Why is there any difference in flavor between coffee beans at high altitude and coffee beans at low altitude

Why is there any difference in flavor between coffee beans at high altitude and coffee beans at low 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, bounded by Ailao Mountain, and mainly planted below 900m in the east; in the west, it is mainly planted below 1200 m above sea level, and a few can be planted up to 1500 m above sea level; in the hot area of the Jinsha River basin, it can be planted to 144m 1670m. So to buy high-altitude coffee, you have to ask the origin. If a seller tells you that the producing area is to the east of Ailao Mountain in Yunnan and the elevation is 1200 meters, it is absolutely deceiving you, because coffee cannot be grown at this altitude at all in this area.

To put it simply, the higher the altitude at which coffee beans grow, the better they taste. Coffee beans grown at high elevations have pleasant acidity, rich aroma and rich taste, which everyone likes; on the contrary, coffee grown at low elevations has almost no sour taste, single taste and plain taste. That's why baristas always emphasize altitude. If your barista tells you that your coffee grows on a plateau 5200 meters above sea level, then this cup of coffee is definitely worth savoring.

Although altitude is only one of the many factors to measure the quality of coffee, it is definitely the most important one. The next time you go to the coffee shop, please ask the barista to tell you the history of the coffee in the cup. This will not only enrich your coffee knowledge, but also improve your overall coffee experience. The best coffee beans are usually strong and grow at an altitude of more than 4500 meters. The growth of these coffee beans is very slow, so the density of the beans is very high, and the gap in the middle of the beans should be curved. In contrast, coffee beans grown at low elevations usually have a lower density and slightly open gaps in the middle. As for the color of the bean, the growing environment of the coffee bean and the processing technology of the raw bean will affect the color of the coffee bean. If the same kind of coffee beans produced on the same plantation are treated differently, for example, one batch is washed with water and the other batch is treated with honey, then the colors of the two batches of beans will be very different. Generally speaking, the density of bean body is the most powerful basis for judging the altitude of coffee bean growth. Altitude will directly affect the appearance of coffee beans. When you take a closer look at raw coffee beans, you will find that the size and density of each kind of coffee are different. Are the coffee beans in your hand small and dense? Is the gap in the middle of the bean tightly closed or open? Is the gap straight or curved? Is the color of coffee beans close to jade, light green or blue? The shape characteristics of the bean body can directly reflect the growth altitude of coffee beans.