An Origin, Region, & Varietal Guide: Season 17

Welcome, Leaderboard Lite players! We're stoked to have you on board, we want you to HAVE FUN and drink good coffee.

We know this game can seem daunting, and that there are a lot of educational resources, but we wanted to remind you that that this is meant to be fun and educational, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to perform! The Leaderboard hi-score, although sweet, isn’t the point—the point is to learn and improve your sensory skills.

Here's a brief guide on the origins and varietals featured in the current season of Leaderboard, and each origin has some information on what their coffees generally taste like. If a varietal has a unique aspect to look for (whether visually or by taste), we'll have listed it to make it easier for ya! 

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S17 LITE: ORIGINS 

COLOMBIA is a large South American country and is one of the largest exporters of coffee. We see many grades of Colombian coffee around the world, ranging from the low end of commercial coffee all the way to award winning, competition grade specialty coffee.

  • PROCESSES: Colombia typically produces washed coffees historically, however we have been seeing more naturals and honeys from here, and spectacular experimental/innovative processing coming from various regions and producers.
  • FLAVOUR PROFILE: Identifying Colombian coffees may be one of the most difficult due to the many regions and profiles that exist as a result of the diverse terroir. We know it’s a tough one, so don’t be so hard on yourself if you can’t identify it! Colombian coffees typically have a balanced acidity and sweetness, and oftentimes tastes fruit-forward and juicy, with lots of milk chocolate in the aftertaste.

EL SALVADOR is the smallest country in Central America, yet has an incredibly sizeable coffee production. They produce about 85000 tons of coffee a year, and have about 20000 producers across the country. Research and estimates say that approximately 60% of all arabica grown in El Salvador is of the Bourbon variety, with Pacas being 25%, and Pacamara being the third-most popular varietal to grow.

  • PROCESSES: Coffee processing in El Salvador has changed in recent years, and we are seeing more and more honey, natural, and experimental/innovative processing emerge.
  • FLAVOUR PROFILE: Salvadoran coffees typically have nuttiness, balanced with lots of chocolate-forward notes, with gentle acidity. 

ETHIOPIA is known to be the birthplace of coffee. The majority of coffee farmers and producers in Ethiopia are smallholder farmers, owning less than 1 hectare of land. Cherries are mostly picked and sold to a cooperative, or dried naturally and then sold to a cooperative. Many coffees you see from Ethiopia will not have a farmer or producer’s name for this reason. When you see one specific name, it is likely because they are a larger, privately owned estate, or a larger cooperative with one head manager or owner.

  • PROCESSES: Coffees from Ethiopia are usually washed or natural, and we may occasionally see a honey or experimental process coffee.
  • FLAVOUR PROFILE: Ethiopian coffees generally taste fruity and flral, oftentimes reminding us of peaches, black tea, pineapple, and sometimes blueberries or strawberries.

GUATEMALA is in Central America, and has similar coffee growing conditions to Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and parts of Colombia. Guatemala has been growing coffee since the 1850s, and also has a long-standing Cup of Excellence competition. In Guatemala, many varietals are grown; these include: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Gesha/Geisha, Mundo Novo, Typica, Pache, Pacamara, Castillo, Tekisic, and more. 

  • PROCESSES: Guatemalan coffees are typically high grown, and most Guatemalan coffees are traditionally washed. We are seeing more and more natural and honey processed Guatemalan coffees, as well as experimental/innovative processing emerge. 
  • FLAVOUR PROFILE: Guatemalan coffees typically taste balanced with lots of chocolate-forward notes, gentle and creamy nuttiness, high sweetness, with medium and balanced acidity. 


