Study Adds Merit to High-Elevation Coffee Quality Claims

Daily Coffee News photo by Nick Brown.

 

Typically expressed as meters above sea level, the elevation of the coffee farm has long been a signature marketing point among purveyors of high-quality, traceable arabica coffees. 

Traditional messaging suggests that higher is better, although in many cases that may be as arbitrary as saying that a sixth birthday cake is superior to a fifth birthday cake because more fire is involved.

Yet a research team from Poland recently gave scientific credence to the idea that high-elevation coffee may naturally result in more desirable characteristics, both in terms of human health and coffee quality. 

In a study published Aug. 17 in Scientific Reports, the researchers suggest that coffees grown at higher altitudes contained higher levels of certain phenolic compounds, antioxidants that may play a powerful role in coffee’s many health benefits.

Perhaps more importantly for coffee producers, traders and roasters, the higher-elevation coffees were also found to have stronger aroma characteristics, which have proven to be desirable among humans. 

Limited Sample Size

It should be noted that the sample size for the study was limited. The researchers used four typica varieties from the arabica species that were sourced and roasted by Poland-based boutique roasting company Rovigo Caffe. Coffees from the study came from different elevations in Ethiopia, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The researchers noted that some of the data involved in the open-access study remain confidential “due to suggestions” from the coffee company. 

Findings

The study found that the Ethiopian coffees — which were grown at the highest elevation of 2,065 meters above sea level — contained the highest levels of desirable phenolic compounds, namely chlorogenic acids. 

Total phenolic compounds were highest in the Ethiopian sample and lowest in the Guatemalan sample, which was the lowest-elevation coffee in the study. 

Daily coffee News photo by Nick Brown.

Meanwhile, an electronic nose ranked volatile organic compound emission strength — i.e. aroma strength — from highest to lowest as: Ethiopia, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The authors said the Ethiopian coffee had the most intense and diverse aroma potential. 

Naturally, the authors noted a broad range of additional factors that might alter the polyphenolic and aromatic characteristics of coffees, including post-harvest processing, the presence of shade, soil composition and other factors associated with the origin, and ripeness at the time of picking. 

In fact, one major recent study from Ethiopia found that picking at peak ripeness with an ideal moisture content was by far the most important factor in coffee quality markers such as sweetness and desirable acidity. 

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