COFFEE LOCATION AND QUALITY
Posted by Mitchell Hamilton on
Combat Coffee truly believes the first step in creating exceptional coffee starts with using exceptional coffee beans.
The altitude (MASL- meters above sea level) at which a coffee tree is grown drastically effects the coffee’s taste and palatability. The worlds truly great Arabica coffee beans are grown in the mountainous regions of the Coffee Belt, a tropical zone that extends from approximately 30 degrees north to 30 degrees south of the equator. Southern Asia, some of the Pacific Islands, Central and South America, and southern regions of Africa are the world’s ideal coffee growing locations
It is in these mountainous elevations, 900 MASL (3000ft) to above 1800 MASL (+6000ft), Rich in volcanic soil, that the perfect growing conditions exist for the coffee tree. Here, there is plenty of sunshine, moderate amounts of rainfall, and a year round climate of 60 - 70 degrees. The lower temperatures in these mountainous regions extend the growing cycle of the coffee tree resulting in a longer bean development. These high altitude beans are hard, dense beans that have the potential to be great coffees. Slower bean growth rate results in more complex sugars developing which causes more interesting flavors to become apparent. The coffees that are grown in lower, warmer climates have an increased rate of development, softer bean structure and miss out on the flavors associated with great coffee often being called Bland and Earthy.
Mountainous coffees, therefore, are more costly due to their vibrant flavor characteristics, lower pound of fruit per tree and the difficulty they impose on the farmers in these remote mountainous regions.
Just as Success comes not without Sacrifice, Great Coffee comes not without exceptional beans.