The Three Tastes

I the little over a year of coffee studying, I have noticed that different regions of coffee produce different tastes of coffee. They are related to the region where the coffee is grown. Now for the more advanced coffee lovers, I'm sure you're thinking, "Duh!" Part of the joy of coffee though is discovering the different tastes and flavors and figuring them out. So here is what I have found.

Asian/Indonesian coffees - These are what I call the earthy coffees. They have a heavier quality, which can sometimes be a bit more acidic. These coffees tend to taste nuttier to me, not the chocolate, or berry tastes. Sumatran coffees are the lead coffees from this region. I've not always had good feelings about these coffees, as they tend to bother my stomach(not all do).

African coffees - These are the tea-like coffees. They usually have a brightness and herbal quality to them. Ethiopian and Rwandan coffees are very much the creme of the crop of the coffees I've had. I feel I am drinking a rich, dark exotic tea when I drink these. There are usually more chocolate notes in these coffees than the Indonesian coffees. There are also more citrus tastes, which I think falls in line with the tea-like qualities of the coffees.

Central/South American - These are the coffee coffees. By this I mean, most of us grew up with Colombian coffees in our homes, so this is the taste Americans are most familiar with. It's what we think coffee tastes like. These are heavier chocolate note coffees, with more berry tastes and essences.  In this group, I feel Costa Rican and Guatemalan coffees lead the way. I also think there is a rising tide of South American coffees which are pretty special. Bolivian and Peruvian come to mind.

If you are trying to figure out what you like, think about the tastes you like, and begin to experiment with different coffees. Many coffee roasters offer smaller smaller packs, and you can try different ones each day. This week Mark and I are bouncing between Brazilian and Rwandan.  Explore the tastes, maybe you'll come up with some other categories of coffee tastes.

Charlie