How to Read a Coffee Bag: The Coffee Addicts Way!

The Christmas season is here and coffee is arguably the best gift for anyone on your list, but is it the easiest? How do you know what to shop for? What does “carbonic maceration” even mean? Essentially: how do you read a coffee bag? 

Any good coffee bag provides essential info on the journey of the coffee cherry from farm to bag (heads up: if the info isn’t on the bag, it’s likely we found it for you! Check the description to get your coffee queries answered!) Words such as origin, process, altitude, roast level, and tasting notes might appear; these words aren’t to encourage coffee snobbery, but to help you to make the most educated guess on what you might enjoy and give you insight on choosing the perfect bean. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

ORIGIN

Paying attention to the origin of the coffee can give you a global generalization of what to expect from this bag, and the farm/region pays respect to the farmers who picked the coffee for us (for single origin coffees, they are often named after the farm itself and the producers to further the education for average consumers.) In our product descriptions, we have listed the common characteristics one can expect from each origin, which helps you to understand what kind of coffee regions you enjoy! These characteristics share anything from common tasting notes, brightness levels, mouthfeel, and more.

PROCESS

The process indicates how the coffee cherry was treated, or processed, to separate the seed from the fruit itself. This is the largest indication of what types of flavours may emerge from the coffee seed, and plays a huge part in the overall quality of the bean. You might see washed, natural, honey, and even wild ones like carbonic maceration listed as a process.

The most common process is washed, meaning the coffee seed is de-pulped and the mucilage is removed before drying (oftentimes on a raised bed). The result is a very clean coffee taste, which is popular amongst coffee drinkers.

Next is the natural process, where the coffee cherry is dried while still intact with the seed – this drying period can be for any number of days, but three days is most common. The result is a stronger taste; some might even call a few of these coffees “wild” or “funky,” especially depending on the origin of the bean. 

Honey processed gives a sweeter, more complex bean, as it combines natural and washed methods. The honey process leaves some of the mucilage on the bean while drying (fun fact: this process references honey because the mucilage darkens to a honey colour during the drying stage!)

Just for fun: carbonic maceration is a new, innovative way of processing coffee, merging technology with tradition. The coffee cherries are placed in a sealed tank of water and flushed with carbon dioxide (sometimes up to 72 hours!) The process is similar to winemaking, and it produces a fermented, wine-y flavour profile that is becoming more and more popular!

ALTITUDE

Altitude indicates where the coffee cherry grew and where it was picked from. The further up mountain ranges, the more time the coffee has to ripen and mature due to the difficulty to travel to these regions and of pests to survive. Therefore, the coffee produces lighter and fruiter notes, compared to lower altitude coffees which may have chocolate/nutty flavour profiles. 

ROAST LEVELS

Roast level has to do with how roasters treat and change the coffee. Oftentimes, roasters will taste the green coffee through a cupping session to determine what elements are within the coffee seed, and then determine how they want to roast this coffee to highlight or mature these flavours. Light roasted coffees are more true to their original state, as they haven’t been influenced with heat as much. Medium roasts mix in a bit of caramelization and sugar, slightly changing the profile of these coffees. Dark roasts give roasters more influence over the bean, integrating smokey, dark chocolate flavours into the mix.

TASTING NOTES

The tasting notes let you know what kind of flavours to expect from your cup! These are flavours found naturally in your cup as a result of the coffee journey (at one point in time, I definitely believed that tasting notes were somehow “infused” into each coffee bean… embarrassing, I know…) Tasting notes are determined by Q-Graders, who completed extensive education to train themselves, and their tastebuds, to recognize these flavours. You can train your tastebuds to recognize these flavours by drinking more coffee, paying attention to the tasting notes, or through palate training (like we tried here!)

I hope this helps you pick the perfect brew this holiday season (or gives you some coffee-addict-level info to share with your friends, family, or local barista) – let us know which element you look for the most in the comments below!

Happy Coffee-ing!