Coffee Terroir: What are Coffee Terroir Conditions and How Coffee is Affected by Them

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We often hear the word "local conditions" when we talk about coffee, but what exactly does it mean? Does it have anything to do with the flavor of coffee? Why do we need to care about the local environment?

What are the local conditions?

The word "vernacular condition" comes from French Terroir, and it is most commonly used in English when talking about wine. The Pamela of the South American Fine Coffee Alliance describes the soil as: "Terroir is literally soil." And the environment around the soil is wind and soil. "

However, when it comes to agriculture, the soil will be even more complicated: "the soil composed of specific substances is combined with the temperature of the surrounding environment, Rain Water, microbes, bacteria, and climate, and the above conditions can be applied to agriculture. "

With regard to the above description, some landowners put forward his view: the local environment actually combines everything in the coffee growing environment. It is not only the soil and climate, but the environment as a whole, including the influence of local people and local agricultural knowledge.

Good soil and bad soil

The definition of good and bad is subjective, though, "I like this producing area very much." The coffee in this producing area is very good. "these two sentences are very common expressions.

"there is no such thing as bad soil, only the soil that is more suitable for the growth of certain varieties. "

Style and soil are linked to the quality of coffee. If a special variety is planted, it is not suitable in some producing areas or countries. He cited the cup scoring system as an example. If you score more than 80 points out of 100, you will be fine coffee. If you score more than 90 points, you will find coffee with sparse production and high price.

In the category of boutique coffee, consumers have a good impression of coffee in some countries. Farmers in countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia and Ethiopia are knowledgeable and good at growing coffee. Brazil and Indonesia often produce coffee by producing cash crops.

This implies many limitations brought by the local culture, and despite the above impressions of Brazilian coffee, they can still produce coffee that can participate in the Cup of Excellence competition. and scored more than 90 points in the Excellence Cup competition with nine sun-and honey-treated coffees in 2017.

The local soil of some countries may be suitable for the growth of specific varieties, which indirectly affects the flavor and cup test score of coffee, but it does not mean that these countries cannot produce other varieties.