In a recent tour of Seattle, famed TV personality and elder hipster, Anthony Bourdain quipped, “coffee isn’t a culture, it’s a drink”. And while we do agree with the talking head’s stance on coffee shop etiquette — seriously people, if you can’t afford Wi-Fi steal it from your neighbors like the rest of us — we completely disagree with his stance on coffee culture. Coffee is a culture, with die-hard fans, experts and professionals that can analyze a brew like a sommelier breaks down a glass of wine. In support of this culture, we’re profiling five of the most important coffee regions, so that next time you have a layover in the coffee aisle trying to decipher between Brazilian and Indonesian beans, you’ll have no reservations. But before we break down the regions, let’s break down the coffee.
When it comes to beans, there are two main types: Arabica, which makes up about 70% of the market, and Robusta, which makes up the remainder. The big difference between the two is in where each is grown. Because Robusta is most often grown in higher temperatures, the beans tend to be more bitter. Additionally, they contain about 50% more caffeine than Arabica. And speaking of growing beans, here’s perhaps the fundamental point to sip from this little article: there are good areas and bad areas for growing coffee, with the prime real estate for growth being known as the Bean Belt. That’s a latitudinal space roughly bound by the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn — and within that swath of land there’s a whole lot of coffee diversity.
Central America
At the top of that belt is Central America. Most coffees in this region are harvested from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Described as having a clean and bright taste with good acidity, coffees from this region are often considered a sort of everyman’s coffee: exceptionally well-balanced and mild to medium in body. Remember that red plastic container of coffee in your fridge? It’s pretty much all from here. That said, there’s plenty of high-grade Central American coffee being served in specialty coffee shops around the country.