A Guide to Different Types of Coffees

By Damian Papworth

Coffee, like wine and cheese, is so much more than just its finished product. It takes a lot of time to make a good cup of coffee, and most of that time is actually spent by people you'll never met, cultivating the coffee beans out in fields on mountain ranges as far away as Columbia, Java, and even Kenya.

Yes, what really makes coffee taste great are the beans themselves, or the special regions in countries around the world where the weather gets together to create the perfect growing environment. To learn a little bit more about the world's different coffee producing regions, as well as the most popular beans, you needn't look any further than this handy guide, which will teach you how to make the best possible pot of coffee around just by learning which brands to select.

Sulawesi Toraja Kalossi One of the most popular and rare varieties of Arabica coffee around, these coffee beans grow at extremely high altitudes on the island of Sulawesi. The coffee is full-bodied, slightly more acidic than the similar Sumatra blend, and known for its fruit and dark chocolate undertones. As far as Malaysian coffee goes, this is one of the finest beans coming out of the area, and it commands high prices.

Colombian Coffee One of the biggest producers of coffee beans is Columbia, a country with a perfect environment for growing different varieties of Arabica beans, like Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon. The coffee grown in Columbia is imported by many countries around the world, like Japan, The United States, Australia, and Holland. Initially, harvested beans were roasted with charcoal in saucepans at the very beginning of Columbia's long-going historical trade and harvesting.

Ethiopian Harrar One of the oldest coffee beans used, Harrar coffee beans grow only in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia, and require sorting and processing done entirely by hand, due to the brittle nature of the bean. The bean itself is medium in size, but has a distinct flavor that most people compare to an expensive glass of fruity red wine. The aroma is equally pleasant, and Ethiopian Harrar beans are sold in many gourmet stores around the world.

Lavazza Espresso pods Some companies are so well-known for their coffee that they manage to employ their own growers around the world to create the product for them. A look at once such enterprise is world-famous providers of Italian coffee, Lavazza, whose different varieties are sold worldwide. Since the early 1900s, the company has imported beans specially grown for them from countries around the world, including Vietnam, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Indonesia. A delicate mixture of these different varieties, as well as the blending of different types of coffee beans that come from different soils and weather patterns, leads to a complex and delicious tasting coffee.

Remember, while different countries all produce different types of beans, it doesn't mean that the names on this list are the only type of coffee bean grown in that particular country. Furthermore, it is possible that many of these beans have shown up in different names and varieties through United States importers.

For socially-conscious consumers, one of the best things you can do, before deciding you absolutely must try a type of coffee bean, is to see if there's an organization that produces and imports said beans in a fair-trade way. Harvesting coffee is tough work, and it's a shame how unfairly paid a number of these production countries are, especially considering how much the beans draw around the world. - 31875

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