meal, Telegraph, Huffington Post, Time, Agriknowledge, Business Daily Africa.

Have you ever thought about having your own coffee farm?

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That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

How to Taste Different Flavors in a Cup of Coffee

What do you look for in your cup?

Relax, we know how confusing talking about coffee can be. When people start talking about specialty coffee and how bold its body is or how acidic it tastes, all we can think about is: isn’t coffee just bitter and sometimes sweet if you add sugar? At first, we might be skeptical about how different coffee can actually be depending on its properties and origins, but once you learn to tell its nuances and qualities, a new world of flavors and contrasts will open up right in front of you.

So where do we begin? Is there a right way to drink coffee to better understand its characteristics? On today’s article, we’ll explore how we can train our senses to enjoy all that coffee truly has to offer.

The first thing you’ll need to do: forget about sugar and cream. We tend to add different ingredients to our coffee to make it sweeter, but they mask the best properties hidden behind coffee when it’s brewed pure. You’ll be able to sense more if you drink it simple and black. That’s how professionals do coffee cupping, which is the practice of tasting different brews to identify their different notes.

Exactly what will you be able to distinguish when you try it this way? Among others, you get to discover a new fragrance, aroma, sweetness, acidity, body and the aftertaste. Here’s how to find them in your cup of joe.

Fragrance perception

This part of the process is done with your dry coffee grounds, because it’s believed to be the most aromatic coffee form. Try to clear your mind and let your memories take over when smelling your grounds. This way, you’ll be able to tell if your coffee has fruity, floral or herbal notes. Once you’ve identified the predominant fragrance, you can even go further and try to specify its qualities. If it’s fruity, what kind of fruit do you smell? Is it citric like oranges or sweet peaches?

Aroma perception

This is the first time you’ll be mixing coffee with hot water, which will provoke the coffee aromas to arise. This part of the process depends heavily on how the coffee was roasted; you’ll be able to differentiate these three main categories: nutty-like notes, caramel-like notes and cocoa-like notes. The last two are typical of darker roasts and they’re perfect to take along with chocolate desserts. If, on the other hand, you sense a nutty-like aroma, then you can try to find descriptors such as almonds, peanuts or hazelnuts.

Sweetness

It’s time to taste coffee! Yes, you finally get to drink it. The first sips will let you know how sweet your coffee really is. It can actually come in different notes, such as candy-like, malty-like and fruity-like sweetness. Try to concentrate on how sweet your coffee tastes, so you can actually tell these notes apart from other coffee qualities.

Acidity

Acidity is one of the most popular qualities of coffee. Highly acidic coffees are usually light roasted and they’re perfect to accompany with fruity desserts like pies. You can tell the acidic grade of your coffee if your tongue starts to salivate once you start tasting it thoroughly. Possible descriptors include acid comparable to oranges or lemons and acid similar to green apples.

Body

We’ve reached the famous body. What are people talking about when they say coffee has a full body? It doesn’t describe too much about the taste as it does about the texture. Think about water and the way it feels inside your mouth. Now think about maple syrup, one is fuller than the other and feels heavier in your mouth, right? That’s the body of the drink! To identify this quality, take a sip and fake chew the coffee on your tongue. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it feel heavy like syrup or honey?
• Does it feel rugged because of small coffee ground particles?
• Is there no real feeling and it’s actually more watery?

Aftertaste

You’ve sipped your coffee all the way through, what’s left? This part of the cupping process simply refers to how much aftertaste comes with the brew? Help yourself by inhaling a little bit of air and allowing yourself to feel if there’s a strong taste left behind or if it’s gone almost completely.

Once you learn to distinguish the tones and nuances of every cup, you’ll also be able to enjoy coffee like never before. At That Coffee Roasters, part of our daily routine involves cupping and identifying our roasts qualities. It’s complex but a wonderful process, and we’re always amazed at how much some processing and farming methods can change a single drink.

