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Where Does Coffee Come From?


It’s me Sandy again, ready to take you behind the scenes of Parisi Coffee and show you how we ensure all of the coffee we roast is the finest from all over the world. 

Did you know your favorite coffee beans begin their lives by growing on an evergreen shrub somewhere on the globe between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This belt that wraps around the globe is known as the “coffee latitudes," or The Coffee Belt. All specialty coffee is grown within this belt because of the climate conditions, altitude, soil types and plant cultivation, each of which influences the coffee’s taste before it ever leaves origin.

Coffee Cherries on Plant

I love looking at a map and zooming in so I can see where my favorite coffee is grown. Let’s zoom into some of our favorite places to get coffee for Parisi:

Central America: Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Mexico

South America: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia
Asia: Sumatra, Papua New Guinea, Java, and Yemen
Africa: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia
World Map of Coffee Growing Regions
You might think zooming into countries of origin is getting specific, but you can zoom in even further and get into provinces, states and regions where coffee is grown. Let’s take Ethiopia as an example, Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe are all different locations within the same country, but each produces unique coffee that we love!
Ethiopian Coffee Growing Region Map

While there are some general similarities based on coffee’s origin, not all coffees taste the same. For example, I used to think all coffees from Africa were fruity, but I was wrong. Often the way a coffee is processed makes the largest difference in taste.

The flavor of the cup is also influenced by the climate conditions, altitude, soil type and plant cultivation at origin as well. All of these factors have to be just right to produce delicious specialty coffee beans!

 Parisi Roasting

Next in the series, I will discuss how coffee is processed and how to choose a coffee to taste!

Grazie!

Sip, Savor, and Enjoy a good life!