Have you ever looked at a list of coffee beans and thought, “I have no idea what this means” or “I just want a good coffee”? It can feel overwhelming or intimidating to ask. Like wine, coffee beans are often named after the regions they come from, and flavor notes in the coffee reflect the terroir, or the soil of the regions. Even if you’re able to figure that out, how do you know which coffee you’d like or are in the mood for? Well, it can be a lot.
At Inner Loop, not only do we want to provide you with delicious coffee, but we also want to help unveil the complexities of coffee and make it more approachable for you.
So let’s start simple.
The two most common parts of the world where coffee beans grow are Africa and South America. Coffees grown in South America tend to be roasted to bring out flavors with chocolate or caramel notes, while African coffees are roasted to bring out the floral and fruity notes (how coffee is roasted affects the flavor notes that come through).
If you want to learn more about the coffee you’re drinking, you can find some basic information for each bean variety we offer. As a new business, we’re currently offering one bean variety, our current favorite: Burundi. From Ethiopia to Kenya, Africa is well known for its coffee, and Burundi has been rising within the coffee scene in recent years. It’s a variety that we really enjoy, but it’s not as widely available yet so we wanted to share it with you!
Burundi
Location: Central East Africa, surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Geography: Burundi provides a great environment for growing coffee due to the fertile volcanic soils, consistent rainfall throughout the year, and mild climate. Volcanic soil is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, which coffee plants need.
Flavor notes: Coffee from this region tends to be sweet with a berry and citrus taste profile, bright acidity, and floral notes.
Percent of regional export: Coffee, mainly the Arabica variety, is the main export crop in Burundi.
Always feel free to reach out with questions!
The Part 1 article was quite informative and for us new to the coffee work was refreshing. I particularly like the education on improving coffee brewing with a drip and french press.
Thanks,
Skip
Your article on the Burundi bean is very interesting and helped to understand the quality of that bean. Gregory has helped to educate me on the qualities of the bean and the value of the roasting process to bring out the flavors in the Burundi beans. Love the uniqueness of this coffee and its' flavors and ultimate taste that makes it so good and unique.Thank you, Skip