What are your favorite flavors?

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That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

Kenya: Specialty Sourcing of Coffee

Kenya has the most balanced and complex taste of all coffees out there.

Coffee can be perceived differently depending on the purposes it is used for. Daily consumers see it as a specialty product of interest whereas sellers take advantage of it for business. Kenyan manufacturers and farmers truly value coffee above all: for them, it’s a job, and a life sustain. The passion and effort they put can be seen in the annual exports of coffee. Keep reading to discover what makes this coffee so good.

Lands of Kenya

Kenya highlands are characteristic because of its acidic soil, the perfect amount of sunlight and rainfall that maintain coffee plants in optimal conditions. Kenyan coffee has some similarities with the “Colombian mild” type because of the higher altitudes where the fruit is grown. There’s a strong theory that states coffee could have been brought from Ethiopia (one of the sources coffee is believed to come from), but it wasn’t until 1893 that coffee trees were cultivated near Nairobi.

Kenyan coffee

Coffee beans grown in Kenya are known for its intense flavor, strong but pleasant aroma with notes of cocoa and sweetness. Tasting notes of this coffee are indicative of its intense presence, featuring winey richness and a dry aftertaste (much like Ethiopian coffee).

The balance of flavor of a good Kenyan coffee can be noticed. There are some notes of lemon or even pepper in it, which stay after tasting it. Overall, the taste is excellent in all senses, but not everyone is used to the tasting tones at first.

Starbucks is the main buyer of Kenyan coffee products. Curiously, the beans are roasted weeks and even months before being sold and shipped, which leads to some misconceptions around the ratings of coffee.

That Coffee Roasters share the same passion as Kenya’s farmers in the sourcing and production of the best coffee. They know how much value these beans hold, making their roasts more valuable in return. Contact them and get a taste of the best roasted coffee, directly from Kenya!

Kenyan coffee can be found at high altitudes, their constitution and shape are characteristic of East Africa climates.

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That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

The Best Climate for an Ideal Coffee

Colombia's geography and climate is perfect for growing coffee due to the elevations and the mountainous places it has.

Colombia, as a country with a diversity of environments and landscapes, is currently a source of life for harvesters to take advantage. Not all products adapt to this diversity, but there’s one that favors it like no other does: coffee. But how does the coffee plant adapt to the conditions of the Colombian lands? Here you’ll see how and why coffee and Colombia work so well together.

The main feature of Colombia’s climate is that it has a tropical climate, meaning that the weather stays constant throughout the year. The only two characteristic seasons in the country are the dry and rainy, often called “summer” and “winter” by the Colombians. These two seasons are of great benefit for the production of coffee.

Normally, altitudes from 1800-3600 feet with 16-24°C are the standard for an ideal coffee in countries like Mexico, Jamaica, and Zimbabwe. On the other hand, Arabica coffee beans in Colombia have different conditions for cultivation, with altitudes between the 4000 and 6000 ft above sea level and temperatures of 17-23°C.

Precipitations and dry seasons need to be well defined as a way to ensure the harvesting of fresh coffee. Each region in Colombia has its particular conditions regarding temperature, solar radiation, and water supply. This means that certain locations have different seasons and periods for harvest through the year.

Perhaps you haven’t heard of the coffee belt (commonly known as “zona cafetera”), but this is the center where the majority of the coffee growing takes place. This zone is considered to be the Cultural Coffee Landscape, a place where you can find the heart of the coffee production.

As you can see, Colombia really stands out not only in culture, but climate and landscapes that favor the harvesting of fine coffee. Are you interested in the best coffee for your brand? If you’re having a hard time choosing, I can assure you that if you contact That Coffee Roasters, there is nothing to lose. They worry about giving what’s best for customers like you, so go and get a sample of the best coffee in the market!

Coffee must have the best conditions to produce even better results, which is why having the proper climate translates into high quality.

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That Coffee Roasters

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

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