You’re at the hip new coffee shop in your neighborhood browsing the coffee selection while the barista makes your drink. Their shelves are socked with beans from all over the world, but how do you know which ones to buy? Sure, Ethiopian coffee has a good rep, but maybe you should just stick with something less exotic. We’ve all been there at some point in our coffee journey. Maybe you were too intimidated to ask questions about the differences, or maybe you didn’t even know what to ask. We get questions on this topic a lot, so we’ve put together a cheat sheet of the flavor profiles for a few of our favorite coffee origins.

Colombia

• Aroma: rich
• Body: medium
• Acidity: medium
• Flavor: sweet, creamy

Ethiopia

• Aroma: complex
• Body: full
• Acidity: high
• Flavor: fruity, floral

Peru

• Aroma: sweet, citrus
• Body: medium
• Acidity: medium
• Flavor: nutty, chocolatey

Sumatra

• Aroma: rich, herbal
• Body: full
• Acidity: low
• Flavor: earthy, savory, syrupy smooth

The days of generalizing the flavor of coffee are coming to an end. Coffee culture is evolving to recognize and celebrate the unique characteristics of each origin. While the characteristics listed above provide a quick reference guide to some of the overarching themes of these origins, each farm has the ability to produce complex flavor profiles not found anywhere else. Whether your coffee journey is just beginning, or you consider yourself an expert, we hope you enjoyed this post. ♥ Peace Love and Coffee, Joan & David