Know Your Coffee Regions of the World

We drink coffee everyday, multiple times a day. We drink it, it tastes great, it gives us that extra boost we need in the morning and throughout the day. But do we know our basic coffee facts and our coffee regions of the world? Let’s get to it. 

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are technically seeds. They're the pits of the cherry-like berries found on the flowering shrubs of the Coffea plant species, but we call them "beans" because of the resemblance to legumes.

Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee beans are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. Roasted beans are ground and then brewed with near-boiling water to produce the beverage known as coffee.

The two most commonly grown plants are C.arabica and C.robusta, that are now cultivated in over 70 countries but we’d like to focus on five coffee regions of the world. 

All seven countries in the region grow coffee, with most of the coffee being harvested in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The region has a reputation for quality, described as having a clean and bright taste with good acidity. 

Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia make up the bulk of coffee growing countries in South America, with Brazil being the world’s largest coffee producer. Similar in build to Central American coffee, coffee from this region is known to be a slightly creamier, mild-bodied cup of brew that sometimes offers a chocolate aftertaste. 

If you’re looking for the current hip region for coffee beans, this is it, with the most popular roasts coming from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Each coffee-growing area produces a unique, complex cup of coffee that is generally described as sweet, fruity and floral. 

C.robusta, the more bitter of the two beans, are mainly produced in this region. Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and the Philippines are the most popular coffee growers in Southeast Asia, typically offering a bold cup of coffee. 

Due to India’s particularly high heat and intense rainy seasons, it offers some of the most unique growing conditions in the world. Both types of coffee beans are grown here, but the most famous type of Indian coffee is a smooth and creamy cup of brew known as Monsooned Malabar.