Finding Your Way Around A Coffee Bag Label
Coffee bag labels are a huge part of the coffee experience, and getting to know the roaster who created it. But what do all of the features actually mean?
The name given to a coffee usually speaks for itself, right? Depending on the coffee roaster you can have funky and creative names, names associated with the origin of the coffee, or perhaps ones that help to show the identity of the roaster.
But what about those smaller and more fidgety details that you see on most bags of coffee? Some are there for legal reasons, such as the weight or the ingredients, but others are there to help you understand the backstory of the coffee you’re selecting.
Growing Altitude
How many metres above sea level (masl) a coffee is grown influences the coffee taste in a big way. The amazing coffees of the world, from Brazil for example, are found in high-up and mountainous areas. The metres above sea level is a good way for a coffee fan to know some background information on the coffee. You can expect to see heights of 1000-2000 masl!
Roast Date
Coffee roasters usually feature the roast date, which is sometimes coupled with the use-by date, but not always. This is because great coffees are usually best enjoyed as close to the roast date as possible, but is very much a subjective matter. Roasters will usually ship their coffees out within a day of roasting them.
Tasting Notes
Coffee taste profiles are a key way for roasters to help consumers to get the measure of a bag of coffee. Roasts usually have flavours that are chocolatey, floral, nutty, earthy, or fruity. There are many other naturally occuring natural flavours you can expect to see written on bags. These tastes, as well as being from how the coffee was grown, can be down to being either light, medium, dark, or espresso roast.
Country of Origin
Most coffee growing countries are found along the equator, known as the “Coffee Belt”. These countries get adequate heat and moisture, and have high altitude areas to make perfect growing conditions. Most coffee fans have their favourite, but what’s the harm in working your way along the belt?
Single Origin or Blend
Single origin coffees are a bag full of beans that have been grown in one place, or cooperative setup. Roasters often blend beans from different areas for a mixture of reasons such as creating new flavours that help to make them unique, or blending in catering coffees for the lowering costs.
Growing Area
Within a coffee origin country, such as India, there is still much to tell about the growing location of a coffee. Expect to see coffees that are named after names of farmers themselves, farms, plantations, cooperatives, or regions such as Minas Gerais which is Brazil’s largest coffee growing region.
Processing
Some coffee bags feature information on how the coffee is processed. Which might say “washed/wet”, or “natural/dry” most commonly. Washed coffee uses machines called de-pulpers to remove the seeds from the cherries before drying them. Natural processing involves drying out the entire freshly picked coffee cherry with the seed still inside
What To Prioritise When Choosing A Good Coffee
Freshness is key! Aim for coffees that smell great (if shopping in a physical shop). All types of coffees can be amazing, so we wouldn’t say to necessarily choose based on a country of origin you know, especially if you’re the adenturous type.
It’s an unrivalled experience to work your way through different coffee types until you find a flavour profile that matches your preferences!
You can head over to our coffee shopping pages to see a range of coffees from independent roasters with clearly marked flavour profiles by clicking the button below.
