Angola was one the world's fourth largest coffee producer. In 1975-1976, the country was producing one million bags of coffee annually and exporting the majority of it.

Thirty years of civil war have done extreme damage to the country's people and economy, however.

The country of Angola is renowned for its exceptional Robusta coffee which provides a pleasant, rather neutral taste in the brewed cup. Tasting notes are difficult to find due to the relatively rarity of this coffee. This coffee varietal has long been popular in Portugal and Spain in southern Europe.

This famed quality has become much less consistent in recent years due to the lack of stability in Angola and the various problems affecting Angola coffee farms. Current complaints about quality imperfections of Angola coffee include a distinctly old taste as well as an insufficient moisture content and yellowish color of the coffee bean.

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Grown in the country's central highlands, Bali coffees are a relatively new addition to the premium gourmet coffee market. Bali coffee reviews often note it as having a rich aroma, with a smoky (wood) flavour and full body. These are well developed thanks to mineral rich volcanic soil and practices that involve natural manure and shade-growing, allowing the coffee beans to mature slowly, despite being primarily High Grown.

Bali coffee is highly valued among Japan's coffee drinkers who are said to appreciate the quality processing and the translucent emerald-colored coffee beans.

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The medium-bodied Bolivian coffee has been compared to Colombian coffee.

Bolivia produces coffees at very high elevations - above 1,400 meters, which qualifies most of its coffee as Strictly High Grown (1,450 m+). It's landlocked on all sides by Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chila, and contains a portion of the Andes mountains. Quinoa has become a famous crop of Bolivia in recent years

Bolivian coffee is known for its classic and clean taste with a delicate, bright acidity and a sweet, aromatic quality with fruity notes including apple, pear, tangerine, lemon, and apricot. Caramelly and mild chocolate flavours may develop during the coffee roasting process.

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Brazil is the world's leading grower and exporter of coffee beans, with a mellow flavour that makes for a very typical dark roast.

About one-third of all of the world's coffee is grown in Brazil, and much of Brazil's premium coffee is labeled Santos after the port it is shipped through.

Brazil is the largest exporter in the world, supplying approximately 60% of the world's coffee - this is due in part to the sheer size of the country. While Brazil is a prolific exporter, it's average elevation for coffee production is only about 1,100 meters. This qualifies most of it as High Grown Coffee (900-1,200 meters), but some crops certainly fall below that threshold.

The best Brazilian coffees have a relatively low acidity, and exhibits a nutty sweet flavour, often bittersweet with a chocolaty roast taste. Most unroasted Brazilian green coffee is dry processed (unwashed; natural).

The most favorable quality of a Brazilian coffee is its price - but after that, the mildness helps to balance out more intense coffee beans, making it a feature of many blends.

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While Southeast Asia coffee brings to mind countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam, Cambodia is also emerging as a significant coffee growing region.

Cambodia has a population of about 14 million people and is bordered on the east by Vietnam and Thailand to the west and northwest, and Laos to the northeast. To the southwest is the Gulf of Thailand. The capital and largest city of Cambodia is Phnom Penh.

Mondulkiri Coffee, which is sold in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, continues a tradition of coffee growing in the region that started with the French colonialists in the 1700s.

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Colombian coffee is unique because of its mild citrus-like acidity, smooth body, and well-balanced flavour profile. It is known for its well-rounded taste, with notes of caramel, chocolate, and fruity notes, topped with a wonderful nutty aroma. Colombian coffee is grown in the Andean mountain region of Colombia, which provides the ideal conditions for coffee cultivation, including high elevations, rich soil, and a moderate climate.

Another factor that makes Colombian coffee unique is the long-standing tradition of coffee cultivation in the country. Colombian coffee has been grown for over 200 years, and the industry has been passed down from generation to generation. This has led to a wealth of knowledge and expertise in growing, harvesting, and processing coffee beans.

Colombian coffee is also unique because of its certification, Colombian coffee is certified as 100% Colombian and is also certified as "Specialty Coffee" by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). This certification guarantees that the coffee beans have a high quality and that they have been grown and processed according to specific standards.

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Costa Rican coffee is known for its unique and distinct flavour. The flavour profile is characterized by its bright acidity, medium body, and citrus-nutty flavours, making it a great treat for coffee connoisseurs. The country's ideal growing conditions, combined with its varied microclimates and terrains, lead to a range of flavours that can be enjoyed by all.

