While at Olympia Coffee Roasters, having an intake from both Sam and Oliver, it was interesting to hear what their intake on how terroir affects the flavor of coffee. We learned that the variety is important to think about rather than where the coffee comes from. Where the coffee is grown is not the primary factor in determining a flavor. Commercially, there are only six varieties of coffee from around the world, each with slightly different characteristics. Yet if the location of where the coffee comes from doesn’t necessarily matter, then why do they source their coffee from so many locations around the world? Rather, the variety and the processing of the coffee beans is most important for flavor. The processing of coffee can be done in all sorts of ways, with natural and honey processed coffee making tasting terroir the hardest. For example, natural process coffee is harvested, spread out and dried. Different countries around the world do processing depending on their resources they have. The most common processing is washed coffee, which can be considered “higher quality”. Some places that do washed coffee are Central and Southern America, and Ethiopia. The roasting of the coffee is also very impactful on the flavor.
Group Ten- From Ground to Grounds
