What makes good coffee? The variety? The growing area? The processing? Or perhaps the altitude? The term highland coffee is often used in advertising. So we'll take a closer look at the term and clarify for you whether it really is a quality feature or simply the altitude. Because one thing is clear: highland coffee is, as the name suggests, grown at higher altitudes.
Highland coffee – what exactly is it?
But what exactly is highland coffee? Coffee that is grown in the highlands. Many people say that it is highland coffee at an altitude of 1,000 meters, but you can only really talk about highland coffee when it grows at 1,500 meters or more above sea level. From a geological point of view, the term "highland" does not refer to altitude or climate. A highland is something that clearly stands out from the surrounding lowlands.
So-called highland coffee is usually Arabica coffee. This is not because Arabica is better than Robusta, but simply because Robusta generally grows well at lower altitudes and Arabica needs higher altitudes.
The term highland coffee dates back to the middle of the 20th century, when coffees were classified only according to the altitude at which they were grown:
- Low Grown Central (300 to 950 m)
- Standard Central (950 to 1,300 m)
- High Grown Central (1,300 to 1,500 m)
- Strictly High Grown (1,500 to 1,800 m and higher)
That's why in this article we talk about highland coffee when it was grown at an altitude of more than 1,500 meters. Above 1,300 meters is also fine, especially since the term highland does not have a precise geographical or geological height specification.
Highland coffee – where can you find it?
Generally, coffee only grows in countries that are in the so-called coffee belt . The coffee belt is a zone that lies north and south of the equator. It is a band or belt around the world that lies roughly between the 25th parallel north and the 25th parallel south. The countries within it - regardless of the continent - often have good conditions for growing coffee. The top 10 growing countries include Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Uganda. But there are also small growing areas in the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Philippines and in Europe, such as the island of La Palma. And highland coffee can be found in all of these countries, as long as it is grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters. And that works almost everywhere: one of the best known and most expensive highland coffees in the world is the Jamaica Blue Mountain.
Fun Fact: This coffee owes its fame to the fictional character James Bond, who liked to drink Jamaica Blue Mountain.
Highland coffee – what impact does the location have
Coffee plants that thrive at higher altitudes grow significantly more slowly than lowland varieties. This is partly because the temperatures in the mountains are lower, which means that the coffee cherries take longer to ripen. On the other hand, higher-altitude plants receive less sunlight, which they need for photosynthesis, due to clouds and fog. The increased rainfall in the higher-altitude growing areas washes important nutrients out of the soil that the coffee plant needs to grow. Little light, excessive rainfall, thin air and low temperatures ensure that the coffee plant grows slowly and leisurely at higher altitudes. This longer ripening time means that more sugar and oils are formed in the coffee cherries, and therefore more aromas. In addition, highland coffee produces less chlorogenic acid and less caffeine, making it particularly mild and digestible.
Highland coffee – differences to lowland coffee
As already mentioned, highland coffee is mostly Arabica and is grown at altitudes of 1,500 meters and above. These coffees are characterized by more complex aromas and a lively acidity.
Lowland coffee is usually Robusta and is grown at altitudes of up to 1,000 meters. Here, the coffee cherries ripen faster and develop less complex flavor profiles and less fine acids. However, this does not make it of lower quality - just different!
Highland coffee – which factors influence quality
The higher altitude alone does not make a top-quality coffee. The most important thing is the type of cultivation, biodynamic or according to organic farming guidelines is best. In mixed forest together with other plants, with absolutely no use of chemicals. Harvesting is best done by hand, which is usually the case due to the often mountainous terrain at this altitude. With the picking method, only perfectly ripe cherries are harvested. Preparation and roasting are also important for the quality of a coffee. An assessment by a Q-grader (for Arabica coffees) or an R-grader (for Robusta coffees) plays an extremely important role in the quality of a top-quality coffee. If the value is more than 80 out of 100 points, then it is a specialty coffee and therefore has top quality.
Highland coffee – how do I find good coffee?
So where can I find good highland coffee? We can't give a general answer to that. There are a few criteria that are important for finding good coffee in general. Better than buying coffee in the supermarket is small specialty shops or, best of all, from a small roastery. The more information you can find about the coffee producer on the packaging, the greater the chance that you will get high-quality coffee. The roasters usually also state the altitude at which the coffee was grown - we do that anyway. And that way you can then determine for yourself whether it is highland coffee.
Highland coffee – also available here
Then let’s go through our range and find some highland coffees for you.
- Martin C is grown between 1,400 and 1,860 m altitude
- Martin I thrives between 1,700 - 1,900 m altitude
- The cherries for Colombia Red Bourbon grow at 1,730 m
- All our Ethiopian coffees grow between 1,600 and 2,000 m
- The beans for Guatemala San Lorenzo are grown at 1,400 to 1,500 m
- Some of our blends also contain beans that were grown at high altitudes
As you can see, you will find highland coffee in many of our coffees. We do not explicitly advertise this, mainly because the term itself only means that the coffee was grown at higher altitudes. Since we usually state the altitude of cultivation, the term highland coffee is therefore superfluous. And this is not the only quality criterion for our coffees. We make sure that our farmers, with whom we have long-standing relationships and friendships, grow their coffee biodynamically. We almost only roast coffee with a score of over 80, usually even over 85 points. We roast it gently, using traditional methods over a long period of time. For us, coffee is more than just a drink, it is a passion.
Highland coffee – Conclusion
The short version is: Even if coffee is grown at high altitudes, it is not always of good quality. However, the altitude at which it is grown usually has a positive effect on the variety of aromas and the acidity in the coffee cherries. However, other factors are important for a top-quality coffee: The highest quality should always prevail along the entire development chain from cultivation to your cup: be it in the processing, roasting, storage and preparation of the coffee. Only when everything works together like the gears in a Swiss watch do you get a great highland coffee. Or lowland coffee, because it can be just as high quality. And I'll repeat this again here: Arabica coffee is not inherently better than Robusta. These two types of coffee simply have fundamentally different aroma ranges. So they are actually not comparable at all. Or would you say that green apples are fundamentally worse than red ones? Right, that is also difficult to compare. The great thing is that no matter whether it's highland coffee, lowland coffee, Arabica, Robusta or Liberica: the best coffee is always the one that tastes best to you. And that's a good thing!
