Coffee Terroir: Beans Cultivated in Volcanic Soil Yield Surprising, Complex Brews

When we talk about coffee beans grown in volcanic soil, we conjure an entire set of almost primordial growing conditions: mineral-rich, rocky terrain set at high altitude, the peak shrouded in mist and regular heavy rainfall. Beans grown in far-flung places where you half expect to see King Kong peeking out from behind a craggy rock formation have long been prized. Legacy volcanic regions, such as Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain, are well-known, but areas from Costa Rica to Indonesia also produce highly sought-after coffee grown on high hillsides of volcanos.

Atlanta-based Volcanica Coffee Company, founded in 2004 by Maurice Contreras (now joined by his son Aaron), imports beans from 40 different countries around the world, focusing on volcanic soil. The elder Contreras learned about quality coffee beans while visiting his native Costa Rica and discovering the coffee grown on Arenal Volcano—“our home volcano,” as Aaron calls it.

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Horge Pouring green coffee beans / Image Courtesy of Volcanica Coffee Company

They bring in green “beans” (not actually a bean at all, but the pip or seed of the fruit) that have been processed on-site by the growers. Though soil type affects the size and character of the beans, the processing has more obvious effects on the overall taste—washed, natural and fermented are the main processing methods, with anaerobic (similar to carbonic maceration) being a rarer one. All are methods of getting the cherry fruit off the green bean in preparation for shipping and roasting. Natural, when the coffee cherries are laid in the sun and the fruit allowed to dry and shrivel off, lends a bolder flavor with some funk, whereas beans fermented in a tank (sometimes with additional fruit, such as pineapples or passion fruit, to impart more nuance) produce cleaner, more acidic coffee with floral tones. “It pops a little bit more,” says Aaron.

Volcanic terroir produces smaller, denser beans in environments where the high amount of rainfall filters quickly through the porous soil and does not overwater the plants. In drier, more arid environments, such as the renowned coffee plantations of Africa, plants are often growing in clay soils with high water-holding capacities that make up for lack of rainfall. The profiles of the beans are different, but Volcanica is working on that, too, helping develop hybrid African varieties that can thrive in their Costa Rican terroir: “It brings an African flavor profile to Central American coffees,” says Aaron Contreras. “We’ve come a long way in coffee, now that we’re doing different hybrids of different varietals.”

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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