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S17 LITE: VARIETALS

CATUAI is grown in many places around the world, most typically in Central and South America, including but not limited to: Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Catuai is a hybrid between Caturra and Mundo Novo, and grows as typically either red or yellow catuai. Catuai is 100% arabica due to the genetic lineage. Due to the different maturation colours, they can sometimes be mixed into the same lot if the specific lot is not separated/isolated. In some ways, this variety is slightly more difficult than others to identify via taste.
> https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/varieties/catuai

CATURRA was originally discovered in Brazil, and is now widely grown in Latin American countries, including: Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru. Related to Bourbon plant as it is a natural mutation of Bourbon. Caturra generally has a larger seed size than Catuai and Ethiopian Landrace varietals. Caturra coffees typically have a high sweetness and acidity to them.
> https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/varieties/caturra

LANDRACE + HEIRLOOM ETHIOPIAN varieties originate from Ethiopia with non-traceable specificity of varietals; also known as “heirloom varietals”. The Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) is currently doing more research on Ethiopian varietals, finding and naming unique varietals or strains of coffee such as 74110, or Dega. Typically very small bean size after roasting, oftentimes has some variation in size, and can sometimes have longberries mixed in. Landrace varietals typically taste floral and fruity, and can oftentimes taste like tea.

PACAMARA is a cross between Pacas and Maragogype. Characterized by its larger seed size and oblong shape, it is very susceptible to disease and difficult to grow. The flavour profile is typically high quality, with lots of acidity and oftentimes brings a slightly savoury aspect to the cup.  
https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/varieties/pacamara

PINK BOURBON was originally thought to be a variation on the Bourbon varietal, a hybrid between Yellow and Red Bourbon. However, many suggest that it mostly likely comes from an Ethiopian landrace variety. Pink Bourbon has only recently gained its own label, and is sometimes known as Bourbon/Borbon Rosado, and even Orange Bourbon. This specific varietal (or sub-varietal) is most commonly seen in Colombia (known as Pink Bourbon or Bourbon Rosado), El Salvador (known as Orange Bourbon), Guatemala, Ecuador, and occasionally found in Brazil. Pink Bourbon sometimes has hints of floral notes, and usually has a distinctly bright acidity.

 

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S17 LITE: SECTION B GUIDE

This season, we asked you to CHOOSE ONE COFFEE THAT UNDERWENT A FRUIT CO-FERMENTATION* (*additional fruit added during fermentation, not coffee mucilage). 

All coffees undergo a fermentation process at some point, and co-fermentation is a specific process where something other than coffee (or a different type of yeast) is introduced to the fermentation. Although usually fruit, it can sometimes be a spice, fruit peel, or oils. If you want to read a more in-depth analysis piece on co-fermentation (or "infused" coffees), Christopher Feran wrote this article.

Overall, co-fermentation is widely debated and discussed, but a couple of the key takeaway pieces are:

  • There is usually a flavour other than "coffee" itself, affected by the introduced "additive" to the fermentation process. 
  • Is a carefully controlled process of specific fermentation.
  • Some frequent "co-fermentation" components we've seen are cinnamon, pineapple, mandarin, strawberry, grape, and lime. 

Here are two examples Christopher Feran wrote about in the article, which describe how it might work on a microbial level:

"By adding pineapple to the fermentation tank, a producer might be trying to add tropical flavor to the coffee—but pineapple skin is a rich source of wild yeast, and the flesh high in sugar and acid, so while it’s certainly possible that in high enough concentration some smaller molecules of pineapple flavor or aroma could wind up in the coffee, the greater effect would be that the nature of the fermentation itself changes. Driven by yeast rather than bacteria and with nutrient available to accelerate the fermentation, the metabolic byproducts of that fermentation will also change.

Similarly, the addition of cinnamon to a tank—now infamous—or the use of wood containing cinnamic acid to hold coffee during fermentation actually might have another microbiological effect: reduction in the presence of yeasts, for example, thus allowing for modulation of microbes controlling the fermentation; or inhibiting the production of acetic acid, thus resulting in a cleaner, less sour-tasting coffee with a lower risk of spoilage and thus mitigated risk for the producer—cinnamon aromatics or not."

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