What is Single Origin Coffee - Why it Matters
What is Single Origin Coffee?
“Single origin is a small phrase with a big definition,” says Ana Pipunic in her article Everything You Need to Know About Single Origins, “The meaning’s often simplified to a coffee that’s sourced from one single producer, crop, or region in one country.”
Either one producer or an entire region of a country? As far as specific goes we would rank that as “not very”. That’s like saying, “we’re going to Uncle Jim’s house,” vs. “We’re going to Fairhope Alabama.” (We’ll dive into this later.)
“Single Origin Coffee” is a name used to categorize coffee that is from one country, and either one region or farm in that country. They make up the very heart of specialty coffee. There are several factors that make a coffee specialty grade, but one thing they have in common is that each come from one source and tell their own story from the time they are planted to the time they are roasted.
In this article, we’ll be discussing what exactly Single Origin Coffee is and the importance of it’s role in specialty coffee! Let’s jump into it.
The Benefits and Downfalls of Single Origin Coffees
While Single-Origins are an important part of Specialty Coffee, there’s also a negative side to them. Like we mentioned earlier, the difference between an entire region and a single farm is a big difference. Sometimes this can make browsing for a green coffee a little tricky.
We have two colombias that we offer, a Cauca and a microlot Yeny Socorro Anacona. Already you can probably tell that one is from a broad region and the other is directly from a single farm. While both are exceptional coffees – or we wouldn’t offer them – the Yeny outshines the Cauca. Why? Being a microlot single farm coffee, the farmer is able to pay closer attention to each aspect of the processing and produce a higher grade coffee bean. (Actually, the highest that we offer.)
This is why it’s hard for us Coffee Roasters because sometimes, since the term “single origin” is so broad, we can’t always trust a green coffee just because it is a Single Origin. We have to really do a deep dive into the true story of the coffee and check to see that the processing reaches our standards.
Single Origins and Blends
While blends like our Big Sur are super tasty, they wouldn’t exist without Single Origins. Let us explain. By taking the individual flavor profiles from both our Brazil Mogiana and Colombia Cauca, our Roasters have crafted a blend that is a unique combination of both. This has created a coffee that has a smooth and creamy mouthfeel with notes of dark chocolate and hints of raspberry.
Single Origins are at the heart of all specialty coffee because it’s in these that you find the hidden gems of flavors that you didn’t know existed. You’re able to go deeper with your coffee’s profile by knowing what goes on at origin and decipher how that affects the flavor of your cup. Sorry, nerding out a bit, but it’s a ton of fun.
Speaking of, we love getting in new single origins like our new Tanzania (which we’ve never offered before) It’s so new that it isn’t even on our website yet. BUT if you wanted to try, just contact us and say “I want that Tanzania!!!!” and we’ll ship you a bag. Okay, maybe be more specific than that but you get the just.
So Many To Choose From
With there being a ridiculous amount of Single Origins to choose from with so many different amazing roasters, it can be pretty intimidating when you’re trying to choose a bag of coffee.
After you look for a few key factors on each bag of coffee, you can then look for flavor notes. They will be specific flavors or descriptions of the texture of the coffee. Here are a few notes taken straight from our bags:
Cocoa
Raspberry
Praline
Citrus Fruit
And the list could literally go on and on…
That’s why we take such meticulous efforts of cupping (or very intentionally tasting) each coffee that we offer so that it’s easier for you when you go to choose. It’s really as simple as if you like chococlate but hate citrus, you probably should go for the coffee that tastes more like chocolate.
(Also, the more coffee there is to try, the more you get to drink. So really it’s a win-win..or at least we think so)
Recap - Why Single Origins Matter
It’s incredible how unique each single origin is. You can have a coffee that was grown literally down the street from another and it taste completely different. Which is why we love trying new coffees because the possibilites are endless.
Single origin coffees are the heart of all specialty coffee because it’s in these unique origins that we find all of the crazy flavors and profiles that coffees have to offer.
We hope this has given you some insight as to what single origins are and also why they are so important. Check out our selection and see which bag jumps out at you the most. And, if you didn’t know, you can sign up for our email list for an initial discount on coffee + weekly discounts and coffee tips you don’t want to miss.
Until next time! Cheers.