2021-02-03

Blog - All my Single Origin ladies put your hands up!

All my Single Origin ladies put your hands up!

Single origin coffee has taken the world by storm in recent years. Curious? Join us as we explore what exactly this phenomenon is, why is it so popular, and what to look out for when purchasing (it’s actually nothing to do with Beyoncé, but we can’t resist a good pun).

The concept of single-origin coffee is fairly simple, it is coffee that is grown in a single country, by a single brand, a single processing centre, or even on a single farm.

In this case, single origin usually refers to a specific region of a country where the beans have been grown. Some bags of single-origin coffee will even go so far as to detail the name of the farm and paddock where the coffee comes from.

This kind of coffee has become popular not only because of its taste but also its traceability. Fans of single origin coffee claim that the purity makes for a sharper, better taste in your brew.

However, there are others who claim that there is a reason why we have blended coffee and why it has been popular for so long… you are mixing all the best bits from different locations to create something great. Many roasters claim that using blended coffee beans gives the cup a more complex taste.

The traceability of single-origin coffee means that as customers, we can learn more about the techniques that are being used at this location. This transparency in process and production results in knowledge gain to the customer and has begun to affect farming methods across coffee brands. The direct trade that is a feature of single-origin coffee allows us as customers to make a more informed choice about the farming methods, sustainability and ethics of our coffee consumption.

So, what should we be looking out for if we want to buy single-origin coffee? Well yet again the branding and packaging does the work for you. On the bag of single-origin coffee, there will be a list detailing where the product has come from, including its country of origin. Many single-origin coffee bags go into the detail of the brand, the processing centre, and the farm where the beans were picked to provide us as customers with even more detail about exactly where our beans are coming from.

Whether you like the purity of a single origin or prefer the complex notes of a blended bag, it’s clear that the rise of single origin coffee and the focus on traceability is resulting in a more informed and discerning consumer base.

How will you know if you like it? You have to try it all of course.