What is the flavor of coffee producing areas? what are the factors that affect the flavor of Arabica coffee beans?

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introduction

Recently, I saw a message from a former street fan asking: "Is it the variety or planting area that affects the coffee flavor?" Dr Francesco Illy, founder of illy coffee, explained: "70% of the characteristics and body of coffee beans are determined by genes, and the remaining 30% depends on the ecosystem in which they are grown." In other words, the type of coffee is important, but the latitude, altitude, soil, sunshine, temperature, and humidity of the growing area all affect the flavor performance of the same coffee variety.

What does latitude affect? Where is the coffee belt?

Latitude affects the intensity of sunlight and the temperature. Most of the world's coffee-growing regions are located in tropical regions between the Tropic of Cancer (including the equator), that is, 25 degrees north of the equator and 30 degrees south of the equator in tropical or subtropical regions. The average annual temperature of coffee growing belt is between 16-25℃, frost-free, and the annual rainfall is 1600-2000 mm.

Effect of altitude on coffee flavor

Front Street often mentions that the higher the elevation of coffee producing areas, the richer the coffee flavor. Why is this? Studies have shown that for every 100 meters above sea level, the temperature of the area decreases by 0.6 degrees Celsius; for every 300 meters above sea level, the sucrose content of the same variety of coffee beans increases by 10%, and sucrose produces more sour substances during roasting.

So as the temperature rises, the difference between day and night increases, and the fruit grows slower, it develops more flavor, which explains why coffee beans at higher altitudes are more acidic than coffee beans at lower altitudes.

Effect of Soil on Coffee Flavor

Coffee beans grown in Central America have attractive acidity without losing body, thanks to volcanic soils. Volcanic soil contains high concentrations of sulfur and sulfide, which are essential elements for coffee to form acid aroma substances. Volcanic soil is also rich in potassium, which helps to enhance the mellow degree of coffee. The amount of these substances in the soil will affect the performance of a certain flavor of coffee.

In addition to minerals that can affect coffee flavor, phosphoric acid in the soil can also change the acidity of coffee. For example, Kenya's soil contains a lot of phosphoric acid, which makes Kenya's coffee beans have a very prominent sour flavor.

Effects of sunshine and temperature on coffee flavor

The high temperature produced by sunlight will speed up the metabolism of coffee fruits and ripen faster. However, this accelerated ripening of coffee fruits does not have enough time to develop more flavor, coffee can also drink ordinary or even boring. To solve this problem, shade trees appeared.

Plant native trees taller than him on top of coffee trees, blocking most of the sun. Coffee trees do not need to be directly exposed to the sun, coffee fruit metabolism will also slow down, help to develop more flavor.

Effect of humidity on coffee flavor

Studies have shown that coffee beans from high-humidity areas taste more fruity, such as coffee beans from the Coban region of Guatemala. So Front Street compared coffee beans from eight Guatemala regions, and the sour and sweet taste of coffee beans in Coban region was indeed more obvious than coffee beans from the other seven regions.

The reason is that the Cobain region is a tropical rain forest region, and high humidity can increase the concentration of malic acid in coffee pulp and help sugar production. The fruity components of the malic acid are absorbed by the coffee beans, and the sugar also produces more sour aromas during the roasting process, resulting in a rich fruity sour flavor.

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