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impossible to consider that a company that burns their beans is buying good quality beans to sell. For Stoffel,

there is absolutely no doubt that a medium roasted, single-origin Arabica coffee is the best there is. According

to the National Coffee Association, the best conditions for the “finicky Arabica” variety are in the “bean belt”

of the world. 25 degrees North and 30 degrees South, the best beans require high altitudes and rich soil

(“Coffee Around the World,” n.d). Where the majority of Robusta, Arabica, and mixed crops are grown

within the belt can be seen in the illustration below (Figure 3.).

There is no denying that large-chain coffee shops in the US lean toward supplying their cafes with

cheap bean blends that require a dark roast. There’s a consistency that comes with both the dark roast and the

blends—a consistency that guests demand. There’s a huge marketing appeal as well: Christmas blends,

summer blends, Thanksgiving blends, and there’s even a “Sweetheart Blends” (Figure 4.) for Valentine’s Day;

nearly anything can be invented to fit the season and send those coffee grounds flying off the shelf. There’s

another secret to the blends that seems to be ignored: they’re frequently made up of Robusta beans which are

significantly cheaper, more bitter, and lower quality. But even if a

café decides to go straight Arabica bean, the stamp on the outside

of their visually appealing jar behind the counter frequently doesn’t

testify to much if it’s either another blend or burned beyond

recognition (frequently, it’s both). Arabica beans are more

expensive, but true quality is entirely lost when blended and

burned. Or, as Stoffel suggested, the arabica beans couldn’t have

been good to begin with – otherwise burning them would be a

complete waste.

Those burned blends that Americans are so used to (and

even crave) are slap in the face of single-origin coffee from Peru. A

high-altitude environment perfect for growing high-quality Arabica beans, Figure 4. The “Sweetheart” Blend
(“Sweetheart,” 2015)

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