The Bean Belt

Did you know our precious coffee is only grown in certain places? Each of these countries are in vastly different zones of the world, but they all share something in common: they lie in a band of tropical regions along the equator in what’s become known as ‘The Bean Belt.’ Places known for their tasty coffee, such as South and Central America, East Africa, the Pacific and India are notorious for having perfect coffee growing conditions.

This coffee-rich channel of land doesn’t line up like this by accident. Many of the world’s most delicious coffee plants are cultivated in mountainous regions that lie at latitudes of 25 degrees North and 30 degrees South of the equator.

And there’s a scientific reason why coffee grown in this zone tastes much better than coffee cultivated elsewhere. These mountainous, yet tropical environment ‘shock’ the natural chemicals that make coffee taste delicious into the bean. That detectable blend of flavours then get released into your cup when you brew.

The magical combination of heat, humidity, rainfall, elevation and soil quality affects the bean so precisely that one plant could have a radically different taste from another plant grown just a few feet away.

It’s amazing to think about the different stages coffee goes through to get into your cup.