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Specialty coffee in numbers

Aggregate statistics computed from every listing in the RoasterDB catalogue: 12,680 specialty coffees crawled from the storefronts of 278 artisan roasters, with tasting notes normalized to the SCA Flavor Wheel. Snapshot of 2026-10-04, refreshed monthly. Every figure is free to cite, quote and embed with a link to this page.

Where specialty coffee comes from

Colombia alone accounts for 25.7% of listings that name an origin, and Colombia plus Ethiopia together for 44.4%. The top five origins cover 63.6% of the catalogue; 19 producing countries appear in total.

Where specialty coffee comes fromShare of 9,178 listings that state a producing country Where specialty coffee comes from Share of 9,178 listings that state a producing country Colombia: 25.7%Colombia25.7% Ethiopia: 18.7%Ethiopia18.7% Kenya: 6.6%Kenya6.6% Guatemala: 6.5%Guatemala6.5% Brazil: 6.1%Brazil6.1% Honduras: 6.0%Honduras6.0% Costa Rica: 5.3%Costa Rica5.3% Peru: 4.6%Peru4.6% Panama: 3.8%Panama3.8% El Salvador: 3.3%El Salvador3.3% Mexico: 2.6%Mexico2.6% Burundi: 2.5%Burundi2.5% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
9,178 listings with a stated originDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-origins"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/origins.svg" alt="Where specialty coffee comes from" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
OriginListingsShare
Colombia2,36225.7%
Ethiopia1,71218.7%
Kenya6106.6%
Guatemala5956.5%
Brazil5566.1%
Honduras5526.0%
Costa Rica4855.3%
Peru4234.6%
Panama3513.8%
El Salvador3023.3%
Mexico2412.6%
Burundi2292.5%
Rwanda2202.4%
Ecuador1792.0%
Bolivia1131.2%
Indonesia1001.1%
Uganda700.8%
Papua New Guinea520.6%
Yemen260.3%

Denominator: the 9,178 of 12,680 listings whose storefront states a producing country (blends and unstated origins are excluded). When a listing names several countries, the first is counted.

What specialty coffee tastes like

47.0% of all mapped descriptors fall in the SCA Fruity family, 25.4% in Nutty/Cocoa and 18.1% in Sweet. The single most common note is Chocolate, on 32.2% of mapped coffees, followed by Peach (20.9%) and Cherry (20.1%). A mapped coffee carries 2.55 descriptors on average.

What specialty coffee tastes likeShare of 20,670 SCA Flavor Wheel descriptors mapped from roasters' tasting notes What specialty coffee tastes like Share of 20,670 SCA Flavor Wheel descriptors mapped from roasters' tasting notes Fruity: 47.0%Fruity47.0% Nutty/Cocoa: 25.4%Nutty/Cocoa25.4% Sweet: 18.1%Sweet18.1% Floral: 5.3%Floral5.3% Spices: 3.4%Spices3.4% Roasted: 0.8%Roasted0.8% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
20,670 descriptor mappingsDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-flavor-families"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/flavor-families.svg" alt="What specialty coffee tastes like" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
The most common tasting notesShare of 8,091 mapped coffees whose notes resolve to each SCA descriptor The most common tasting notes Share of 8,091 mapped coffees whose notes resolve to each SCA descriptor Chocolate: 32.2%Chocolate32.2% Peach: 20.9%Peach20.9% Cherry: 20.1%Cherry20.1% Honey: 15.9%Honey15.9% Orange: 11.7%Orange11.7% Caramel: 11.4%Caramel11.4% Dark Chocolate: 11.0%Dark Chocolate11.0% Milk Chocolate: 9.9%Milk Chocolate9.9% Apple: 8.1%Apple8.1% Jasmine: 6.8%Jasmine6.8% Lemon: 6.5%Lemon6.5% Brown Sugar: 6.5%Brown Sugar6.5% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
8,091 coffees with mapped notesDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-descriptors"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/descriptors.svg" alt="The most common tasting notes" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
DescriptorSCA familySubcategoryCoffeesShare of mapped coffees
ChocolateNutty/CocoaCocoa2,60432.2%
PeachFruityOther Fruit1,69020.9%
CherryFruityOther Fruit1,62720.1%
HoneySweetHoney1,28915.9%
OrangeFruityCitrus Fruit94311.7%
CaramelSweetBrown Sugar92211.4%
Dark ChocolateNutty/CocoaCocoa89411.0%
Milk ChocolateNutty/CocoaCocoa7979.9%
AppleFruityOther Fruit6558.1%
JasmineFloralFloral5516.8%
LemonFruityCitrus Fruit5246.5%
Brown SugarSweetBrown Sugar5236.5%
StrawberryFruityBerry4996.2%
RaspberryFruityBerry4555.6%
GrapeFruityOther Fruit4225.2%