Costa Rica is known for its commitment to sustainable coffee farming and many farmers use shade-grown methods that promote biodiversity. This not only benefits the planet but also contributes to the unique and delicate flavour profile of the coffee.

The coffee beans grown in Costa Rica are mainly of the Arabica variety, known for its complex and nuanced flavours, as well as its delicate sweet aroma. The Arabica variety is considered higher quality than the robusta variety and often has a sweeter and more delicate taste.

Costa Rica’s coffee is processed using the "wet" method and in the hands of the right roaster, you can experience its full flavour and unique character of each coffee variety.

Costa Rican coffees are generally believe to have some of the best coffee flavour profiles in south/central America, with high grown altitudes and a pleasant acidity, leading to great coffee review

In summary, drinking a cup of Costa Rican coffee is an experience of flavours, aroma and a commitment to sustainability.

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Cuba has been growing coffee for more than two centuries including fine Arabica coffee plant varietals. Cuba coffee is generally a strong coffee with a very strong taste. The traditional Cuban coffee is Dark Roasted, finely ground, and prepared espresso style using an espresso machine or moka pot.

Difficulties in Cuba coffee growing include excessive rainfall followed by drought and poor roads. The use of mules for transport and traditional processing methods are still commonplace. The poor roads also hinder access for needed labor on coffee plantations.

The United States prohibited the importation of Cuban coffee until 2016, when President Barack Obama began easing trade embargoes with Cuba. Some companies market coffee beans as Cuba coffee though the beans come from other countries.

Cuba's coffee industry continues to struggle to be profitable though the upward trend in coffee prices is likely to have some benefit to the farmers and coffee production. Despite enduring many difficulties, Cuba's coffee industry continues to be a source of national pride

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A variety of Specialty Coffees are produced in the Dominican Republic. These coffees, which are often sold under the name Santo Domingo coffee, are best known for their full body, moderate to light acidity, rich aroma, and earthy tones.

The high-grown Dominican coffees have a higher acidity than the lower grown coffees, which tend to be softer.

Considered a Caribbean coffee along with Jamaican coffee and Puerto Rican coffee, Dominican Republic coffee is in fact the least distinguished of the three though a good high-grown Dominican coffee with proper processing is well-balanced and exhibits classic Caribbean coffee tasting characteristics.

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Coffees from El Salvador, which shares a border with Guatemala and Honduras, tend to have a good body yet a relatively uneventful flavour and acidity.

These are dependable coffees yet mostly undistinguished, and they tend to be softer and exhibit less acidity than the typical Central American coffees. This does vary, with some coffees exhibiting a bright acidity. However, the generally gentle acidity as well as the coffee's balance and honey-like sweetness have made El Salvador coffees a great choice for use in coffee blends, making it smoother.

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Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee and is considered to be the origin of all Arabica coffee varieties. The country is home to a diverse range of coffee varieties and growing regions, each with its own unique flavour profile. Ethiopian coffee is known for its low acidity, bright complex fruity and floral notes, and a distinctive clean finish.

One of the unique things about Ethiopian coffee is the traditional method of processing the beans. Coffee is often dried on raised beds, which can contribute to the coffee's unique flavour profile. Additionally, coffee is often dried with the fruit still on the bean using the natural (aka dry) processing method, which further enhances the coffee's unique taste.

Ethiopia is also unique because it has a wide variety of heirloom coffee varieties that have been passed down for centuries. This leads to a wide range of different flavour profiles, and each variety is unique in its own way. This diversity of coffee varieties is not found in any other coffee producing country.

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Heavy-bodied, spicy and fragrant, Ethiopian Harrar coffee is a wild and exotic dry processed (natural) Arabica coffee that is grown on small farms in the Oromia region (formerly Harrar) in southern Ethiopia at elevations between 1,400 meters and 2,000 meters. The province of Harrar, is east of Addis Ababa, the country's capitol.

Ethiopian Harrar coffee is generally highly rated and known for its winey and fruity, floral-toned acidity - bright in the cup, even intense - and tasting notes describe it with a rich and pungent, heady aroma that is wonderfully reminiscent of blackberries.

