In its coffee selections, Café Liégeois offers products from different countries and continents. Whether grown in Africa, Asia or Latin America, our grains are selected for their different tastes and strengths. But why are they different and how to differentiate them ?
While the history of coffee originated in Ethiopia on the African continent, other parts of the world began to plant, harvest and roast. Due to their climatic and terrestrial conditions, many countries located at the equator developed coffee as early as the 7th century.
Small note: if we refer to history, Africa is the continent of origin of coffee. Yet if we zoom in on the list of the top 5 global players, we can see only one country in Africa appears, Ethiopia.
The original coffee of South Asia
It’s in South Asia that the coffee trade has evolved strongly over the centuries and more particularly in the countries of India, Indonesia and Vietnam where conditions are mt for coffee. Of these three, Indonesia and its three high-yielding regions (Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java) rank third on the world market, all varieties combined, although it produces more Robusta coffee than Arabica. Indonesia has the particularity of producing the best-known, expensive and special coffee of the world: kopi luwak or “civet coffee”. Its neighbor, Vietnam, is the second largest exporter of coffee thanks to robusta grains. Finally, India is also an important player with its original “moussoné” coffee.
Small note: Vietnam, 2nd in the world market and Indonesia, 3rd in the world market. Café Liégeois invites you to discover its two coffee straight from Vietnam, the Della Note Deca and Tradition. As well as his coffee of Indian origin.
Africa, where it all started
The mother house of the Coffee is the African continent and more precisely the Ethiopia. The story would have started when a shepherd discovered his overexcited kaffa goats. He had the idea to created coffee to stay awake. Africa is the continent of origin of coffee and continues the tradition: Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Congo and even Ivory Coast are all producers. The latter makes coffee its first economic resource and becomes the largest producer in the region. The African coffee is most often Robusta beans whose power is varied. The Côte d’Ivoire coffee is a reference in robusta coffee. Ethiopia and Kenya are the most specialized in Arabica coffee growing in the wild and have a multitude of varieties, some of which have not yet been identified. Coffee is the main source in Ethiopia, contributing to the growth of about 15 million people. However, despite its origins and success, the country is only fifth in the market.
Small note: Ethiopia, 5th in the world market. Café Liégeois invites you to discover its coffee straight from Congo in the Kivu region.
The Latin American Coffee
Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuala, Ecuador, le Péru… All these countries of Central America are spared. They are all players in the global coffee market. And even if Mexico has a well-honed place, Brazil wins first place with more than a quarter of world production! The similarity is that they all produce mostly Arabica, the most consumed flavor in the world, in contrast to Africa or Asia that produce more Robusta. We can nevertheless find in smaller quantity of Robusta in Guatemala. Brazil produces a multitude of coffee varieties, but most often for local consumption while Colombia is popular for its quality of coffee: among them Popayan, Santa Marta and Bucaramanga. Colombia, thanks to its mountains and microclimates, offers a wealth of flavors. It thus wins the 4th in te market with the power of its cafes attracting consumers around the world.
Small note: Brazil, 1st in the world market and Colombia, 4th in the world market. Café Liégeois invites you to discover its coffee straight from Mexico in the Chiapas region. But also its coffee of Honduras, Colombia, Bolivia and Brazil.
The terrestrial origin, the first factor in the final taste of coffee is obviously not the only one. Others take into account such as cultivation, climatic conditions, harvest, roasting: all influence the quality and the aromas of this dark gold. But don’t forget, the best coffee in the world is the one you prefer because everyone has their own tastes.