Roasters' free-text tasting notes are normalized to the SCA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel (Category > Subcategory > Descriptor). 8,091 of 12,680 listings have at least one mapped descriptor; family shares use all 20,670 coffee-to-descriptor links, descriptor shares count coffees.

Flavor profile by origin

Kenya is the fruitiest origin in the catalogue: 62.1% of its mapped descriptors are Fruity, against 25.6% for Brazil. Brazil leads the Nutty/Cocoa family at 51.2%.

Which origins read as fruityShare of an origin's mapped descriptors in the SCA Fruity family Which origins read as fruity Share of an origin's mapped descriptors in the SCA Fruity family Kenya: 62.1%Kenya62.1% Ethiopia: 56.5%Ethiopia56.5% Colombia: 52.9%Colombia52.9% Honduras: 49.5%Honduras49.5% Peru: 48.0%Peru48.0% Costa Rica: 45.3%Costa Rica45.3% Guatemala: 39.3%Guatemala39.3% Brazil: 25.6%Brazil25.6% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
8 origins with the most mapped descriptorsDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-fruity-by-origin"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/fruity-by-origin.svg" alt="Which origins read as fruity" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
OriginDescriptorsFruityNutty/CocoaSweetFloralSpicesRoasted
Colombia4,20752.9%20.1%17.9%6.3%2.1%0.7%
Ethiopia3,32456.5%18.6%12.7%7.4%4.1%0.8%
Guatemala1,16939.3%32.8%20.5%2.8%3.1%1.4%
Brazil1,01925.6%51.2%19.8%1.4%1.5%0.5%
Costa Rica1,01145.3%18.8%27.7%3.9%4.2%0.2%
Kenya96662.1%9.4%14.8%9.3%4.2%0.1%
Honduras88049.5%21.9%19.8%4.8%3.2%0.8%
Peru76348.0%25.7%17.8%5.4%2.8%0.4%

Per origin, the share of its mapped descriptors in each SCA family (rows sum to 100%). Only the eight origins with the most mapped descriptors are shown.

How specialty coffee is processed

Among listings that state a method, 35.1% are Natural and 34.5% Washed. Experimental fermentation is no longer niche: Anaerobic lots are 13.0% of stated methods.

How specialty coffee is processedShare of 7,511 listings that state a processing method How specialty coffee is processed Share of 7,511 listings that state a processing method Natural: 35.1%Natural35.1% Washed: 34.5%Washed34.5% Honey: 17.4%Honey17.4% Anaerobic: 13.0%Anaerobic13.0% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
7,511 listings with a stated methodDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-process"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/process.svg" alt="How specialty coffee is processed" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
ProcessListingsShare
Natural2,63835.1%
Washed2,59034.5%
Honey1,30617.4%
Anaerobic97713.0%

Denominator: the 7,511 of 12,680 listings whose storefront states one of Washed, Natural, Honey or Anaerobic. Listings whose process is unstated or non-standard are excluded.

Roast levels

Specialty roasters roast light: 54.5% of listings with a stated roast level are Light or Light-Medium, against 28.5% Dark or Medium-Dark.