A good Harrar is bold and edgy with a complexity and spice tones that may include cinnamon, cardamom, blueberry jam, apricots, compote, even smoke, and with a lingering finish.

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Sidamo is one of the most prolific growing regions in Ethiopia, putting out large volumes of consistently great coffee each year

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Known for its sweet flavour and aroma with a light to medium body. Ethiopian Yirgacheffes are spicy and fragrant, and are frequently reviewed and rated as some of the highest quality Arabica coffees in the world. Their premium reputation also often means they carry a premium price, but even so, they offer better value for your money than other comparables (such as Hawaiian Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain).

A Medium-Dark Roast or Dark Roast may be used for those who prefer their coffee a bit more heavy and sweet, but roasting dark tends to lose some of the finer qualities of a Yirgacheffe, for which you're usually paying a bit of a premium, lessening the value of that premium.

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Coffee beans grown in Guatemala typically have tasting notes indicating a full body and a rich chocolatey-cocoa flavour, and a toffee-like sweetness. Guatemalan coffees are true central American coffees.
Some coffee reviews note that a lighter acidity is found among the coffees grown in mountain areas exposed to the Caribbean (e.g., Huehuetenango and Coban) or exposed to the Pacific Ocean (e.g., San Marcos), and these coffees tend to exhibit more of a fruity acidity and flavour.

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The best Hawaiian Kona coffee beans are grown at about 2,000 feet above sea level on the fertile slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai Volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kona coffee is known for its rich yet light and delicate taste with a complex aroma. Different farms will have slightly different coffees under their own brand, but shouldn't be a blend.

Best Roast: Medium

Well-balanced with a medium body, it is clean in the cup with a bright and cheerful acidity. Kona coffee often reveals buttery as well as spicy qualities and subtle winey tones with an excellent aromatic finish.

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Coffees grown in Honduras, which borders Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, generally having tasting notes describing them as full-bodied with a sweet and mild taste.

Much of the coffee grown in Honduras historically was fairly unremarkable and often used as a base in coffee blends, however it has emerged as a force in its own right in coffee reviews in recent years and is often sought after.

Honduran coffees run the range of soft and nutty to bright and vibrant, making them difficult to identify in blends. More often than not, brands will feature them as their own single origin coffee. The best Honduran coffee will be the Strictly High Grown grade - these altitudes allow the coffee to grow slower, increasing the mineral and nutrient uptakes and developing a fuller, more robust flavour of coffee.

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Indian coffee is grown in a variety of different regions and climates, and because of this it has been noted to be unique for its wide range of flavours and styles. The coffee grown in southern India, for example, is known for its full body, low acidity and earthy notes, while coffee from the Western Ghats region is known for its bright acidity and fruity notes.

Another factor that makes Indian coffee unique is its processing method. Indian coffee is mostly grown using the "dry process" (aka “natural process”) method, where the coffee cherries are dried in the sun before the beans are removed. This process is said to give Indian coffee a distinct, earthy flavour that sets it apart from coffee grown using other methods.

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Coffees from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region are often named the "Best Coffee in the World", but when it comes to price vs. quality, it's an overhyped coffee.

Is there any way to possibly quantify that Jamaican Blue Mountain is twice as good as a Kona (being twice the price)? or 4x as good as Kenya AA (at 4x the price)? No: it's nowhere near that astronomical of a difference.

Feedback from regular coffee drinkers (not coffee snobs) indicates that it's a good cup of coffee, but falls on the mild side with subtleties most won't appreciate for a daily drinker.

Grown in Jamaica's Blue Mountain District, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is often described as sophisticated with a smooth and silky, complex taste, outstanding full body, and very well balanced. Many reviewers have called it the quintessential cup of coffee and it clearly stands among the world's top gourmet coffees.

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Kenya coffee is well known for its bright acidity, full body, and a distinct fruity and wine-like flavour that makes it stand out among other coffees. It is popular for its complex taste profile, which can include notes of blackcurrant, citrus, and bergamot.

Additionally, Kenya coffee is grown at high elevations, which contributes to its unique flavour (higher growing elevations contribute to more intense flavours since the coffee cherry has more time to develop).

