Coffee: it’s all about elevation

Let’s start with a basic premise: Italy has always been considered the land of coffee, a tradition that has established itself over centuries, in which black, bitter espresso, drunk boiling hot in a single shot, represents an inalienable moment of pleasure.  

We Italians are used to considering the weaker, filtered coffee that’s primarily drunk abroad, to be “non traditional” and foreign to our espresso ritual and moka pot. But what we don’t realize is that the quality of the coffee which we consume in our coffee bars and at home, is often of lower quality than that which is drunk in the rest of the world. 

AREAS OF CULTIVATION

The coffee plant grows in the so-called Coffee Belt, or rather the tropical area just north and south of the equator, between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, where the average temperature is between 20°C and 25°C.  Specifically, the geographic areas that we’re talking about are Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and some islands in the Pacific. 

An interesting fact about our country is that Italy, Sicily to be exact, is the northernmost region in which it has been possible to cultivate coffee, with a production of just 30 kg in 2021.

THE VARIETIES OF COFFEE

So what are the primary characteristics of the coffee plant and what factors determine its quality? 

Let’s start from the very beginning. There are two main varieties of coffee: robusta and arabica. The distinction between these two varieties depends primarily on elevation. Robusta grows at a lower elevation and has an earthier and more bitter taste. It has a lot more caffeine than arabica and, as a plant, adapts easily even to harsher climatic conditions, which is why it’s easier to cultivate.  The number one producer of robusta in the world is Vietnam: here coffee is grown primarily between 300 and 600 meters above sea level (asl). 

Arabica on the other hand, especially if we’re talking about varieties with esteemed organoleptic properties, grows above 1000 meters asl and has sweeter and softer aromatic notes than robusta. It’s also a delicate plant, susceptible to climatic changes and diseases. For this reason, continuous variations in temperature and alternating rainfall in the areas of production are a risk factor for the health of these varieties. The number one producer of arabica is Brazil. Within this variety there are two strains, Typica and Bourbon, whose differences depend primarily on two parameters: elevation and proximity to the equator. Despite the fact that more countries cultivate arabica, not all of them are fortunate enough to produce beans with a more pronounced aroma and which are characteristic and representative of the microclimate. 

ELEVATION AS A DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR

A general rule is that the higher the elevation, the more complex the flavor of the coffee will be and therefore the higher its quality.  In fact, the higher above sea level we go, the more we encounter mountainous terrain, forests, and volcanic soil and the richer and more heterogeneous the land becomes. This richness is reflected in the quality and taste of the coffee. 

In countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Ruanda, Burundi, and Papua New Guinea, which are closer to the equator and which are characterized by significant differences in elevation, abrupt changes in climate, and daily precipitation, coffee is grown at between 1500 and 2200 meters asl, guaranteeing a fruity, spicy, and floral taste. The coffee from regions in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Salvador, and Honduras) and Southeast Asia (like the islands of Java and Timor) is cultivated at between 1200 and 1500 meters asl and features sweeter citrusy notes that recall dried fruit.

In the Brazilian states of Mina Gerais, San Paolo, and Perana, further from the equator, coffee is cultivated between 900 and 1200 meters asl. These areas are characterized by alternating dry and wet seasons. This gives the coffee a soft and simple taste (with notes of cacao, tobacco, vanilla, and caramel) and is probably the closest to the one that we’re familiar with. Inevitably, in a Brazilian bean that’s been cultivated at a low elevation (approximately 1000 meters asl), we’ll notice a milder and sweeter taste as compared to an Ethiopian bean (cultivated at a higher elevation) which is characterized by pronounced floral aromas. This example serves to reiterate the concept that elevation increases a coffee’s ability to provide nuances and complexity.  

Elevation, as we just discussed, is the primary factor that determines the quality of green (raw) coffee, but it’s important to clarify that it does not determine the quality in the cup. In fact, as with every agricultural product, its transformation and processing are fundamental. To establish the quality of the coffee, we must first take into account the raw material, but without overlooking the importance of the roasting process which can exalt or drastically weaken the quality of the bean. But here we’re getting into a complex and delicate topic that deserves separate study and requires profound chemical analysis.

THE PRICE OF COFFEE

We can add that elevation not only affects the quality of the coffee, but also determines its price. A kilogram of green arabica will always be more expensive than a kilogram of green robusta. A kilogram of green arabica from a higher elevation will always be more expensive than a kilogram of green arabica that was grown closer to sea level. The reasons for this are of both an organoleptic/environmental nature and an economic one related to labor. The temperature at higher elevations is lower and slows the growth cycle of the coffee plant, which prolongs the development of the beans. This condition results in a longer ripening process which allows the beans to be enriched with complex sugars, thus producing more persistent flavors. Better drainage at high elevations also reduces the quantity of water in the fruit, subsequently concentrating the aromas. 

The terrain in which the best variety of arabica coffee is cultivated is extremely fertile and volcanic. This type of rich and heterogeneous soil produces hard, dense beans with a unique flavor.

I’d like to emphasize the fact that high elevation specialty coffees, with an excellent score from the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association, the organization that brings together coffee experts from around the world, assigning points which rate a coffee’s softness, acidity, cleanness in the mouth, etc.), generally have a higher market price not only because of their aromatic qualities, but also because of the lower yield of the coffee plant as compared to varieties that grow at a lower elevation. These are micro-lots, often less than a hectare, usually located where the precipitation and thinner air, typical of these mountain areas, pose a challenge to farmers who must produce and sell their harvests. If we’re talking about countries like Colombia and Ethiopia, we’re talking about three harvests per year, all performed manually, without the help of machinery. It’s a difficult job that’s expensive and often underpaid. 

COFFEE AND GLOBALIZATION

If we consider global market logic, the matter changes. In fact, a country like Brazil earns much more money from the sale of arabica coffee, in relation to its national GDP, than Ethiopia does, and this is simply because, in an economy of scale, Brazil exports much more arabica coffee at a competitive price than Ethiopia. All of this is made even easier by the use of technology and by mechanized harvesting; the latter is possible thanks to the insignificant difference in elevation between one plantation and the next and to the greater amount of arable land (in fact here we don’t talk about micro-lots).

CONCLUSION:  COFFEE AT THE BAR AND AT HOME…

In conclusion, I’d like to return to the first (and provocative) paragraph of this article and defend my thoughts regarding the low quality of the coffee which we drink at our coffee bars and at home. In Italy almost all of the blends that we drink on a daily basis are made up primarily of robusta beans, more readily available at a competitive price and more suitable to extraction methods like espresso and the moka pot. In the rest of the “northern” world people drink (organoleptically speaking), higher quality coffee, often 100% single-origin arabica. Travelling from Copenhagen to Tokyo, and even London to New York, you’ll see normal people spending more than €5 for an espresso. These normal people that I’m referring to are, first of all, aware that the coffee they’re drinking is a daily luxury “good” and that its cultivation and production require sacrifice, effort, and hard work.

Finally, I’d like to lay the foundation for thought on a topic that I find very interesting: how is it that developing countries, with a multitude of social problems, produce a raw material that’s consumed and enjoyed primarily in countries which, however, have the highest human development indexes in the world? We’ll explore this story in the next article.