How the coffee flavor in your cup begins from soil to ceramic. We call it the “Coffee Flavor Chain.” It’s the chain of events that bring you the coffee you crave.

It Begins with the Bean

It beings with coffee itself, grown along the coffee “bean belt” of the world. The two main species of coffee beans are arabica and robusta, each with their own growing characteristics and flavor profiles. In general, the arabica bean is more favored for its flavor and with less caffeine content, but the robusta bean is popular with a good roast and for a strong caffeine boost. Within the arabica bean there are a hundreds of genetic varietals, some naturally occurred and others developed by farmers over generations. Popular varietals are the typica, bourbon, catuai, yellow caturra and red caturra. Brazil has been at the forefront of developing and experimenting with new varietals, which many other countries have imported into their own growing regions.

Where the Bean Calls Home

Other than the varietal itself, the biggest factor driving coffee flavor from the bean itself is its growing climate and geography. The more extreme, the better! From the active volcanoes of Hawaii and Guatemala and the extreme altitudes of Ethiopia to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and dry air of Yemen, the soil, minerals and environment surrounding the bean all contribute to its growth and flavor profiles right to the coffee cherry. This is where “single origin” characteristics shine—volcanic soil produces a wonderfully complex acidity, shade and altitude encourage a high sugar content that develops into mouth watering fruit notes, dry air and mountainous soil develop into chocolate and earth notes.

From Berry to Bean

When the coffee is ripe enough to be picked, the bean itself must be extracted from the coffee berry or “cherry,” removing not just the pulp, but a sweet mucilage underneath the pulp as well as a silver parchment surrounding the green coffee bean itself. How this is done varies from region to region, but once the cherries are mechanically depulped, the two major methods to remove the mucilage are the “washed” method, where the beans are soaked in water for natural yeasts to ferment the mucilage, or the “natural” method, where the beans are dried in the sun for heat and light to dry out the mucilage. Each method effects flavor. Washed processing tends to mellow out acidity for a balanced taste while natural processing tends to concentrates sugars for more intense sweetness and acidity.

A Toast to the Roast

Once the green beans are processed, sorted (for size and defects) and shipped, the next biggest flavor determinant is the roast. Raw coffee has over 100 amino acids and sugars that produce complex flavors by applying heat in what’s called the maillard reaction (think caramelizing an onion or toasting bread). A roaster has many tools to manipulate the process—temperature, time, rate of temperature change, heat application method and so on—in order to produce a specific flavor profile. Lighter roasts will often emphasize the naturally occurring flavors of the bean and preserve original sweetness and acidity, while darker roasts will change bean flavors and sweetness into “roast” flavors and eliminate acidity. There’s a world in between the two extremes!

Better Remember the Brew

Most people think the flavor chain ends with the roast, but the last determinant for coffee flavor is actually how the coffee is extracted from the roasted beans into your coffee cup. Yes, brewing methods will affect coffee flavor and we encourage you to try the same coffee roast using different brewing techniques to experiment with what you like. Water quality will affect taste, as will the coffee grind and water to coffee ratio. In general, an espresso will amplify flavors for intensity while an immersion (such as a pour over, drip or even a K-cup) will open up more nuanced notes. Some immersion techniques such as a french press will allow for more control over producing stronger or lighter coffees. Check out our brew page to see how we recommend brewing your coffee for optimal flavor and some of the equipment we recommend.