Latin America

Mexico produces coffee on the whole country’s territory. The most famous are those that come from Coatepec, Oaxaca Pluma, Chiapas, and Tapachula. Mexico is also the main coffee importer to the United States due to its neighborhood. Mexican coffee is neither too good nor very bad. The thing is that to some coffee lovers it can seem too plain or unsurprising because it lacks richness and body. However if you keep to the golden mean, you will be pleasantly amazed at how much delicacy, bold acidity and crisp refreshing aftertaste it is able to provide you with.

The main Costa Rican coffee region is situated on the territory circling the capital San Jose. The principal coffee districts are as follows: San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredia, and Alajuela. However, what determines the quality of a coffee from this place is the altitude, not the region it was grown.

Costa Rican coffee is one of the best coffees ever. It is absolutely fantastic and has no defects. The best Costa Rican coffees show a full body and hearty richness, along with bright acidity and a refreshing finish.

Another not less worth mentioning it is Guatemelan coffee grown in Antigua and Huehuetenango. The coffees processed here are distinguished for their spicy, smoky flavor – a unique feature that totally sets them apart from the coffees of Latin America. The Guatemalan coffees have plenty of acidity, are medium to full bodied and have rich essence.

El Salvadorian coffee doesn’t impress the coffee lover at all as it has simply nothing to surprise with. An ordinary taste, average body and neutral to mild flavor.

Jamaican coffee can be both amazing and very disappointing. The most popular trade mark is undoubtedly Jamaican Blue Mountain grown in the region with the same name. This coffee is very expensive and is considered of a high quality if taking into consideration how it was some years ago. But now seems that everyone tends cheating on the original Jamaican coffee and the result is a lot of fakes on the coffee market. However if you are happy enough to find a true Blue Mountain, it would possess the following features: rich, full-bodied and well-balanced.

Nicaraguan coffee was once a sought-after good imported to the whole world. Unfortunately it has lost its best qualities becoming an average coffee from these lands. It is now described as possessing an appropriate plain flavors, slight acidity and medium body.

Coffees from Dominican Republic have excellent quality and tasting characteristics. Coffee from this country is often called Santo Domingo after the former name of the republic. The best coffee beans are grown in Bani, Barahona, and Ocoa. This is a wet-processed coffee with various characteristics. Bani coffee is known for its mellow, soft taste while Barahona produces more full bodied cup, with more acidity.

Colombia is for fair one of the most successful coffee industries in the world and this success is connected with the coffee quality, of course.

The best coffee is produced in the eastern and central cordilleras. Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales are the main producers in the central region. The first, Medellin is known for having heavy body, plentiful flavor and properly balanced acidity. Its neighbors differ a little with lighter body and lesser amount of acidity. The eastern regions Bogota and Bucaramanga produce coffee that is as well very good and highly appreciated on the world coffee market and among coffee connoisseurs. Bogota coffee is less acid than Medellin but at the same time it has the same richness and fragrance. Bucaramanga produces a little different coffee that is more similar to some Sumatran coffees – full body, heavy consistence, reduced amount of acidity and plenty of flavors.

Brazil is for sure a giant in coffee industry, an incontestable coffee supplier that is one of the best coffee producers known and loved throughout the whole world. The funny thing is that coffee plant is an imported crop that had no relatives in the country and still became one of the Brazil’s trademarks along with football and carnivals.

The best coffee beans grow in the following states - Parana, Espirito Santos, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia and are called Santos, Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Mundo Novo. Santos coffee variety deserves special consideration as it is the best coffee grown in Sao Paolo – both from the specialty-coffee trade and a simple consumer point of view. It has smooth fragrance, medium body and balanced acidity. However this is one of the most expensive Brazilian coffees that not every person could afford.

Venezuela was once one of the biggest coffee importers. However when in 1960’s – 70’s petroleum became the main country industry, coffee producing came to nought. It now produces only circa 1% of the world coffee that is drunk mostly be the Venezuelans themselves. The best Venezuelan coffees are generally named Maracaibos - Cucuta, Merida, Trujillo, and Tachira. The main feature that distinguishes Venezuelan coffee from Colombian (they are neighbors) is their surprisingly small quantity of acidity. The coffee from this regions are sweet and delicate, with fair body.

Ecuadorian coffee is produced in significant quantities, however it is often hard to find on the US market. This is another pleasant but unremarkable Latin American coffee.

Peruvian coffee is known for its slightly acid coffee, with light body but very fragrant. It is used namely as a blender because of its nice but plain character. The coffee from this region is often used in dark roast and as a base for scented coffee. The main Peruvian regions that produce coffee are Chanchamayo Valley and Urubamba Valley that produce wet-processed coffees which little by little gain popularity in the specialty stores.

And, finally, Haitian coffee that due to some political problems is hard to find nowadays. The Haitian coffee is claimed to be sweet, mellow, smooth, and medium bodied.

See also: Pacific/Asia Africa/Arabia