Single Origin Coffee Explained: What It Means and Why It Matters

August 7, 2025

You’ve probably heard the term single origin coffee thrown around, but what does it really mean, and why is it such a big deal these days? While single origin has become common in cafes and specialty stores, it hasn’t always been this way.

For much of the 20th century, commercial coffee mainly focused on blends, mixing beans from different farms, regions, or even countries. Blends helped roasters offer a consistent flavour and mask variations in supply. This was especially important when coffee sourcing and supply chains were less transparent and more volatile.

Single origin coffee means the beans come from one specific place, such as:

A single country (like Yemen or Colombia)
A specific region within that country (such as Sidamo in Ethiopia)
Sometimes even a single farm or micro-lot

This focus on origin lets the unique flavours and characteristics of that place shine through, like fruity notes from one region, or chocolate and nutty tones from another, and it also helps improve transparency in the supply chain, so you know more about where your coffee comes from and who grew it.

The specialty coffee movement, which really picked up speed in the 1990s and early 2000s, sparked a shift. During this time:

Consumers became more interested in where their coffee came from and the stories behind it.
Roasters and cafés started focusing on transparency, quality, and traceability.
Supply chains improved, with better access to high-quality beans from distinct regions and farms.
Direct trade relationships between roasters and farmers grew, increasing the availability of single origin lots.

Because of these changes, single origin coffee became widely available outside niche specialty circles. Before that, it was mostly a niche product, difficult to find in supermarkets or general cafes.

While single origin highlights unique regional flavours, it isn’t automatically “better” than blends. Here’s why:

Blends are carefully crafted to balance flavours and provide consistency, sometimes creating more complex or rounded cups than a single origin could.
Taste is personal: Some people love the distinctiveness of single origins, others prefer the harmony of blends.
Quality varies: Both blends and single origins can range from average to outstanding, depending on farming, processing, and roasting.

Single origin coffees tell a story about the land, the people, and the care involved in growing and harvesting. They’re an opportunity to try something unique and experience the incredible variety coffee can offer.

That said, blends are wonderful too, especially if you want a balanced, reliable cup every time!