Coffee and Wine - Parallels

More in Common Than You Think

Coffee and wine share surprisingly much: both are agricultural products whose taste depends on terroir, variety, processing, and craftsmanship.

Terroir

Like wine, terroir - soil, climate, altitude - fundamentally influences coffee's character. An Ethiopian coffee tastes different from a Brazilian one, just as a Burgundy differs from a Bordeaux.

Varieties

Bourbon, Typica, Geisha, SL-28 - like wine, coffee has hundreds of varieties, each with its own flavor profile.

Processing

Natural vs. Washed in coffee - carbonic maceration vs. direct pressing in wine. The processing method massively influences taste.

Tasting

Cupping in coffee, tasting in wine: both use a structured flavor wheel and evaluate acidity, body, sweetness, and finish.

The Big Difference

Coffee has an extra dimension: roasting. It has no wine parallel and gives the roaster enormous influence over the final result.