Kenya is also one of the largest coffee exporters in Africa and the coffee beans are hand-picked (usually either by strip picking or selective picking), ensuring that only the ripest beans are harvested.

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Clearly one of the world's best premium coffee beans, this is listed last but certainly isn't the least of the best coffees in the world. Kenya AA coffee is grown at more than 2,000 feet above sea level on Kenya's high plateaus. The AA refers to the biggest screen size in the Kenya coffee grading system with specifications that the beans are just a little more than one-fourth inch in diameter.

Best roast: Medium

The best Kenya AA coffees exhibit a full body and strong, rich taste with a pleasant acidity that some say provides the world's brightest coffee. The aroma of Kenya AA is fragrant with floral tones while the finish is winey with berry and citrus overtones.

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So this might not fall into a 'country-wise' view of coffee but Kopi Luwak, also known as Civet or Cat Poop coffee, has attained a level of notoriety for its distinctive processing method, and spawned an array of copycat methods (elephants, birds, other small mammals).

While an interesting concept, the ridiculous prices have spawned an industry that cages and force-feeds wild animals an imbalanced diet, so that they can harvest the beans. This is animal cruelty, plain and simple.

The lack of traceability means that any company can claim it's "harvested naturally" or "in the wild" without any tangible proof. We recommend avoiding this.

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Malaysia has been growing coffee for centuries. Bordering Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, Malaysia sits in the heart of tropical Southeast Asia.

Today Malaysia grows about 25,000 hectares of coffee mainly in the provinces of Kelantan, Kedah, Trengganu, Sellangore and Malacca. Coffee is also cultivated in the Sabah region at the northernmost tip of the island of Borneo.

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Various high quality coffees are produced in Mexico, and and they are typically wet processed (washed). Some of the best Mexican coffees come from Oaxaca, Coatepec, and Chiapas, and small organic farms produce much of the country's finest coffees.


While high elevations aren't typical, the large and growing industry ensures an ample supply of high quality beans that are sorted from the more commodity beans.

Agriculture only makes up about 5% of the overall Mexican GDP, but employees roughly 18% of its workforce. While those numbers aren't impressive, Mexico is actually the 10th largest coffee producer in the world.

These fine Mexican coffees, which often approach or exceed the definition of a gourmet coffee, are known for having light body and acidity, often with a nutty flavour, perhaps with chocolaty overtones. The finest Mexican coffees have a delicate body with an acidy snap and very pleasant dryness like a fine white wine.

These characteristics will vary by region and the varietals grown within the region, but when looking at the market as a whole these flavours tend to show up time after time in cupping reviews.

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A coffee blend of Arabian (Yemen) Mocha coffee and Indonesian Java Arabica coffee. Mocha Java is said to be the world's oldest coffee blend, combining two of the best premium coffee beans with complementary tasting characteristics.

The lively intensity and pleasant wildness of the Yemen Mocha provides a wonderful complement to the clean and bright smoothness of the Java coffee, which is one of the most popular Indonesian coffees.

Mocha Java coffee traditionally includes one part Yemen coffee to two parts Indonesian Java Arabica coffee. This traditional formula is increasingly rare in today's world coffee market, however.

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With a medium to smooth body and a distinct but mild acidity, Nicaraguan coffees reviews indicate it provides rich yet subtle flavours, balanced sweetness, with a nutty bouquet that often exhibits notes of vanilla.

A good Nicaraguan coffee displays a mild, fruity brightness and will tend toward higher-toned characteristics such as citrus and floral sensations rather than lower-toned sensations such as papaya/apricot and chocolate.

The coffees of Nicaragua are characteristic of Central American coffees in general, though typically milder in acidity than most other Central American coffees. Nicaragua coffee is wet processed (washed).

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In general Rwanda coffees are more highly reviewed than the neighbouring regions of Zimbabwe and Zambia Coffees though not yet achieving the recognition of Kenya and Tanzania coffees. Rwanda also produces Fair Trade Coffees.

A fine Rwanda coffee offers a silky, creamy body along with the floral notes of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee and the acidity of a Kenya coffee. The aroma may provide hints of lemon and orange blossom with floral notes complementing the sweet citrus qualities with hints of caramel in the aftertaste.

