The altitude on a coffee bag tells you how high above sea level the coffee was grown. In general, coffee grown higher grows more slowly and tends to be denser, with more acidity and a clearer, sweeter cup. It is a hint about the coffee, not a score, and it never replaces the process, the variety or the roast.
That is the whole claim we can stand behind. Altitude is one reason a cup tastes the way it does, and below we show what ours say and what they do not.
What does altitude change in the cup?
Three things are commonly said about high-grown coffee, and they are widely accepted among growers and roasters:
- Density. Cooler air slows the cherry. A slower-growing bean is usually denser, and a dense bean takes heat differently in the roaster.
- Acidity. Higher farms tend to give brighter, more defined acidity (the citrus, apple or berry side of a cup).
- Sweetness. Slow ripening gives the cherry time to build sugars, which shows up as sweeter, more complex flavor.
These are tendencies. We have no tasting data that proves any one of our coffees tastes the way it does because of its altitude, so we do not claim that.
What do the altitudes on our bags say?
Here is every altitude printed on our labels, with the process and notes next to it so you can see how little altitude explains by itself. Canela is flavored, so it has no altitude on its label.
| Coffee | Altitude | Process | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Common Sense (Colombia) | 1,300 to 1,500 m | Fully washed, solar dried | Cocoa, red apple, brown sugar |
| No. 2 Good Sense (Ethiopia) | 1,700 to 1,900 m | Natural, hand sorted, raised beds | Milk chocolate, fruit, caramel |
| No. 3 Position (Sumatra) | 1,100 to 1,600 m | Wet-hulled (giling basah) | Dark chocolate, dried fruit, earthy |
| No. 4 Conjuncture (Kenya) | 1,700 to 1,890 m | Fully washed, raised beds | Orange, lemon, floral |
| No. 6 Hegemony (Brazil) | 750 to 1,050 m | Pulped natural, sun dried | Cocoa, smooth |
| No. 7 Praxis (Guatemala) | 1,200 to 1,616 m | Fully washed, sun dried | Dark chocolate, bright fruit, butterscotch |
| No. 8 Consent (Costa Rica) | 1,300 to 1,445 m | Eco-pulped, sun dried | Sweet apple, raisin, honey |
| No. 9 Optimism (Tanzania) | 1,200 to 1,900 m | Fully washed, raised beds | Pear, floral, jasmine, strawberry |
| No. 10 Folklore (Peru) | 1,100 to 1,700 m | Fully washed, sun dried | Salted caramel, citrus, silky |
Is higher altitude always better coffee?
No. Look at the two ends of our own table. Hegemony, from Parana and Sao Paulo in Brazil, grows at 750 to 1,050 m and its label notes are cocoa and smooth. Good Sense and Conjuncture grow at 1,700 m and above, and their notes are fruit, citrus and floral. The lower coffee is not worse. It is a different cup, and for a pot the whole house drinks, a different cup is exactly what you want.
Process matters as much. Position grows at 1,100 to 1,600 m but is wet-hulled, a method that gives the earthy, dried-fruit side of its notes. Good Sense is a natural, dried with the fruit on, which is where much of its fruit comes from. Altitude sets the raw material, and process decides a lot of what you taste.
How do I read an altitude range?
A range such as 1,300 to 1,500 m means the coffee came from farms across that band, usually several smallholders blended into one lot. It is not the height of one field. Meters are the standard unit on coffee labels. To convert to feet, multiply by 3.28, so 1,500 m is about 4,900 ft.
When a bag lists no altitude, as with our flavored Canela, that usually just means it is not part of the story the roaster is telling. We do not fill in a number the label does not give.
Which of ours is the best place to taste the altitude effect?
Brew two side by side. A pour-over of the highest-grown coffee next to one of the lowest shows the difference faster than any description. Our comparison Ethiopian natural vs Kenyan for pour-over covers two of the highest, and what body means in coffee helps you describe what you taste. For a fruit-forward start, see which of our ten taste most like fruit.
Our pick
No. 4 Conjuncture
Othaya, Nyeri County, Kenya · 1,700 to 1,890 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
It sits at the top of our altitude range, and its label notes of orange, lemon and floral point to the citrus and floral side of our shelf.
Every coffee is $28 for 12 oz, whole bean or ground, free US shipping. See all ten coffees to compare the full set, or start a subscription (11% off, skip or cancel in one click).
Read the altitude as a clue, then trust your own cup.
Questions people ask
Does higher altitude coffee taste better?
Not automatically. Higher-grown coffee tends to be denser and brighter, but process, variety and roast shape the cup as much. Our lowest-grown coffee, Hegemony, is the one most people drink all day.
What is a good altitude for coffee?
There is no single good number. Many well known coffees are grown between roughly 1,200 and 2,000 m, and ours range from 750 to 1,900 m on the label.
Why does my coffee bag not list an altitude?
Some coffees are blends or flavored, so the roaster does not print one. Our flavored Canela has no altitude on its label, and we do not guess one.
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