World Coffee producing areas: characteristics and stories of American Coffee beans in Global Coffee producing areas

There are more than 60 coffee producing countries and regions in the world, most of which are located in the tropics and subtropics covered by the Tropic of Cancer, and the equator passes through this area. this coffee cultivation area is also known as coffee belt or coffee area.

Today I would like to introduce to you the situation of its coffee producing areas in Central America.

I. Costa Rican coffee

The particles are full, the acidity is ideal and the aroma is unique and strong.

Tarrazu in Costa Rica is one of the major coffee producing areas in the world. The coffee produced is light and pure in flavor and pleasant in aroma. Costa Rica, with its fertile volcanic soil and good drainage, is the first country in Central America to grow coffee and bananas for commercial value. Coffee and bananas are the country's main exports. Coffee was introduced into Costa Rica from Cuba in 1729 and today its coffee industry is one of the most well-organized industries in the world with a yield of 1700 kg per hectare. Costa Rica, with a population of only 3.5 million, has 400 million coffee trees, and coffee exports account for 25 per cent of the country's total exports. Costa Rica has also benefited from the establishment of the Central American Society for Agricultural Research (Turrialba of the Central American Agricultural Research Institute, IAAC) in Tarasu, which is an important international research centre.

High-quality Costa Rican coffee is called "extra hard beans". This kind of coffee can grow above 1500 meters above sea level. Altitude has always been a problem for coffee growers. The higher the altitude, the better the coffee beans, not only because the higher altitude can increase the acidity of the coffee beans and thus increase the flavor, but also because the night temperature at the higher altitude is lower, which can make the trees grow slowly, thus making the coffee beans have a stronger flavor. In addition, due to the high altitude drop caused by sufficient rainfall, is also very beneficial to the growth of coffee trees. However, while there are many advantages to growing coffee at higher elevations, the resulting additional transport costs must be taken into account, which is likely to make coffee production unprofitable. The coffee industry in Costa Rica has adopted new technologies to increase efficiency, including the use of "electric eyes" to select beans and identify coffee beans of irregular size.

Located in the south of the country's capital, San Jos é, Tarasu is one of the most valued coffee growers in the country. La Minita Tarrazu coffee is a famous local product, but its production is limited, about 72600 kilograms a year. It is grown on a piece of land called La Minita, which is owned by the last three generations of the McAlpine family in the UK. In fact, this land can produce more than 450 tons of coffee a year. But Tarasurameta coffee is grown without artificial fertilizers or insecticides, and its harvest and selection are done by hand, in order to avoid some damage to coffee beans caused by air spray selection.

Other coffees worth mentioning are Juan Vinas,PR, H.Tournon, Windmill,SHB, Monte bello and Ssnta Rosa. Fine coffee is generally grown in Geredia and the central canyon. Another striking type of coffee is Sarchi (one of the five towns that represent Costa Rica's Coffee Road), which grows on the slopes of the Poas Volcano volcano, 53km from San Jose. Saatchi, founded in 1949, has a land area of 30770 hectares and grows sugar cane and coffee. The area is also famous for its handicrafts, attracting tourists from all over the world.

The country's coffee industry, originally controlled by the Costa Rican coffee industry company Instituto del Caf é de Costa Rica (ICAFE), has been taken over by the official Coffee Committee (Oficina del Caf é). Among the exported coffee, those products that are considered to be of substandard quality are colored with blue vegetable dyes and then transferred back to China for sale. Coffee consumed domestically (dyed blue or undyed) accounts for about 10% of total production, and local per capita coffee consumption is twice that of Italy or the United States.

II. Cuban coffee

It would be a pity if the country that produces cigars does not have the best coffee to match it.

The best coffee in Cuba (Cuba) is Turquino or Extra Turquino. Tujino is a coffee grade, not a place name, just like Blue Mountain. This coffee has a pure flavor and moderate granules, and because it is grown at lower elevations, its acidity is lower than that of many coffees grown in Central America.

If not affected by the political climate, there is no doubt that Cuba will become an important supplier of coffee to the United States and Japan.

III. Dominica

Delicious, sweet, full-grained coffee the Dominican Republic (Dominican Republic) is next to Haiti, and both own the island of Hispaniola (Hispaniola). Like its neighbours, the Dominican Republic had a history of revolution and poverty, but now it has democratic elections and the country is relatively stable. Coffee was grown in the Dominican Republic in the early 18th century and is best produced in the Barahona region of the southwest, but Juncalito and Ocoa also produce a fine coffee-Santo Domingo coffee, which is characterized by freshness, elegance, fullness, excellent acidity and pleasant aroma, so it is worth it. Unlike coffee produced in Haiti, most of the coffee grown in the Dominican Republic has been washed, which is a symbol of high quality.

IV. El Salvador

Unique, mild-tasting coffee. El Salvador is one of the small countries in Central America with a dense population. The flavor of its coffee is characterized by excellent balance. Today, this coffee accounts for 40% of the country's exports. 35% of the extra hard beans of the best coffee are exported to Germany from January to March.

