Single Origin can be broadly defined (a country, a region). A microlot is a small batch from a single farm or plot — a farmer's top quality, processed separately.

What Is the Difference Between Single Origin and a Microlot?

Single Origin can be broadly defined (a country, a region). A microlot is a small batch from a single farm or plot — a farmer’s top quality, processed separately.

Why that matters

“Single Origin” is an umbrella term covering various levels of precision. “Colombia” is Single Origin. “Colombia, Huila” is Single Origin. “Colombia, Huila, Finca El Paraíso” is Single Origin. All three are correct, but the depth of information differs drastically.

A microlot goes beyond the farm level. It refers to a particularly small batch — often just a few bags — that was separately harvested, processed, and prepared. Frequently, a microlot comes from a specific plot on the farm, sometimes from a particular variety, and receives special care: hand-picked, experimentally fermented, dried on raised beds.

Why the effort? Microlots represent the best a farmer produces. They command significantly higher prices on the market than the regular harvest. For the farmer, that’s an incentive to invest in quality. For roasters and cafés, a microlot offers the chance to present something unique — a coffee that exists only in limited quantity and can’t be replicated.

The downside: microlots are expensive and ephemeral. Once the batch is gone, there’s no resupply. The next vintage from the same farm may taste different. For coffee drinkers seeking variety, that’s a plus. For regulars wanting to reorder their favourite, it can be frustrating.

At Green Wall Coffee

At our café in Berlin-Lichtenberg, we regularly offer microlots as filter coffee — on Sophienstraße 27, these are the coffees that stay on the menu for just a few weeks. When a guest asks why a filter coffee costs €5 instead of €3, I explain the difference between a regional Single Origin and a microlot. The transparency — exactly where the coffee comes from, who grew it — makes the price understandable.

Related Questions

• What does Single Origin mean?
• What is a coffee blend and why is it blended?
• Why does Specialty Coffee cost more than supermarket coffee?

More depth on this topic in the article How to Make Perfect Espresso. Or stop by at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.