Roast levels in specialty coffeeShare of 4,369 listings that state a roast level Roast levels in specialty coffee Share of 4,369 listings that state a roast level Light: 52.3%Light52.3% Dark: 25.9%Dark25.9% Medium: 17.0%Medium17.0% Medium-Dark: 2.6%Medium-Dark2.6% Light-Medium: 2.2%Light-Medium2.2% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
4,369 listings with a stated roast levelDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-roast"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/roast.svg" alt="Roast levels in specialty coffee" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
Roast levelListingsShare
Light2,28652.3%
Dark1,13225.9%
Medium74217.0%
Medium-Dark1152.6%
Light-Medium942.2%

Denominator: the 4,369 listings that state a roast level. Most storefronts do not, so this is a sample of the catalogue, not the whole.

What specialty coffee costs

The median specialty coffee lists at $17.91 per 250 g (interquartile range $14.62 to $21.46). Panama is the most expensive origin at a median $60.29, 3.4 times the catalogue median; Brazil is the cheapest at $15.86. Lots naming the Gesha varietal carry a 1.83x premium: median $33.56 against $18.38 for other named varietals.

Median price of a 250 g bag, by origin (USD)Listings priced in USD, 100-2,000 g units, origins with 50+ priced listings Median price of a 250 g bag, by origin (USD) Listings priced in USD, 100-2,000 g units, origins with 50+ priced listings Panama: $60.29Panama$60.29 Ecuador: $23.98Ecuador$23.98 Colombia: $19.06Colombia$19.06 Kenya: $19.06Kenya$19.06 Costa Rica: $18.75Costa Rica$18.75 Honduras: $18.47Honduras$18.47 Burundi: $18.43Burundi$18.43 Peru: $18.39Peru$18.39 Ethiopia: $18.18Ethiopia$18.18 El Salvador: $17.72El Salvador$17.72 Rwanda: $17.71Rwanda$17.71 Mexico: $17.65Mexico$17.65 Guatemala: $16.91Guatemala$16.91 Brazil: $15.86Brazil$15.86 Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
6,223 priced listingsDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-price-by-origin"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/price-by-origin.svg" alt="Median price of a 250 g bag, by origin (USD)" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
OriginPriced listingsMedian USD per 250 g
Panama195$60.29
Ecuador123$23.98
Colombia1,286$19.06
Kenya295$19.06
Costa Rica203$18.75
Honduras381$18.47
Burundi129$18.43
Peru201$18.39
Ethiopia900$18.18
El Salvador139$17.72
Rwanda79$17.71
Mexico160$17.65
Guatemala296$16.91
Brazil217$15.86

By processing method and roast level

SegmentPriced listingsMedian USD per 250 g
Anaerobic477$22.01
Honey668$18.67
Natural1,083$18.18
Washed1,298$18.05
Light-Medium84$17.10
Light1,273$16.91
Dark606$14.71
Medium446$14.62
Medium-Dark68$12.84

Prices are the storefront list price at crawl time, normalized to 250 g. Filters: USD listings only; unit weight 100 to 2,000 g (excludes sample sachets and bulk units); $5 to $150 per 250 g (excludes subscriptions, gift sets and mis-parsed prices). 6,223 of 6,572 USD-priced listings pass. Medians, not means, so a few very expensive lots do not move the figures. Gesha premium: 670 lots naming Gesha or Geisha against 1,593 lots naming another varietal.

How high specialty coffee grows

Ethiopia lots are grown highest, at a mean 1,870 m above sea level, 767 m above Bolivia (1,103 m).

Growing elevation by originMean stated elevation in metres above sea level, origins with 20+ listings Growing elevation by origin Mean stated elevation in metres above sea level, origins with 20+ listings Ethiopia: 1,870 mEthiopia1,870 m Peru: 1,619 mPeru1,619 m Rwanda: 1,582 mRwanda1,582 m Colombia: 1,532 mColombia1,532 m Kenya: 1,381 mKenya1,381 m Guatemala: 1,347 mGuatemala1,347 m Honduras: 1,342 mHonduras1,342 m Burundi: 1,333 mBurundi1,333 m Costa Rica: 1,322 mCosta Rica1,322 m Papua New Guinea: 1,313 mPapua New Guinea1,313 m Ecuador: 1,292 mEcuador1,292 m Panama: 1,254 mPanama1,254 m Indonesia: 1,249 mIndonesia1,249 m El Salvador: 1,221 mEl Salvador1,221 m Mexico: 1,198 mMexico1,198 m Brazil: 1,123 mBrazil1,123 m Bolivia: 1,103 mBolivia1,103 m Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
2,437 listings with a stated elevationDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-elevation"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/elevation.svg" alt="Growing elevation by origin" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
OriginListings with elevationMean elevation (masl)
Ethiopia4041,870
Peru1421,619
Rwanda701,582
Colombia6781,532
Kenya1781,381
Guatemala1641,347
Honduras1171,342
Burundi431,333
Costa Rica1691,322
Papua New Guinea201,313
Ecuador241,292
Panama931,254
Indonesia231,249
El Salvador871,221
Mexico391,198
Brazil1011,123
Bolivia571,103

