There are 3 main regions in the world where coffee is grown: Central America, North Africa and South Asia. Each region has its own distinct flavors and aromas. This comes from the minerals in the soil in particular, the amount of precipitation, and the method of processing the beans. For this article, I’ll use Starbucks as an example; not for promotional reasons but because Starbucks is the best known in the coffee industry.

Latin America

By far the top coffee producers in the world, Brazil alone produces more than 2 million metric tons of coffee each year. Latin American coffees go through a process called “washing.” After the beans are collected, they are pulped and fermented for 18 to 36 hours. This fermentation brings out an acidic taste and smell of the beans. A good example of coffee from this region is the Starbucks Breakfast Blend or Organic Shade Grown Mexico.

North Africa

Many consider North Africa to be the birthplace of coffee. Yemen was one of the first countries to brew coffee and sold its secrets to Italian aristocrats. North African coffees have a fruity and floral flavor. The beans are left to dry with their beans inside to allow the bean to absorb more of the cherry flavor as it dries on the bean. This process brings out a fruity, exotic, cocoa flavor in the coffee. A good example of coffee from this region is Starbucks Ethiopia Sidamo and Kenya blend.

South Asia

South Asian coffees make the boldest coffees. The beans are separated from their cherries and left to dry. About halfway through drying, a filament protecting the grain separates from the grain and the drying process is complete. A good example of coffee from this region is the Starbucks Komodo Dragon and Sumatra blend.

It is recommended that the coffee be ground and consumed within a week of opening the bag, to keep the beans fresh. The grind depends on how the coffee is going to be prepared. As a general rule, the longer the beans are in contact with the water, the coarser the grind can be; the average Mr. Coffee drip uses a medium grind.

Enjoy