How to Read a Single Origin Coffee Label
Most people reading this probably love coffee, but even within that love for coffee there is a lot of variation. Some are at ease in studying coffee regions, elevations, varietals, and processes; they are familiar with all the brewing methods, recipes, and terminology associated with coffee. Others might prefer to leave all that “technical” stuff to the professionals and just enjoy their coffee. A good coffee is, after all, a good coffee.
Knowing more about the coffee you are drinking, we believe, helps you enjoy it. This is not only because you can appreciate the journey of coffee from seed-to-cup, but also because you can learn what you prefer for next time. However, the many variables can be overwhelming and—as we previously pointed out—sometimes we just want some delicious coffee without too much thought.
Because we value approachability and quality equally at Tala, we want to make sure that those who want the nitty gritty details get everything they care to know, while those who don’t necessarily need all of that don’t get lost in the shuffle. We have designed our coffee labels with both groups in mind, making all the information readily available without confusion.
Most people choose the coffee they are getting based off the tasting notes we use in our labels. This is a great way to choose what you think you’ll like, but that doesn’t mean you need to stop there! Reading and understanding the rest of the label isn’t a crazy puzzle that takes a lot of brain power. We’ll walk through the coffee lingo and abbreviations that may help you use the label to pick out your next bag of coffee. When it comes down to it, it’s very simple—we promise!
What can the coffee bag tell you?
The first thing you’ll notice about a coffee bag is whether it is a blend or a single origin. This is easy to spot because all of our blends have grey labels, while our single origins have colored labels. Single origin just means that it is a coffee grown and harvested in one geographical region. This is in contrast to a coffee blend, which is a mixture of multiple regions within the same bag to achieve a unique or specific flavor. At Tala, all of our single origins carry the name of their origin at the top (more on that later), whereas a blend has a given name, like our Ruca House Blend or Amoret Espresso Blend. Blends will also have a little box on the right hand corner of the label denoting what they are, like Espresso Blend or Darker Roast.
Below is an infographic of one of our one single origin labels. This one happens to be our Kanzu from Rwanda. For a single origin label this includes the farm, origin, process, varietals and tasting notes. The bag itself also carries helpful information. On the side panel of the bag you can find brewing directions and the bottom of the bag shares the exact roasting date.
Farm
The first thing we come across is the farm or processing station. As stated above this is the exact place the cherries are being grown and is the most pinpointed we can get when talking about origin of a coffee. If a coffee is from South or Central America a word we often see in the title is “finca”, this means farm in Spanish. For example, Finca Don Jaime (a current offering) translates to Jaime’s Farm since the owner’s name is Jaime Guevara. This name is decided on by the producer themselves.
region
Next we see another aspect of origin: the region and country the coffee comes from. This gives us a better idea in the big picture where the green beans are produced. Different regions also produce slightly different flavor profiles for coffees. Once you start to recognize some of these general differences you’ll begin to have a better idea what a coffee from a specific region may taste like before you even try it. Of course this is not across the board for every coffee, but on a general level you will know more about what flavors you might pick up on in a coffee by knowing the country it comes from. For example: Central and South American coffees tend to be more chocolatey and nutty whereas African coffees tend to be more bright and fruity in flavor.
processing method
Coffee processing is the next thing we come across. Processing can be divided into three general methods, with various subcategories as well: washed, natural, and honey. This is how the coffee cherry flesh is cleaned off from the bean itself. This process lends to different flavors in terms of fruitiness and fermentation. To learn more about each of these processes go check out our World Water Blog and scroll down to “step 3- processing the cherries”.
varietals
There are hundreds of coffee variations that come from two main species. These species are Arabica and Robusta. Coffee varietals are all unique and each has it’s own shape, color, weight, density, and taste. A few popular varietals are: typica, bourbon, heirloom and caturra. A single origin coffee can be a single varietal (like the Kanzu) or have many varietals. Whatever the case, they are always listed on our bags.
tasting notes
The last thing on our label that you will find are the tasting notes. These are the flavors naturally present in the coffee itself. We never add anything to our coffee. If a coffee carries a “chocolate” tasting note, it is not that we’ve added chocolate, but rather that the cherry itself has an inherent chocolate-y tint to its flavor. We decide these tasting notes ourselves before putting them on the bag. Picking up on these flavors in coffee takes time and practice, so don’t worry if you can’t taste everything right away!
insider tip
There is one last little piece of handy information that not too many people know: the color of our single origin labels reflect the tasting notes. This is meant to help you navigate your taste preferences over different seasons. If you find yourself enjoying the Kanzu, you may want to keep an eye out for the next time we offer a blue label single origin, as they will be reminiscent in taste.
Learning more
Our labels always come with what we feel like is the most important information to choosing a coffee that you will like, but there are many more variables beyond even what we have listed on the label. We provide additional information from our importer and other variables at the product page for each coffee. Learn even more by exploring these pages when you choose your next coffee.
Remember that whether you’re in the cafe or online, it’s great to take time as you explore your coffee options. Feel free to ask us questions and to experiment with new things you haven’t tried. You never know when your taste preferences may surprise you!