The sweet flavours of a good Rwandan Bourbon coffee are suggestive of caramelized cane sugar along with spice notes of clove, cinnamon and allspice and rose floral aromas. The buttery creaminess of the body carries into the aftertaste.

Rwanda coffee has characteristics somewhat similar to other East African coffees such as Zimbabwe and Kenya.

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Sulawesi coffee is best known for its silky body, moderate acidity, and smooth finish. Its flavours tend to land on the warmer side of spice, with bold cinnamon, cardamom and at times black pepper.

The most distinguished Sulawesi coffee is Toraja (also called Celebes coffee), along with Kalossi, a multi-dimensional coffee grown in the southeastern highlands and distinguished by its expansive flavour with a full-bodied richness.

A good Toraja is well-balanced with undertones of ripe fruit and dark chocolate. High elevations (1,400-1,900 meters+) in the region qualify much of these coffees for Strictly High Grown status.

Toraja coffee tends to have a relatively low-toned yet vibrant acidity, though usually slightly more acidic and with less body than Sumatran coffees and more earthy than Java Arabica.

Like Sumatran coffees, the cup profile of Toraja has been called deep and brooding, with muted fruit notes and rustic sweetness and often a pungent spicy quality.

A Dark Roast is recommended to amplify the best Sulawesi coffee flavours. Typically a highly rated coffee, Sulawesi isn't incorporated into many blends, however home roasters may wish to explore adding it to blends for its unique flavours.

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Some of the world's best tasting premium gourmet coffees are Mandheling, Ankola, and Lintong grown in Sumatra. These coffees are distinguished by their full body, more earthy flavours than Java Arabica, distinct herbal tones, and with a low acidity. This low acidity makes them particularly attractive for people who have a sensitivity to the otherwise healthy organic acids in coffee.

Sumatran coffees are well reviewed and renown world-wide for providing a rich, satisfying flavour, though this can be overwhelming for the uninitiated.

Coffees from any region in Sumatra are best when grown at high elevations - above 1,350 meters above sea level is ideal. This slows the growing process, allowing the plant more time to deliver nutrients and minerals to the coffee beans so that they have more fuel to develop a fuller, robust flavour.

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Somewhat similar to Kenya coffee, Tanzania coffee reviews also exhibits a bright and vibrant, wine-y acidity, sometimes even sharp, and with a deep, rich, and strong taste. Typically with a medium to full body that is intense and creamy, a fine Tanzania coffee has tasting notes of a sweet berry-like, fruity flavour and sometimes notes of cedar.

The acidity levels of Tanzania coffee are slightly muted compared to Kenyan coffee, are also less consistent with a milder body. Although the fruit and acidity are more understated they still shine brightly. Ground, dry Tanzania coffee may present a sweet molasses fragrance that is slightly floral with notes of apple fruit.

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Vietnam is now the world's second largest coffee producer behind Brazil, and beats out Colombia by a significant margin. However, Vietnam has yet to contribute significantly to the world's specialty coffee market.

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Several fine coffees are grown in Yemen near the Red Sea in the mountainous region on the Arabian peninsula's central through southern regions. Yemen coffees still grow, in greatly reduced quantities from their peak, in the region.


The term Yemen coffee often refers to Yemen Mocha coffee, a full-bodied coffee with a rich, winey acidity

Mocha coffee is marked as either Mattari (which has chocolate overtones and a heavier body) or Sanani (which is more balanced and with a fruity character).

Mocha Sanani coffee is known for its complexity and exotic pungency, while Mattari coffee, which is sometimes blended with Yemen Mocha coffee, is distinguished for its winey acidity.

Along with the Indonesian Java Arabica coffee, Mocha is used to make Mocha Java blend coffee that is a traditional favourite. (See World's Best History of Coffee.) Mocha coffee is one of the first coffees ever cultivated and continues today to be a coffee bean prized by gourmet coffee lovers.

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As the single most important crop of Zaire's agricultural cash crops, coffee is grown on small farms as well as big plantations. Small farmers are generally only played small prices compared to the profits gained by the large plantation owners and exporters through the official Zairian Coffee Board.

About 90% of Zaire's coffee crop is the lower-grade Robusta coffee which is used primarily to make instant coffee. The other ten percent is the higher grade Arabica coffee plant varietal which requires cooler temperatures and higher elevations to thrive.

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