Single Origin Coffee

What is Single Origin Coffee? 

When browsing for your next bag of coffee, you will probably notice some bags labeled as “Single Origin”. It sounds official, like something you should care about - But what does it even mean? 

There are two types of coffee,  single origin or a blend. A single origin coffee means that all of the beans (or grounds) in that bag came from the same producer or farm. A blend is a catch all designation that can have beans from multiple farms and potentially multiple countries. Sometimes these blends are meticulously created from a number of single source beans and sometimes they are a more random mix.  Single origin coffee beans are easily traced back to a specific country, town, and farmer.

Okay, but why does that matter? 

The ability to trace your cup of coffee back to its original source gives you the opportunity to have a better understanding of that morning cup of joe you have. Farmers that specifically produce single origin coffee take an immense amount of pride in the beans that they are growing on their coffee farm. They know the value and the taste of their beans and want them to stand alone in their flavor profile. 

With single origin coffee being traceable, roasters are able to make farm visits where they can tour the coffee farm and learn more about the growing conditions. This encourages the farmers to ensure that they are growing their coffee in the most sustainable, best way. It allows your coffee roaster to have a first hand understanding of where their beans come from and why they taste the way they do, due to the acidity of the soil and weather conditions they have seen first hand. This gives roasters and customers alike a greater appreciation of where your coffee comes from and provides an extra layer of accountability for the coffee farmers.

Single origin coffee is not only of higher quality but comes with a more distinct flavor. Those unique flavors vary from region to region. At Steamboat Coffee Company, our single origin blends come from Costa Rica, Tanzania, and Guatemala.

•  Costa Rica is known for providing some of the best coffee beans. Their defining flavor profile includes citrus notes and a brown-sugar sweetness. 

• Tanzanian coffee beans are defined as a medium to full body that is intense and has a sweet, berry like flavor.