Introduction - Let the Panic Ensue

You pop into a specialty cafe, coffee shop, or visit a website and begin perusing their coffee offerings. It is at that moment the panic and confusion sets in… “MASL? Bergamot?! Mango!? Processing method!? Wait, I thought I was just buying coffee, not some hoity toity processed thing. What does all of this mean anyway? I thought coffee was simple and easy.”

I often tell people that coffee is as complicated as you want to make it. Unfortunately, even at the most basic level - just buying a bag of beans - there can be confusion and complications. In an attempt to provide transparency and share information about a coffee’s origin, we specialty coffee people have unfortunately alienated some of the people we aim to serve by presenting detailed information without context. The goal of this post is to minimize confusion and provide a caffeinated (or decaffeinated, no judgment) space to understand what the heck is going on with our coffee labels.

A Bag, A Label, A Culprit

Not to make you anymore confused, but not all roasters provide the same information. Each label is different and conveys different information. However, there are some common notes you will be able to find on almost every specialty coffee bag.

Origins & Roast Levels

Above you can see the roast level and country of origin for these two coffees from two different roasters. Roast degrees can vary between roasters, so it is important not to only focus on this detail. For some coffees you might even be able to learn about the region or state the coffee is from. In these examples, Adola comes from the Guji region of Ethiopia, while Black and White’s coffee comes from San Adolfo, Huila, Colombia.

Farmers/Producers & Tasting Notes

In many cases, roasters are even able to name the specific farmer responsible for growing the coffee. It is a way to truly give these amazing people credit for their hard work and amazing crop. However, in some growing regions, farmers do not have access to the same resources as other farmers and instead take their picked coffee to a shared facility where their coffee can be processed. In these cases, you might see the phrase “various farmers” on a label instead of the name of one specific farmer.

Every region is known for certain tasting notes. Some might be a fruitier while others may be more chocolatey. This can also be impacted by the roast level; this is also why we recommend using more than just the roast level to determine whether or not you might enjoy a coffee. Dark chocolate and toasted nuts are often flavors people associate with darker roasts while fruitier floral notes are attributed to lighter roasted coffee. Keep in mind these are just a few of the things roasters are tasting. Taste is subjective, so what we taste as raspberry might be another red fruit to you. Use these as a guideline and not an end all be all.

Elevation & Varietals

Elevation is often referenced by the acronym MASL (meters above sea level); this metric provides the altitude at which the coffee was grown. Elevation is another important factor in the flavor profile of the coffee: crops grown at higher altitudes (closer to 2000 MASL) are often found to have fruitier, floral notes compared to those at lower elevations (1000 MASL), which have earthy, herbal, and often lower acidity flavors.

Finally, we have the variety or varietal. While almost all of the specialty coffee you will find is Arabica, there are many other varieties of coffee trees, each having its own unique attributes. However, not all species can be found in every country. Some are indigenous to certain regions while others have yet to be discovered. In cases where a coffee variety is uncategorized or not yet known, the term “heirloom variety” is used.