What makes coffee taste earthy?

Wet-hull processing, used in Sumatra, and monsoon processing, used for Indian Malabar. Partial fermentation during drying produces terpenoid compounds that read as wet soil and forest floor. It is a process note, not a roast note, and it gives a low-acid, heavy cup.

Is an earthy taste in coffee a defect?

Not in this context. Intentional earthiness from wet-hull Sumatran coffee is a sought-after profile with a clear audience. It only becomes a defect when it reads as moldy or musty from poor storage. Clean earthiness is dry and savory, not sour or off.

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Earthy in coffee means the forest-floor, wet-soil character produced by Indonesian wet-hull processing. It's the defining note of Sumatran coffee. Camano Island Coffee Roasters Sumatra is the primary example in our catalog — earthy, cedar, and dark chocolate in a full-body, low-acid cup. See the Earthy & Smoky family guide.

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