Did you ever step into your favorite coffee shop and wonder what the big deal was about ‘single origin’ and ‘single estate’ coffee that they like to advertise? What is this about. Below is more information about single origin and single estate coffee that should help you to appreciate why you should make a habit of drinking these specialty brews.
Single origin – it is a simple term with a very big meaning. It means the coffee beans in that little bag are sourced from one producer, one crop or one region of a country. Single farm or single estate means the beans are sourced from a single farm, mill or crop. Then you can go even further and find certain coffee labels that will tell you the name of the estate, the lot number or even the paddock those beans were grown on.
But experts say that is not everything that ‘single origin’ means. The most important aspect of single origin is that you can trace exactly where the beans came from. The customer knows where that coffee is from and that it is a specific type of coffee and not a blend. Single origin coffee generally is of higher quality; it is a simple acknowledgment that the coffee originates from a specific farm in a unique geographic setting. The flavor usually depicts that specific origin and has flavor characteristics of that areas.
Why has single origin coffee become a thing in the US lately? Some experts say the interest in single origin and single estate coffee comes from the higher number of specialty coffee cafes that offer different methods of brewing, such as pour overs and Aeropresses.
Serious coffee drinkers turn to single origin coffees largely because they can be traced. Educated coffee consumers want guidance, and like to interpret the complex sensations and tastes that they have with truly good coffees. While most coffee consumers are not educated, some of them can be guided to a better coffee experience by providing them with information about the origin of the coffee, by describing the source in detail, including the farm, people, climate, land, cultivar, etc.
Due to the demand in the US certain coffee farmers are developing and enhancing the quality of their crops. Some growers will experiment with cultivars or a specific varietal, and they also will vary controls in the growth stage of the coffee beans, as well as when they harvest them and the techniques used. Milling and processing of the beans also can greatly affect the taste and sensation when the single source coffee is consumed.
Now that you grasp a bit more about single source and single estate coffee, you should try one of them the next time you are in your favorite coffee haunt.