When you're tucking in to your favourite coffee machine brew have you ever stopped to think about where it might come from? The truth is that the great coffee comes from all round the world and you just never know what might be in the blend that you're drinking today. Here are some of the places that your coffee beans might originate.
Most regular coffee blends will probably include some beans from Brazil. That's because the country is the world's largest coffee producer, holding an estimated 35% of the coffee production market. Beans from Brazil make their way into many blends so the chances are that if you've been drinking coffee for a while you will have drunk Brazilian coffee. Another well-known coffee bean comes from Colombia, another top coffee producer and known for some rich, full flavoured coffee blends. Colombian coffee is well regarded perhaps because the country has the perfect climate and geography for growing the bean.
You will also find delicious coffee blends originating from other South American countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. All of these coffees have distinctive flavours which coffee lovers enjoy. If you drink Java then your coffee hails from Indonesia, another major coffee producer. And let's not forget about some of the countries that have been involved in coffee production right from the start and where it is still drunk today. You need a strong palate and a strong stomach to drink coffee from Ethiopia. Don't be surprised if you can't manage to stir it; that's how thick it is. And coffee from Turkey (the country that gave us the name that has now gone worldwide) is rich but maybe a bit sludgy in the bottom of the cup – you have been warned.
Beans from other countries may also make it into your daily cup of coffee but no one's going to tell you unless you ask. That's because coffee connoisseurs consider that coffee from Vietnam, Uganda, India and the Ivory Coast just doesn't match up to the blends listed above when it comes to flavour. And when you add to that the attractions of specialist coffees such as Brazil's smooth Bourbon Santos blend, Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee and Indonesia's Kopi Luak you can see why some coffee drinkers might be choosy. So the next time you buy coffee beans, take a moment to look at the back of the pack and see where those beans come from. You never know, you might get a pleasant surprise.
