If you want a coffee that tastes like coffee is supposed to taste, buy the Colombian. If you want a coffee that makes you stop and ask what is in the cup, buy the Ethiopian natural. That is the short version. The long version is on the two labels, and the labels are the only facts we will use here: region, altitude, process, varietal, roast and tasting notes, as printed by the roaster.
Side by side, from the label
| Line on the bag | No. 1 Common Sense (Colombia) | No. 2 Good Sense (Ethiopia) |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Huila and Medellin-Antioquia | Sidama |
| Altitude | 1,300 to 1,500 m | 1,700 to 1,900 m |
| Process | Fully washed, solar dried | Natural, hand sorted, dried on raised beds |
| Varietal | Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica | Indigenous heirloom cultivars |
| Roast | Medium | Medium-light |
| Notes | Cocoa, red apple, brown sugar | Milk chocolate, fruit, caramel |
| Price, 12 oz | 8 | 8 |
What the process line changes
This is the biggest difference between the two, bigger than the country. Washed means the cherry is removed from the seed before drying, so the coffee dries clean and you taste the seed: cocoa, a soft red apple, brown sugar. Natural means the whole cherry dries around the seed for weeks, on raised beds in this case, and the fruit sugars work their way in. That is where the fruit note on the Ethiopian label comes from. It is not a flavoring; it is the drying method, and it is why a natural Ethiopian can taste like blueberry jam to some people and like a very ripe strawberry to others.
Naturals are also less consistent from cup to cup. A washed Colombian tastes the same on Tuesday as it did on Monday. The Ethiopian rewards a little attention.
What altitude and roast change
The Ethiopian grows 400 meters higher. Higher-grown coffee is denser and tends to hold more acidity and more aromatic complexity, which is why roasters keep it lighter: a medium-light roast preserves the fruit that a darker roast would burn off. The Colombian at a medium roast has a bit more body and a rounder finish, and it is much harder to over- or under-extract. In practice: the Colombian forgives a cheap grinder and a drip machine; the Ethiopian wants a pour-over and water a few degrees off the boil.
How to brew each one
Colombian, No. 1 Common Sense
Drip machine, French press or pour-over at 1:16 (60 g per liter, roughly 4 tablespoons of beans per 12 oz mug). Water just off the boil. Takes milk without falling apart. This is the one for the office pot and the weekday morning.
Ethiopian natural, No. 2 Good Sense
Pour-over at 1:16, water at 200 F (93 C), a 40-second bloom, medium-fine grind. Drink it black. It also makes an unusually good cold brew at 1:8 overnight, where the fruit turns into something close to iced tea with caramel behind it.
Who should buy which
- You drink coffee with milk, or from a drip machine, or first thing without ceremony: No. 1 Common Sense.
- You own a pour-over, drink it black, and want the cup to be the point of the morning: No. 2 Good Sense.
- You are buying for someone else and do not know their habits: the Colombian. Nobody has ever been disappointed by cocoa and brown sugar.
- You want both and a reason to compare: put them on a subscription in alternating months.
Our pick for most people
No. 1 Common Sense
Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia · 1,300 to 1,500 m · Fully washed, solar dried · Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica · Medium roast
The everyday cup: cocoa, red apple, brown sugar. Forgiving in any brewer, good with milk.
Our pick for the pour-over drinker
No. 2 Good Sense
Sidama, Ethiopia · 1,700 to 1,900 m · Natural, hand sorted, dried on raised beds · Indigenous heirloom cultivars · Medium-light roast
Milk chocolate, fruit, caramel. Brew it black, slowly, and it will show you why naturals have a following.
Both are roasted after you order in Temecula, California, and both print the whole panel on the front of the bag. All ten coffees follow the same rule: if it is not on the bag, it is not in the coffee.
Questions people ask
Is Ethiopian coffee more acidic than Colombian?
A natural Ethiopian reads as fruitier and brighter, which people often call acidic. A washed Colombian is rounder and more chocolatey. Neither is sour when brewed at a 1:16 ratio with water near 200 F.
Which is better for drinking black?
The Ethiopian. Milk flattens its fruit. The Colombian holds up to milk and to a drip machine, which is why it is the better everyday pot.
Which one should a beginner buy first?
The Colombian, No. 1 Common Sense. It is forgiving in every method. Buy the Ethiopian, No. 2 Good Sense, the month you own a pour-over and want to taste the difference.
Free printable
Keep the ratio chart on your fridge
One page with grams, level tablespoons and scoops for every cup size and for coffee makers from 2 to 14 cups. Leave your email and the download link appears right here.