Why the higher the altitude, the better the coffee?

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Coffee beans are generally graded according to their size, defect rate and altitude. The size and defect rate of raw beans are easy to understand, but many people don't quite understand. Why do some producing areas use the altitude of coffee beans as the basis for classification, and many coffee sellers also sell their coffee at high prices because of their high altitude coffee?. Why?.

First of all, we should realize that the influence of geographical location on the flavor of coffee beans is important.

All coffee grows in the tropics, in fact, altitude has no direct effect on coffee, but altitude can affect the growth, development and quality of coffee through the redistribution of meteorological elements (temperature, light, heat, wind speed, rainfall, etc.). The tropics between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cancer produce the world's truly high-quality Arabica coffee. Central and South America, South Asia and some Pacific islands, and south-central Africa are also the most important coffee-growing areas in the world. The 3000-6000 ft (90-2000 m) high altitude provides ideal conditions for coffee to grow: an average frost-free climate of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit (15-21 ℃) throughout the year, about 80 inches of moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine. Coffee beans in cold mountain areas grow more slowly, and the slow ripening process makes coffee beans have higher sugar content, more interesting flavor and more mellow flavor. High elevations have a high displacement and produce more concentrated fruit flavors, and the best Arabica coffee-growing areas have very fertile soil, often in volcanic areas.

Coffee beans grown at high elevations are hard, dense and have the potential to give full play to their special flavor. The really amazing coffee growing areas are at high elevations, and these beans are only picked carefully during the mature season. Generally speaking, with the increase of altitude, the aroma of coffee becomes more and more prominent and unique (see figure). From the temperature and sweetness of Brazilian beans at 3500 feet to the soaring taste of Ethiopian coffee beans above 6000 feet, altitude will give coffee beans a more complex and subtle taste.

The rating of Central American coffee is based on the altitude at which the coffee grows.

Mexico, Honduras, Haiti and other countries are highly graded: Strictly High Grown (extremely high mountain bean, referred to as SHG), followed by High Grown (high mountain bean, referred to as HG)

Mexico is called Altura, which means "high" in Spanish, indicating that it is high-altitude coffee; Papua New Guinea appends the name "Mile High" to mark coffee beans grown in the highlands and mountains.

On the other hand, in alpine areas, because of the cold climate and the slow growth rate of coffee, the density of raw beans is higher and the texture is harder, and the more mellow and aromatic the coffee is, and it has a supple sour taste; on the other hand, in lower areas, the density of raw beans is lower, and the texture is less hard, the worse the quality of coffee, so some people classify it as "hardness."

Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and other countries are classified as follows

Grade growth height grade abbreviation

Strictly Hard Bean (extremely hard bean) is about 1372 to 1524m SHB.

Good Hard Bean (high hard bean) is about 91401372m GHB

Hard Bean (hard bean) is about 610-914m HB

Pacific (Pacific Coastal area) is about 300mm 1000m Pacific

Practice shows that the effect of altitude on quality has exceeded that of genotype on quality. Viagra personally believes that the classification of coffee beans based on altitude is more scientific and reasonable than simply grading by size and defect rate, because to a certain extent, altitude classification is indirectly graded by taste, and beans with low altitude grow rapidly and large. the defect rate can be changed by selection, but the altitude cannot be changed.

According to the measurement, compared with the same kind of coffee beans, the higher the altitude, the greater the acidity and the smaller the concentration; on the contrary, the smaller the acidity, the greater the concentration. Therefore, for those who like the sour taste and do not have high concentration requirements? High-altitude coffee is very suitable for you. It is your good coffee. For those who do not like the sour taste of fruit and require a high concentration of coffee, the higher the altitude, the more unsuitable it is for them. No matter how high its quality is, it is still a waste product for itself. Therefore, the choice of altitude should be based on personal taste.

Secondly, how do we know if the coffee we buy is really high altitude? Coffee growth and reproduction has specific requirements for environmental conditions, sexual preference for calm wind, cool, shaded or semi-shaded environment. In other words, coffee can not be grown and produced in any environment. In other words, coffee production is regional. Most of the coffee producing areas in the world are distributed in tropical plateaus or high-altitude mountain areas. The heat in the equatorial area is high and can be planted to about 2000 meters above sea level; the heat on both sides of the Tropic of Cancer is relatively low, mostly below 1000 meters. In China, it is mainly distributed in Yunnan. Therefore, when making coffee well, we also need to understand the geography, climate and environment of the coffee producing area, and do more and drink more in order to better understand the different flavors of coffee.