The world's major coffee producing areas! How many do you know?

The flavor of coffee is mainly affected by the geographical and climatic environment of the origin, such as altitude, topography, rainfall, climate, soil, etc. The flavor of coffee in the same region can be different, and even coffee from different farms can be different. Today we will take stock of the world's top coffee producing areas and see what characteristics the coffee of each origin has.

Coffee World

1.PANAMA

Panama has the most ideal agricultural climate conditions in Central America and is famous for growing wild, aromatic and flavorful coffee. Panama's high altitude, year-round ocean breezes and rich volcanic soil have created the famous Geisha .

2.EL SALVADOR El Salvador

Coffee cultivation has always been a mainstay of El Salvador's economy, with the coffee trade sometimes accounting for more than 50% of total export revenue. El Salvador began cultivating coffee trees in the early 19th century, and by 1880, coffee beans had become the country's only export crop. The region's coffee is aromatic and slightly sweet.

3. GUATEMALA Guatemala

Guatemala is known for its fruity coffee beans and was ranked as the largest coffee producer in Central America for most of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since the Spanish invasion, Guatemala has been plagued by social problems such as poverty, hunger, unequal land distribution and racial discrimination, which have also hindered the development of the country's coffee industry. Labor relations in Guatemala's coffee industry have long been tense, and the country's coffee planting has been affected by a brutal wave of coffee rust.

4. NICARAGUA Nicaragua

Since its introduction into Nicaragua in the early 19th century, coffee has played an important role in the country's economy. Coffee has become the country's top export and has provided economic opportunities for more than 40,000 coffee producers. Nicaragua is a high-altitude country with abundant rainfall and rich volcanic soil. But like many Central American countries, their turbulent colonial history has hindered the development of high-quality coffee.

5. HAWAII

Hawaii has been planting coffee since the early 19th century and is the most famous coffee producing area in North America. Coffee trees in Hawaii are mainly planted in Noa Valley on Oahu Island, and later introduced to other areas of Oahu and other islands. Now coffee farms can be seen everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands, and the most famous one is Kona coffee, which has the highest demand. These islands provide a good growing environment for coffee trees: suitable temperature and humidity, high altitude, rich volcanic soil and year-round ocean breeze. The coffee beans grown here are usually sweet, smooth and fragrant.

6. COSTA RICA

Coffee was introduced to Costa Rica around 1720, and by the early 19th century, total revenue from coffee exceeded that of tobacco, sugar, and cocoa. Costa Rica's volcanic soil (slightly acidic and very fertile) creates a balanced, smooth, aromatic coffee.

7. HONDURAS

In 2011, Honduras became the largest coffee producer in Central America. In 2012, it became the seventh largest coffee producer in the world. This growth represents a historical shift for the country. Although Honduras has the same ideal fertile soil as Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and other countries, it lacks a complete infrastructure for transporting coffee beans.

8. MEXICO

Coffee in Mexico comes mainly from small farms, with more than 100,000 farmers in the country and the number is growing. It is the world's largest producer of organic coffee. Coffee farms in Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas produce beans with a distinct acidity. Mexican coffee beans are dense, making them ideal for dark roasting and blending.

9. PUERTO RICO

Coffee has developed rapidly since it was introduced to Puerto Rico in 1736. For a period of time in the 19th century, it became the sixth largest coffee producer in the world. The coffee produced in Puerto Rico has a rich fruity aroma and a balanced acidity.

10. JAMAICA

Although Jamaica's coffee accounts for only one percent of the world's coffee production, some of it is very famous. For example, Blue Mountain coffee grown in the Blue Mountain region is renowned for its unique flavor. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, and the Japanese love it so much that they import 80% of Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee.

11. COLOMBIA

Colombia is considered the best coffee producing region in South America, producing coffees that are bright, fruity, and vibrant in flavor. Colombia has some of the most ideal coffee growing soils in the world.

12. BOLIVIA Bolivia

Bolivia produces coffee that is full of floral and fruity aromas. Although Bolivia is a poor country, its climate and altitude are suitable for growing coffee, and with government policies and financial support, the coffee beans produced by this South American country are beginning to reach new heights.

13. BRAZIL

Brazil produces about a quarter of the world's coffee , making it the world's largest coffee producer (a position it has held for the past 150 years). The country produced 2.7 million tons of Arabica beans in 2011, nearly three times as much as Colombia, the world's second-largest Arabica producer. Previously, Brazilian coffee was produced by quantity rather than quality. But in the early 1990s, the state-controlled Brazilian Institute (which set coffee import and export quotas) was closed, and export regulations changed. The methods of growing and processing coffee also changed accordingly. This promoted the development of smallholder farmers and improved the quality of the coffee.

