How Is Coffee Affected By Terroir?

The word terroir comes from the French word Terroir, which is most commonly used in English when talking about wine. The environment around the soil is the terroir.

But when it comes to agriculture, terroir is more complex. The soil is made up of specific substances, combined with the temperature, rainfall, micro-organisms, bacteria, and climate of the surroundings, and these conditions can be applied to agriculture.

In response to the above description, the owner of the estate gave his opinion to the author. Terroir is, in fact, a combination of everything about the environment in which coffee is grown. It is not just the soil and the climate, but the whole environment, including the influence of local people and local agricultural knowledge.

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According to Stefano, terroir brings out the characteristics of the variety.

But because terroir varies from place to place, varietal characteristics can develop in different ways. Simply put, terroir is what makes Colombian coffee different from Brazilian, Ethiopian, and Indonesian coffee.

For example, even if the same variety of coffee is grown in Costa Rica at an altitude of 1400m, it will not taste the same as coffee grown in Panama at an altitude of 1900m. Even though the two countries are close to each other, Panama's higher altitude and colder climate gives the coffee a richer acidity and a higher sweetness.

For the consumer, terroir affects the flavour of the coffee. But its impact on the roaster and the farmer is even more profound. When choosing the roast level of a coffee, the roaster must consider not only the potential flavour and aroma of the beans but also the molecular composition of the beans, which is strongly influenced by the terroir.

Farmers need to adapt their planting methods and bean handling to the terroir, which encompasses geographical conditions, climate, and the distribution of agricultural resources, etc. This is because the terroir will determine the growth of the coffee tree, and it will also affect the quality, cost-effectiveness, pest resistance, and productivity of the coffee.

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The definitions of good and bad are subjective, but nevertheless, the phrases "I love this region" and "The coffee from this region is great" are very common.

There is no such thing as a bad terroir, only a terroir that is more suitable for certain varieties.

The terroir is linked to the quality of the coffee. If a particular variety is grown, it may not be suitable in certain regions or countries. He used the example of the cupping system, where a score of over 80 out of 100 is a fine coffee, and over 90 is a rare and expensive coffee.

Under the category of fine coffee, consumers have a better impression of coffee from some countries. Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ethiopia, for example, have knowledgeable farmers who are very good growers. Brazil and Indonesia, on the other hand, often produce coffee as a cash crop.

This hints at the limitations imposed by the terroir. However, despite the perception of Brazilian coffee as described above, they are still able to produce coffees that can compete at the Excellence Cup level, and in 2017 scored over 90 points in the Excellence Cup competition with nine suns and honey treated coffees.

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The terroir of some countries may be suitable for particular varieties, indirectly affecting the flavour and cupping scores, but this does not mean that these countries cannot produce other varieties.

Based on the above, we know that terroir affects some of the characteristics of a variety and that certain terroirs are more suitable for certain varieties. We can also find out more about what kind of terroir produces good coffee in the following sections. There are three key factors.

Since terroir represents the land, the first key factor is, of course, the soil. The minerals in the soil affect the strength and acidity of the coffee. Volcanic soil is ideal for coffee growing because it is rich in nutrients such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc, all of which are essential for plant growth.

In addition, volcanic soils are deeply drained, so when they are more airy and rich in organic matter, they retain more water during the rainy season in preparation for the dry season. The soil also has a direct impact on the absorption of nutrients and minerals by plants.

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Coffee is usually grown in countries located in the "coffee belt", which stretches across the world from the equator as far north as Mexico and Burma, and as far south as Brazil and Tanzania.

Even within the coffee belt, there are many different types of climate, ranging from small areas of weather to large areas of climate. Some coffee experts talk about microclimates in coffee farming areas, meaning that the climate in a small area is distinctly different from the rest of the production area, possibly due to the nearby canyons.

It is important to have a dry and wet season. The wet season helps the coffee tree and the fruit to grow, and the tree can absorb the nutrients it needs. However, during the harvest season, rain is not a good thing, as it can damage the fruit, slow down the drying of the beans, etc. On the other hand, the dry season is good for the harvest because it helps the coffee tree flower, which in turn helps the new fruit to grow.

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The higher the altitude, the higher the sweetness and quality of the fruit. One of the reasons for this is that higher altitude increases the acidity of the fruit, which brings sweetness, similar to that of wine.

But when we talk about altitude, we are talking more about climate. Climate and temperature vary according to altitude, with colder conditions creating higher acidity in wines and coffees.

Altitude directly affects the ripening process, with slower ripening fruit having higher sugar content, resulting in richer flavours and a higher density of beans.

As altitude is related to temperature, the distance from the equator is also an important consideration, as is the effect of wind. Altitude is a useful reference when comparing two farms in the same production area. However, it is less useful when comparing different producing countries, for example, when comparing Ecuador with Mexico or Yemen with Kenya.

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Terroir means everything in wine.

When you hold a wine, you might not think that it comes from the earth. For this reason, in recent years, some in the wine industry have started to promote wines made from natural cultivation with minimal human intervention.

But does this also apply to coffee? Does terroir mean everything to coffee?

If you know the implications and the meaning of each step, the method is more important than the terroir. It is the process of removing the coffee seeds from the fruit. Depending on the method of harvesting, fermentation, drying, and storage, processing can bring out positive or negative flavours and can either enhance or diminish the quality of the coffee.

Terroir can improve the quality of the coffee, but it cannot guarantee the quality of the final cup. The management of the fruit and the beans is important, starting with the selection of the planting site and continuing with the drying of the beans.

Of course, as we have discussed above, the treatment varies according to the climate of each country. Brazil, for example, is well known for its sun and honey-treated coffees, both of which bring sweetness and fullness because of its dry climate. On the other hand, Kenya is known for its water-washing process, which enhances the cleanliness of the coffee and amplifies the natural regional flavour of the coffee.

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However, sometimes farmers experiment with different treatments, even going against local traditions. This goes beyond the constraints of the terroir. The human factor also has a profound influence.

Whether or not terroir is the most influential factor is debatable, but there is no denying its importance. For many farmers, climate change is a formidable challenge because it is intertwined with climate change.

The same places that could produce sweet, acid-rich coffee are no longer able to produce the same quality of coffee because of rising temperatures. People are trying to find higher altitudes to grow coffee in order to obtain good quality. Some wine-producing farmers are even responding to climate change by producing varieties that are more suited to warmer climates.

More than 100 million people in the world depend on coffee for their livelihoods. Still, researchers say that by 2050, climate change will make 50% of the current coffee farmland unsuitable for growing coffee. What is the future for farmers in the next decade? The terroir is changing in line with climate change.

What are the implications for coffee, wine, and other crops like cocoa? How far can we go? How can we control the consistency of the quality of our products despite the changes in the terroir? Perhaps only time will tell.

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