In the early 1990s, guerrilla warfare greatly damaged the country's national economy, reducing coffee production from 3.5 million bags in the early 1970s to 2.5 million bags in 1990-1991. The eastern part of the country was the hardest hit by guerrilla warfare, with many farmers and workers forced to leave the manor. The shortage of funds has led to a sharp drop in coffee production, from 1200 kg per hectare in the past to less than 900kg per hectare today.

In addition, the government imposed an additional 15% tariff on exported coffee in 1986, that is, an additional 15% in addition to the existing 30% tax. Taxes, together with unfavorable exchange rates, have greatly reduced the export of coffee and the quality of coffee. The government finally realized the great role of coffee in the national economy, such as solving employment, earning foreign exchange and developing agriculture, so it privatized some coffee export industries in 1990, hoping to increase the income rate of coffee in the export market.

In Cuscacbapa, El Salvador, packaged coffee beans are about to be exported to El Salvador. Coffee from El Salvador is a specialty of Central America, where it is light, aromatic, pure and slightly sour. Like Guatemala and Costa Rica, coffee in El Salvador is graded according to altitude, and the higher the altitude, the better the coffee. The best brand is Pipil, which is what the Azbec-Mayan (AztecMayan) called coffee, which has been approved by the American Organic Certification Society (Organic Certified Institute of America).

Another rare coffee is Pacamara, a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogype. The best place to produce the coffee is in western El Salvador, adjacent to Santa Ana, which is close to the border with Guatemala. Parkmara coffee is full-grained when the aroma is not too strong.

5. Guadeloupe

Good coffee production has been affected by natural disasters this group of islands in the Caribbean used to be an important producer of coffee. In 1789, more than 1 million coffee trees on 500 hectares of land produced 4000 tons. Today, only 150 hectares of land is used to grow coffee. This decline can be attributed to the increase in sugar cane and banana production and the destruction of coffee trees by Hurricane Hurricane Ines in 1996. Political reasons include the redistribution of land from 1962 to 1965, which resulted in huge losses in coffee production. Growing coffee takes more man-hours and more money than bananas and sugar cane.

Guadeloupe used to be the best producer of coffee, but now it is no longer exported. Bonifieur is rated as the best quality coffee in the area, a name that used to be proud of in coffee history.

VI. Guatemala

The extra-hard coffee beans here are full-grained, delicious and balanced, and the coffee made with them is pure and rich. Guatemala coffee once enjoyed a reputation as the best quality coffee in the world, but its quality also declined for a time. What is gratifying, however, is that its reputation is gradually being restored.

In 1750, Father Jesuit introduced coffee trees to Guatemala, where the coffee industry was developed by German colonization at the end of the 19th century. Today, most of the coffee industry's production takes place in the south of the country. Here, the slopes of the Sierra Madre volcano provide ideal conditions for growing high-quality coffee beans, and coffee growing at high altitudes is full of vitality. Compared with other kinds of coffee, tasters prefer this mixed flavor coffee with spicy flavor. The extra-hard coffee beans here are a rare good coffee with full grains, delicious taste and balanced acidity. In addition, Guatemala has attracted a lot of attention because of its giant coffee beans. The coffee industry, which once boomed the country, still dominates the national economy. Unfortunately, the domestic political situation is not good for coffee growers. High output is usually a sign of a country's overall economic prosperity.

Guatemala

Guatemalan coffee beans

However, coffee production in Guatemala has declined relatively, at 700kg per hectare, while that in El Salvador is 900kg per hectare and that in Costa Rica is even more astonishing, at 1700 kg per hectare. The export of dangerous Dimara coffee is controlled by private companies, but the National Coffee Council (Asociacion Nacional de Cafe) controls other sectors of the coffee industry. At present, some of the best quality coffee from Guatemala is exported to Japan, where each cup of coffee sells for $3 to $4. Most small-scale producers are descended from the Mayans (Mayan), who like to call cups local people.

Currently, they are also benefiting from a U.S.-funded project, known locally as The Project, which plans to invest $2.5 million to encourage the opening of small, high-quality coffee plantations. The main areas rich in high-quality coffee in Guatemala are Lake Attilan (Lake Atitlan) and Huehuentenango. The purpose of the project is to help restore the vicious circle of high yield and low quality that has plagued the world coffee industry. For example, Bourbon trees grow taller and produce fewer beans than the new dwarf trees, and although they all belong to Arabica coffee varieties, bourbon trees produce better beans and are more popular with gourmets. The project also hopes to encourage local producers to process their own coffee beans, as most coffee fruits are now sold to middlemen, and if coffee processing can be done in local factories, its value and even quality may be improved.

Antigua (Antigua) is also a famous producer of coffee. Antigua coffee is produced in Hacienda Carmona, where the best quality coffee is EL Pulcal, which is not only of good quality, but also has a stronger flavor, richer taste and stronger tobacco flavor than other Guatemalan coffees. Every 30 years or so, the area near Antigua is hit by a volcanic eruption, which provides more nitrogen to the already rich land, and plenty of rainfall and sunlight make the place more suitable for growing coffee. Other coffee producers include San Marco, Oriente & Coban, Palcya, Mataquescuintia and La Uman in Zacapa. The establishment of the Special Coffee Association means that the Government of Guatemala has begun to pay attention to high-quality coffee, and the efforts made for it will soon bear fruit.

American coffee producing area

American coffee producing area

American coffee producing area