Elevation is stated on 2,437 listings; where a range is given its midpoint is used. Origins with fewer than 20 stated elevations are omitted.

Where the roasters are

46.8% of the roasters in the catalogue are headquartered in United States, 15.1% in United Kingdom; 23 countries are represented.

Where the roasters areHeadquarters country of the 278 roasters with listings in RoasterDB Where the roasters are Headquarters country of the 278 roasters with listings in RoasterDB United States: 130United States130 United Kingdom: 42United Kingdom42 Australia: 19Australia19 Canada: 17Canada17 New Zealand: 9New Zealand9 Denmark: 6Denmark6 Sweden: 5Sweden5 Spain: 5Spain5 South Africa: 5South Africa5 Ireland: 5Ireland5 Germany: 5Germany5 France: 5France5 Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
278 roastersDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-roasters-by-country"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/roasters-by-country.svg" alt="Where the roasters are" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
CountryRoastersShare
United States13046.8%
United Kingdom4215.1%
Australia196.8%
Canada176.1%
New Zealand93.2%
Denmark62.2%
Sweden51.8%
Spain51.8%
South Africa51.8%
Ireland51.8%
Germany51.8%
France51.8%
Singapore41.4%
Netherlands41.4%
Norway31.1%
Japan31.1%
United Arab Emirates20.7%
Portugal20.7%
Finland20.7%
Belgium20.7%
Philippines10.4%
Italy10.4%
Hong Kong10.4%

RoasterDB is a curated crawl of artisan roasters' own storefronts, so this describes the catalogue's coverage rather than the world's roaster population.

The most listed varietals

Bourbon is the most frequently named cultivar, on 34.6% of listings that state a varietal, with Gesha (Geisha) second at 26.0%.

The most listed varietalsShare of 5,003 listings that name a varietal The most listed varietals Share of 5,003 listings that name a varietal Bourbon: 34.6%Bourbon34.6% Gesha (Geisha): 26.0%Gesha (Geisha)26.0% Caturra: 22.2%Caturra22.2% Catuai: 10.5%Catuai10.5% Heirloom: 9.3%Heirloom9.3% Typica: 8.7%Typica8.7% SL28: 8.2%SL288.2% Pink Bourbon: 8.0%Pink Bourbon8.0% Castillo: 8.0%Castillo8.0% Pacamara: 6.0%Pacamara6.0% SL34: 4.1%SL344.1% Sidra: 3.7%Sidra3.7% Source: RoasterDB, roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats · snapshot 2026-10-04 · CC BY 4.0
5,003 listings naming a varietalDownload SVG
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<a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/#fig-varietals"><img src="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/charts/varietals.svg" alt="The most listed varietals" width="720" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p><small>Source: <a href="https://roasterdb.dataengineered.io/stats/">RoasterDB specialty coffee statistics</a> (CC BY 4.0)</small></p>
VarietalListingsShare
Bourbon1,73334.6%
Gesha (Geisha)1,30126.0%
Caturra1,11122.2%
Catuai52610.5%
Heirloom4659.3%
Typica4348.7%
SL284118.2%
Pink Bourbon3988.0%
Castillo3988.0%
Pacamara2986.0%
SL342064.1%
Sidra1863.7%

Denominator: the 5,003 listings that name at least one varietal. A listing naming several counts once for each. Gesha and Geisha are spellings of the same cultivar and are merged.

Method, reuse and citation

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