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There are approximately 600 varieties of coffee in the world and each one is going to have its own unique characteristics and flavors! There is no way I could list all of them so I will stick with some generalizations.

Central and South American coffees are the ones that most Americans are familiar with. Most are light to medium bodied and have fruity and nutty characteristics.

African coffees are much earthier and robust. The flavor characteristics can be almost like red wine in their complexity and body.

Indonesian coffees are typically more sharp. The beans are typically very flavorful and complex.

Of course these are rash generalizations! It’s like saying that all Mexican food is spicy when you know for a fact that’s not the case.

Coffees from different areas of the same country can have very different flavor portraits. An Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and an Ethiopian Sidamo, although grown in the same part of the world, are two very different coffees. But this at least gives you an idea of where to start, if you don’t like rich, full bodied coffee, avoid African coffees as your first choice and try something from Central or South America instead.

My advice is to try coffees from as many different origins as possible until you find the ones you like. As with all things flavorful, only you know what’s right for you.


Category: Coffee 101