We all love knowing where the products we consume come from. From the apples and oranges we get from our local grocer to the rugs from our local home decor spot, every product has a story. In the specialty coffee world, a coffee’s origin can give you a sense of what it may taste like. That’s because a coffee’s origin plays a pivotal role in its character. For example, Kenyan coffees can be very bright and fruity, while Sumatran coffees contain more of an earthy character. Exploring coffees that originate from different countries, including our delicious Thai coffees, allow you to experience some of that unique character.
Beyond simply the flavor characters of specific origins, we’ve also found that single-lot farm specific coffees add a level of traceability that is unlike many other products. They provide a story, a sense of place and territory that connects our experience at home to the coffee where our coffee is grown.
Single origin is unique in its ability to highlight great coffees that taste great on their own. As a result, these coffees should be highlighted for their quality in their own right. This runs in paradox to blends, where roaster uses great coffees together to create a specific coffee flavor or profile that works in harmony with one another (our House Blend for example). One isn’t better or worse than the other, they’re just different and provide a new experience and connection to that coffee.
The power of coffee traceability and the single origin coffee that we, alongside many amazing roasters sell, allows you to refine your taste buds by linking that coffee to a specific province in the country You’d be surprised to know that coffee near the Myanmar border varies significantly from those in Chiang Mai for example. Stories about the farmers that grow your coffee or why it’s important to their lives, allow coffee roasters to make deep and rich connections.
While we believe both blends and single origins have their place, to really connect with the coffee and its story, single origin coffee has no competition. We recommend trying our various single-farm coffees, including our Law Wu, Doi Wiang , and Ma Oh Jo to learn more about why we’ve chosen to highlight them specifically. You can also find several stories on our blog that share what makes them unique.
We hope that you have enjoyed this lesson and continue to come back for more education and connection. The coffee world is one of continuous exploration as it changes seasonally. Keep exploring!