Specialty Coffee Beans
Latest articles, industry insights and brewing guides
Arabica Coffee Varieties and Their Characteristics
Explore key Arabica coffee varieties like Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and Catimor, with traits, yields, disease resistance, and flavor profiles.
What Makes Costa Rican Coffee So Pure and Balanced?
Learn why Costa Rican beans like La Angostura offer unmatched clarity, soft acidity, and balance—especially at City+ roast levels.
How to Identify Fresh Coffee Green Beans
Learn how to assess green coffee bean freshness by moisture level, color, and scent—and know when your beans are past their peak.
Why Are There So Many Cooperatives in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia?
Yirgacheffe’s coffee scene thrives on its many cooperatives. Here’s why they exist, how they help farmers, and what that means for your cup.
New Costa Rican Coffee Beans: What Makes Them Special?
Explore the unique profile of a fresh Costa Rican coffee from Naranjo, West Valley, known for its vibrant fruitiness and crystal-clear balance.
Yirgacheffe Konga Natural Process Coffee Beans
Konga is a standout Ethiopian natural-process Yirgacheffe with bright cherry, peach, and strawberry notes. Here's what makes it different from Idido.
Ethiopia Bench Maji Geisha Coffee Beans
Explore the freshly arrived Ethiopia Bench Maji Geisha coffee—wild, fruity, and fermented—with notes on origin, processing, and flavor.
Coffee Tree Species: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica Explained
Learn the differences between the three main coffee tree species—Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica—including their growing needs and market share.
What’s Holding Back Yunnan Specialty Coffee?
A detailed look at why Yunnan coffee struggles to reach specialty grade, from variety flaws to processing gaps.
The History of Coffee in Yunnan, China
Discover how coffee came to Yunnan, its early cultivation by French missionaries, and how it grew into China’s leading coffee region.
Why Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Costs So Much
Learn why Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee commands premium prices, from limited production to strict certification and elite demand.
Spice-Infused Mandheling: Roast Levels & Flavor
Learn how medium-dark roasts bring out Mandheling’s clove, caramel, and herbal notes, and why spice flavors work best with this Indonesian bean.
Diamond Mandheling: The Rarest Indonesian Coffee Bean
Diamond Mandheling is a scarce, high-elevation Mandheling variety grown in North Sumatra, known for its bold profile and exclusive Japanese market.
What Makes Yirgacheffe Coffee So Unique?
Yirgacheffe coffee is famed for its citrusy, floral profile. Grown over 1,800m in Ethiopia’s highlands, it's a benchmark for African specialty coffee.
Arabica vs Robusta Coffee Beans: Key Differences
Learn how to tell Arabica and Robusta coffee beans apart by shape, caffeine content, and flavor. Arabica has 50% less caffeine and an S-shaped center cut.
How Yunnan Coffee Beans Are Wet Processed
Learn how Yunnan coffee producers remove fruit, pulp, and mucilage through washing and fermentation to produce clean, high-quality washed coffee.
4 Uniquely Designed Specialty Coffee Machines
Looking for a coffee machine that stands out? Discover four eye-catching, uniquely styled brewers that brew great coffee and double as conversation pieces.
Yunnan Simao AA Coffee Beans Profile
Explore the balanced flavor profile of Yunnan Simao AA coffee, grown in China’s largest coffee region with moderate acidity and even body.
Panama Geisha Coffee: Why It Beats Jamaican Blue Mountain
Discover how Panama’s Geisha coffee overtook Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona as the world’s most sought-after specialty bean.
Gayo Mountain Mandheling: Clean, Fruity Sumatra Coffee
Discover Gayo Mountain Mandheling, a washed Sumatran coffee with bright fruit, herbal notes, and a clean profile—distinct from traditional Mandheling.