Single-origin coffee is
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
grown within a single known geographic origin.
Single-origins can offer unique characteristics and specific tastes compared to blended coffees from multiple origins. Coffee shops can market single-origin coffees specifically to add symbolic value to the coffee by highlighting the producer or the coffee's unique origin. Consumers of
specialty coffee are often attracted to single-origin coffee for the transparency it often attempts to convey.
There are no universal rules, or governing bodies enforcing the labeling of coffee. However, there are governmental bodies in some countries that regulate the coffee market, for example in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
While it is still difficult to accurately authenticate a coffee's origin, recent genomic research indicates that it is possible to identify a DNA fingerprint of coffee trees. This technique may eventually allow buyers of un-roasted, green coffee, to authenticate a single-origin coffee. This would improve the transparency and traceability of coffee.
Terminology
Single-origin coffees may come from a single farm, multiple farms from the same country, or just a blend of the coffees grown from that country. It could also mean an entire country which produces a comprehensive
variety of beans, such as
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, and
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
.
Estate coffees are a specific type of single-origin coffee. They are generally grown on one massive farm, ranging in size from a few acres to large plantations occupying many square miles or a collection of farms that all process their coffee at the same mill. Many countries in South and Central America have estate coffee farms, countries such as
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, and
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, have many estate farms.
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
owns a large majority of coffee farms in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, combining many small farms to form one giant cooperative farm.
Micro-lot or small-lot coffees are another type of specific single-origin coffee from a single field on a farm, a small range of altitude, and a particular day of harvest.
Many micro-lots are used for growing specialty coffee, which is some of the highest quality coffee offered on the market, which can range in prices.
See also
*
Specialty coffee
*
Third wave of coffee
*
Terroir
(; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...
References
{{Coffee
Specialty coffees
Hipster (contemporary subculture)