Reading a bag: process, altitude, variety

Specialty bags carry more information than most people read, and three lines carry most of the predictive weight: how the coffee was processed, how high it grew, and which variety it is. Together they tell you more about the cup than any tasting note ever will.

Process: what happened to the fruit

Washed coffees have the fruit removed before drying, which tends to produce a cleaner, more acidic and more transparent cup. Natural coffees dry with the fruit still attached, which usually pushes the flavour towards heavier berry sweetness and more body. Honey processing sits between the two.

• Washed — clean, bright, structured
• Natural — fruity, sweet, heavier
• Honey — sweet with moderate structure
• Experimental — deliberately unusual; read the tasting notes carefully

Altitude: how slowly the cherry grew

Higher, cooler growing conditions slow the cherry's development, which generally produces denser beans and more acidity. A bag printed with 1,800 to 2,100 metres above sea level is signalling a coffee likely to taste bright and defined. Lower altitudes tend towards softer acidity and rounder chocolate character.

Variety: the plant itself

Variety is the least reliable single predictor but still useful. Gesha is associated with floral, tea-like cups; SL28 and SL34 with dense blackcurrant acidity; Bourbon and Typica with balanced sweetness. Treat it as a hint about style rather than a guarantee of flavour.

Putting the three together

A washed SL28 grown at 1,900 metres will almost certainly be bright, structured and acidic. A natural Bourbon from 1,300 metres will almost certainly be sweeter, softer and fruitier. Once you can read that from the label, you can shop by the coffee's actual shape rather than by the roaster's adjectives — which is exactly the information Cophi filters on.

Prices, availability and roast dates change often. Always check the roaster's own website before buying.

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