14. ECUADOR Ecuador

Coffee was introduced to Ecuador in the early 19th century, and became the country's most exported product in the 1970s. But the country's coffee industry has been in trouble over the past three decades, as excessive deforestation and increased pests and diseases have damaged coffee cultivation. The government provides very little support to coffee farmers, but some still produce high-quality coffee beans.

15. PERU

Peru has a diverse topography that includes dry deserts, the cold and rugged Andes Mountains, and the tropical lowland jungles of the Amazon Basin. Despite these extreme environments, Peruvian coffee has a unique flavor and a mild aroma.

16.ETHIOPIA Ethiopia

Ethiopia is known as the "cradle of mankind". Legend has it that coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi, who discovered the coffee tree when his sheep became unusually energetic after eating a bright red berry. Whether the legend is true or not, one thing is certain: coffee can be traced back to Ethiopia. People in this country not only like to grow coffee, but also like to drink it. From 2013 to 2014, Ethiopia consumed a total of 3.6 million bags of coffee, accounting for 71.6% of the entire Africa. Ethiopian coffee is mostly washed beans, with rich floral aromas, smooth and subtle, as well as strong chocolate and fruity flavors.

17. RWANDA Rwanda

Although Africa is the home of coffee, Rwanda only started growing coffee in the early 20th century. It is an ideal fertile soil for growing coffee in Africa. Rwandan coffee farmers have overcome a century of struggle, hardship, genocide and war, and the coffee industry has finally got on the right track in the past few decades. Bourbon coffee is the most famous variety in Rwanda, known for its rich oil and sweet taste. Fruity and citric flavors are the typical flavors of Rwandan coffee.

18.KENYA

The most professional baristas will tell you that Kenyan coffee is top-quality, with distinct flavors: lemon sourness, sweet fruit, and rich chocolate. Like Rwanda, Kenya only started growing coffee in the early 20th century. Today, the country's coffee industry organizes a public auction every week, which is considered the most transparent coffee distribution event in the world and is even used as a model for COE.

19.BURUNDI

Burundi has a similar social history, political structure and natural environment to Rwanda. Both countries' economies are heavily dependent on coffee, and since the civil war in the 1990s, coffee has become a catalyst for the post-war recovery of both countries. In addition, the flavor of coffee in the two countries is also similar: rich in fat, obvious sweetness, and diverse flavors.

20.YEMEN

The word "Mocha" comes from the name of a port in Yemen on the Red Sea coast. Yemen was the first country to commercially grow coffee, and the method of growing coffee has not changed much to this day. The arid climate makes Yemen the most unique coffee producer in the world, and the soil and traditional processing methods give Yemeni coffee a rich and diverse flavor.

21.PAPUA NEW GUINEA Papua New Guinea

Although Papua New Guinea produces only about 1 percent of the world's coffee, coffee is a big industry in the country, with about 2.5 million people working in the industry. Government reports indicate that coffee was first grown in the country around 1890, and commercial coffee cultivation began in the 1920s. Papua New Guinea coffee has a unique malic acid flavor.

22. INDONESIA

Indonesia is made up of many islands, of which Sumatra, Bali, Java and Sulawesi are the four largest islands. Coffee beans grown in Sumatra have a musty and earthy taste; coffee grown in Sulawesi has a distinct sour and fruity taste; coffee in Java has a weaker flavor; and coffee in Bali has a distinct sweet and nutty taste. Coffee produced on other small islands is generally rich in fat and moderately acidic.

23. INDIA

India is the world's fifth largest coffee producer, and is perhaps more famous for its tea production than its coffee. It is also the only country where shade cultivation is widely used. India's most famous coffee is Monsooned Malabar, which grows in part because of the monsoon winds from the Malabar Coast. Most Indian coffees are processed by washed, semi-washed, or natural methods. The picked coffee beans are laid flat on the floor of a well-ventilated warehouse (which often has huge openings in the walls), and the wind and rain from the Arabian coast effectively wash the coffee berries for three to four months. This process causes the skin of the coffee berries to ferment and swell, reducing the acidity of the coffee beans and bringing the pH value closer to neutral. The coffee is rich in oil, musty, and herbal.

24.VIETNAM

Vietnam has quickly risen to become the world's second largest coffee producer, second only to Brazil. Although coffee was introduced to Vietnam in the mid-19th century, it experienced a renaissance in the 1990s. Vietnamese coffee farmers may have been growing coffee during the boom. They mostly grow Robusta coffee beans instead of Arabica coffee beans. As its name suggests, Robusta coffee beans are very cold-resistant, easier to grow, have higher yields and are more resistant to pests and diseases. Although Robusta beans have high yields and low prices, their quality is also relatively low. Robusta beans taste very bitter and are rarely seen in ordinary coffee shops. Generally, they are used to produce instant coffee.

25. CHINA