World Tour of a Gourmet Coffee Roaster.

Good morning coffee lovers,

Coffee roasting companies like Brown and Jenkins here in the Green Mountains of Vermont source our green coffee beans from many places around the world. In the last coffee blog I promised you a world tour of where those coffee beans come from and just what that means to you. As your tour guide, I will take you to Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and some other exotic destinations. Pack lightly- just a cup of your favorite Vermont roasted coffee is needed. And we are off!

Coffee beans are seasonal just like any other crop. Summer is the ideal time for Central American and African coffees. So let's start with Central America.

You'll find that Brown and Jenkins carries Central America coffee beans from Costa Rica and Guatemala on a regular basis. Central American coffee beans (and South American coffee beans too) tend to have a light body and sharp acidity. These coffees are often described as being bright and having a clean finish. If you need a refresher on coffee characteristics just click on the link to an older blog where I discuss this topic.

Of course, in any region there are differences.

In Costa Rica, any coffee beans grown above 3900 feet are referred to strictly hard beans. A good hard bean is grown at altitudes between 3300 and 3900. Costa Rican coffees tend to be sweet and to have a lively acidity.

Guatemalan coffee beans have high acidity and medium body. Strictly hard beans (the highest grade) in Guatemala are grown at altitudes of 4500 feet and higher. The strictly hard bean label is referred to as a coffee grade. Our Guatemalan Antigua coffee is the epitome of characteristics of Guatemalan coffee beans with its sweet, full-bodied and well-balanced taste.

Give one of these Central American coffees a try, and in the next blog we will go to Africa and explore Ethiopian coffee beans, Kenyan coffee beans and more!

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen