The definition of single origin coffee is a simple one: it refers to any coffee that is comprised of beans only from one location. The reason single origin coffees stand out to coffee consumers is due to the fact that most of the coffee being sold today is NOT single origin, instead it is a blend of coffees grown on different plantations around the world – making a coffee blend. Another term for this is ‘estate coffee’, meaning that particular coffee was grown on a single coffee estate or plantation.
Blending different coffees results in deeply varied tastes from what the beans tasted like originally. For instance, beans from Central and South America can be blended together to produce a milder tasting coffee. While beans from the Americas, Africa, and Indonesia can be blended to create a bolder and more exotic flavor.
Many coffee drinkers actually prefer single origin coffee as they believe, when roasted properly, that you can better experience the coffee’s true flavor. Many factors contribute to the taste of a single origin coffee: the soil it’s grown in, the altitude of the farm, climate conditions, etc. While single origin coffee does tend to be more expensive than blended coffees, many coffee enthusiasts simply wouldn’t have it any other way.