ORIGIN | OVERALL QUALITY | CHARACTERISTICS | LOOK FOR |
BRAZIL | Average
| Sweet
(some describe it as “fruity”), neutral | Bourbon
Santos |
COLOMBIA | Good
to excellent | Sweet,
good flavor, full body, slight acidity. | Medellin,
Armenia, Manizales. Regardless of origin, Supremo is highest grade. |
COSTA RICA | Excellent
| Hearty,
rich | Tarrazu,
Tres Rios, Heredia, Alajuela. “Strictly hard bean” is best grade. |
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Above
average to excellent | Varies.
Bani is more mellow, while Barahona is heavier and more acidic. | Bani,
Ocoa, Barahona |
ECUADOR | Average
to above average | Sharp
acidity. May be hard to find in stores. | N/A
|
EL SALVADOR | Average
| Medium
acidity, neutral to mild flavor | High
grown |
ETHIOPIA | Inconsistent,
in part because of internal political problems | Sweet
flavor with floral aroma. Much of the coffee is harvested from wild trees. | Yergacheffe,
Harrar, Djimma |
GUATEMALA | Excellent
| Rich,
spicy or smoky flavor (growers burn pitch near the plantations in severe
weather to protect their crops; this smoke lends the beans their beans
distinctive flavor). | Antigua,
Coban, Huehuetenango. “Strictly hard bean” best available grade. |
HAITI | Above
average | Sweet,
mellow, fair-bodied with a soft, rich flavor. Continuing political problems in
Haiti may make its coffees difficult to find. | Best
grade is “strictly high-grown washed.” |
JAMAICAN HIGH MOUNTAIN | Excellent
| Rich,
full-bodied, and well balanced | Wallensford
Blue Mountain, Silver Hill Estate Mountain. Watch out for “Blue Mountain
style,” a blend of beans intended to have the same flavor
characteristics as Blue Mountain, but which may contain no beans from that
plantation. |
JAMAICAN LOW MOUNTAIN | Average
to below average, far inferior to Jamaican high mountain | Often
used as filler in cheaper coffee blends | N/A
|
JAVA (Indonesia) | Good
| Spicy
or slightly smoky, full-bodied, with a strong flavor and little acidity | Rare
Old Java |
KENYA | Excellent
| Full-bodied,
rich, a bit winy, with a hint of black currant | AA
is best grade |
KONA (Hawaii) | Above
average to excellent | Smooth
and mild, rich flavor, medium acid | N/A.
Watch out for “Kona style,” which may have similar flavor but is
not required to contain any Kona beans. |
MEXICO | Above
average | Fine
acidity, light, delicate body, and pleasantly mellow flavor. | Chiapas
(Tapachula), Coatepec, Oaxaca |
ORIGIN | OVERALL QUALITY | CHARACTERISTICS | LOOK FOR |
MOCHA JAVA | Usually
above average | Mocha
Java is actually a mixture of one part Yemen Mocha beans to two parts Java
Arabica beans. The combination makes a more complete coffee than either
alone. | N/A
|
NEW GUINEA | Above
average | Similar
to Java, but more understated | Arona
|
NEW ORLEANS COFFEE | Usually
above average | Coffee
isn’t grown in New Orleans, but the area has become known for this blend, a
dark-roasted coffee blended with the root chicory. | Cafe
Du Monde is most well-known brand name |
NICARAGUA | Inconsistent,
can be above average | Fair
acidity, mild flavor, medium to light body | Jinotega,
Matagalpa |
PERU | Inconsistent,
can be above average | Good
flavor, with medium body, mild acidity, aromatic | Chanchamayo
|
SUMATRA | Above
average | Very
rich, full-bodied, fairly acidic | Ankola,
Mandheling |
TANZANIA | Average
| Sharp,
winy, acidic, rich, medium to full body | Moshi,
Kilimanjaro, Arusha; high-grade AA |
UGANDA | Above
average | Similar
to Kenya, but with lighter body | Arabica
beans rather than robusto; best region is Bugishu |
VENEZUELA | Average
to above average | Low
acidity, may be sweet, delicate. | Maracaibos:
Merida, Trujillo, Tachira. Best grade is Lavado Fino. |
YEMEN (Mocha) | Excellent
| Small
beans, with winy, smooth flavor, spicy aftertaste | N/A
|
ZIMBABWE | Above
average to excellent | Winy,
lighter-bodied with spicy aftertaste. | Washed
coffee |
