Altitude is key to quality coffee, says Little. "Coffee needs drier, cooler air like you get in the mountains," he says. Coffee grown at greater elevations is called "high-grown", and is widely considered to be better and fetches a higher price. Little says it is not because of the altitude itself, but the fact that coffee grown at greater altitudes ripens more slowly. The slower the growth, the denser the bean, and the tastier the product.