If you too appreciate the inherent pleasure that good quality coffee has to offer, then please read on to discover more about where our coffee comes from and learn about the benefits of selecting coffee blends which are sourced from the same origin, so take a deep breath, inhale the rich aroma, and let us begin!
Coffee is produced in many different countries and regions of the world, with Ethiopia laying claim to being the native home of the coffee bean. Today when we think of coffee production, Columbia is well up there in terms of reputation and its climate and topography is certainly highly conducive to producing high quality beans. Brazil and Costa Rica are also very highly regarded, with coffee being amongst their most profitable exports. Jamaica too can produce incredibly good quality coffee as demonstrated by its finest ‘Blue Mountain’ coffee. And let us not forget India of course, which gives us the incredibly popular Arabica and Robusta beans.
Whilst each of these countries and their various coffee producing regions have there own flavour profiles and qualities, when it comes to mass producing coffee beans the truth is that unless your coffee specifically states that it’s of a single origin, there’s a good chance that it’s blended from many different beans, from multiple points of origin.
Blending allows producers and roasters to cater to the needs of specific buyers, giving them added flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Seasonal variations impact the cost of raw materials as well as the consistency and flavour profiles, so by combining beans from different origins, producers have a high level of control in order to ensure consistency both with supply, and in quality.
That all sounds great, so why should we consider choosing single origin coffee instead of blended coffee? Well it comes down to subtlety and the characteristics of specific beans, even to specific coffee farms themselves. With blended coffees the flavour becomes more homogenised. That is to say, if you prefer nuanced tastes with complex and distinct flavour profiles, it’s more likely that you’ll find what you're looking for in single origin coffee. With mass produced blended coffees there is also always the possibility that lower-quality beans find their way into the mix.
With single origin coffee you know exactly where it is coming from, it’s traceable. Thankfully, whilst an increasingly high percentage of coffee is now ethically sourced, both for blended and single origin, single origin coffee can provide a more direct connection to a specific coffee growing farm or roasting region.
Single origin coffee certainly isn’t just restricted to the connoisseurs alone; it's for anyone and everyone who appreciates the simple pleasure of enjoying a high quality cup of coffee with a distinctly unique characteristics, giving us the opportunity to find our favourite nuanced flavours, each with a story of their own to tell.