Why country of origin tells only a small part of the story.

When people begin exploring specialty coffee, one of the first things they learn is that coffees from different countries tend to have distinct personalities. Brazil is often described as chocolatey and nutty, Kenya is known for vibrant acidity, Colombia is associated with sweetness and balance, and Ethiopia is famous for floral aromas and bright fruit.

These descriptions are incredibly helpful when you're just starting out, but the problem begins when we mistake them for hard rules. After hearing them enough, it becomes easy to believe that a coffee's flavour is determined entirely by the map.

It isn’t.

Imagine describing wine this way

Imagine walking into a wine shop and simply saying, “I’d like a French wine.”

The salesperson would probably smile before peppering you with questions: Which region? Which grape? Which producer? Which vintage? Dry or sweet? Red or white? Nobody expects all French wines to taste alike. Coffee deserves exactly that same level of nuance.

Coffee is an agricultural product

Coffee isn't manufactured in a sterile room; it’s grown on a farm. That means every single harvest reflects hundreds of tiny decisions made over an entire season.

The producer chooses which varieties to plant, the pickers harvest the cherries at varying stages of ripeness, and the weather changes from one year to the next. Even neighbouring farms can experience slightly different microclimates. Every single one of these factors leaves a unique fingerprint on the final cup. Country of origin is just one piece of the puzzle.

The same country can produce completely different coffees

Take Colombia as an example. One producer might grow a rare Chiroso variety at high altitude and use a traditional washed method. Another might produce a Pink Bourbon with an extended, experimental fermentation. A third might cultivate Castillo and process it naturally.

All three coffees are Colombian, yet they may share almost nothing in common when it comes to flavour. One might remind you of jasmine tea and bergamot, another of tropical fruit and wine, and the third of dark berries and chocolate. Calling all three “Colombian coffees” doesn't actually tell you what you're about to taste.

Ethiopia isn’t just Ethiopia

Few countries illustrate this better than Ethiopia. While many people associate Ethiopian coffee with florals and crisp citrus, the reality is much broader. Ethiopia also produces coffees that are rich, jammy, tea-like, tropical, or surprisingly chocolatey.

Processing alone can completely transform the same harvest. A washed Ethiopian coffee often highlights clarity, delicate florals, and a tea-like body. Take those same cherries and process them as a natural, and suddenly you get explosive flavours of blueberries, strawberries, or ripe tropical fruit. Neither coffee is “more authentically Ethiopian” than the other—they simply tell different stories.

Variety and processing change everything

Wine enthusiasts easily spot the difference between a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon, and coffee has its own vast family tree. Varieties like Geisha, SL28, Pacamara, or Chiroso each bring distinct characteristics to the table before a producer even begins processing them. Some are prized for their elegant aromatics, others for their intense sweetness.

If variety provides the raw material, processing shapes how it expresses itself. A washed process emphasizes clarity and precision, a natural process boosts sweetness and fruit intensity, and honey processing strikes a balance between the two. Newer experimental fermentations are pushing these boundaries even further, which is exactly why two coffees from the same farm can taste as though they came from different continents.

So, what should we actually look at?

The country on the label remains useful—it gives us context on regional climate and local traditions. But it should be treated as the beginning of the conversation, not the final word.

When we choose coffees for Terroir, we look at the whole picture:

  • The producer and the farm

  • The specific variety

  • The processing method

  • The harvest year and the roasting approach

Only when you look at these details together do you begin to understand why a coffee tastes the way it does.

This is exactly why we named our project Terroir. Exceptional coffee is the result of place, people, and process working together. Asking whether a coffee is just “Brazilian” or “Ethiopian” is a lot like asking whether a painting is Italian or Dutch. It gives you a bit of history, but it tells you very little about what actually makes it memorable.