Elevation
Not to be confused with altitude, elevation is the height at which coffee is grown. Elevation is in reference to distance above sea level, while altitude is in reference to distance above land when flying. As a rule of thumb; the higher the elevation, the better the coffee. However you might have guessed it’s not that simple, and depends on the other factors as well. When grown higher up the mountain, coffee is subjected to cooler temperatures which aid in slowing down the cherry development. This typically results in denser coffee with more acidity and sucrose. Arabica is mostly grown above 1,000 meters above sea level (masl). However, some of the best coffee can be found above 1,800masl. This doesn’t mean you can’t find any good coffee at 1,000masl, it just then depends more on the other factors.