Coffee Bean Grade Classification Understanding the Quality Levels of Arabica and Canephora Coffee Beans

What is Arabica Coffee

In plant taxonomy, there are at least over a hundred coffee species, with approximately eighty confirmed coffee tree varieties. Among these, three varieties are cultivated for coffee consumption: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

Generally, Arabica is primarily used for single-origin or specialty coffee, while Robusta is used for instant coffee. Although Arabica can be defined as premium coffee and Robusta as secondary, such classification is not necessarily required—it's more appropriate to distinguish based on personal taste preferences. From a flavor perspective, the United States and Japan tend to drink light coffee brewed from Arabica, while Europe prefers espresso made from a blend of Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica

Arabica is a representative variety originating from Ethiopia and is also produced in South Africa, African countries, and Asian nations, accounting for 70%-75% of global coffee production. Arabica has weaker resistance to pests and diseases, making high-altitude regions more suitable for cultivation. Arabica coffee beans grown at elevations above 1,500 meters have the best quality but require higher investment costs.

Arabica beans have balanced flavor, mouthfeel, and aroma, primarily used for single-origin or specialty coffee. The three famous coffee varieties—Hawaiian Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Yemen Mocha—all belong to the Arabica species.

Arabica coffee has pure and elegant flavor. The Typica subvariety possesses excellent acidity and, as one of the oldest coffee varieties, has outstanding genetic qualities.

Arabica accounts for seventy percent of total coffee production but has weaker resistance to pests and diseases, leading to the development of many disease-resistant varieties. Additionally, Arabica has many natural mutations or hybrid-formed subvarieties, such as Typica, Bourbon, Gesha, and others. At FrontStreet Coffee stores, there is no shortage of Arabica subvariety coffee beans. For single-origin and specialty coffee, over 50 different coffee beans from various regions are available to satisfy different taste preferences. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee stores have more coffee beans not on the shelves that can be sampled.

Famous Arabica Coffee Origins

The emergence of specialty coffee has not only brought attention to coffee's unique characteristics but also sparked interest in cultivation and processing methods at origins. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce some representative specialty Arabica origins.

Brazil

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and grower of Arabica beans, with total production accounting for about one-third of global production, holding a significant position in the global coffee trading market. To a large extent, Brazil's coffee production and market trends have a direct impact on international coffee market prices. For example, drought disasters in Brazil can lead to rising global coffee prices.

Brazil began producing coffee in 1727. Due to its climate suitable for coffee tree cultivation and vast areas of fertile soil, the main producing regions are Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Paraná states in the southeast. In recent years, southern regions have suffered from frost damage, and cultivation areas have gradually migrated northward. Currently, large estates in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais are actively introducing irrigation facilities and mechanized equipment, with diversified coffee tree planting.

Brazil widely plants the ancient Arabica variety Bourbon, mainly Red Bourbon, with small amounts of Yellow Bourbon and hybrid offspring Pink Bourbon. Additionally, many disease-resistant varieties have been bred, such as Mundo Novo and Catuai, which are also widely cultivated.

Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica. Bourbon spread from southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, with bean shape changing from slender and pointed to round. In 1715, France transplanted Yemen Mocha's round beans to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Réunion Island after the French Revolution), hence the name Bourbon. Bourbon round beans were introduced to Brazil in 1727 for cultivation. Due to denser fruiting, production is 20-30% higher than Typica's yield.

Most Brazilian coffee has lower acidity, combined with rich coffee aroma, making it extremely smooth on the palate with a refreshing aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee has selected a semi-washed Red Bourbon as Brazil's representative, with distinct nutty and chocolate flavors, moderate caramel sweetness, and smooth, balanced mouthfeel. FrontStreet Coffee has added it to the daily bean series. FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans represent each major producing region, presenting the region's basic flavors. Coffee beginners can purchase and taste these regional flavors at the most affordable prices, then choose different region types for deeper exploration based on their preferences.

FrontStreet Coffee: Brazil Cerrado Coffee Beans

Region: Cerrado region, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Altitude: 1000 meters
Variety: Red Bourbon
Processing: Semi-washed
Flavor: Nuts, Chocolate, Cream, Peanuts, Caramel

Colombia

Colombia has the Andes Mountains with an average altitude of 3660 meters, with coffee cultivation mostly located on mountain slopes around 1300 meters. The diverse terroir and climate allow coffee fruit harvests year-round. Colombia is currently the world's third-largest Arabica coffee producer, second only to Brazil and Vietnam.

Colombia's largest official organization of coffee producers, FNC, improves local coffee cultivation quality and grower protection rights in all aspects. From production to distribution and sales, everything is managed, and specialty coffee is actively promoted. They choose to plant shade trees and hand-pick coffee fruits. To reduce water usage, they introduce the latest equipment suitable for small estates, adopting different production methods from neighboring Brazil to produce distinctive high-quality coffee beans.

Caturra is the most widely planted coffee variety in Colombia, belonging to a natural variant of Bourbon with similar flavors to Bourbon. Caturra coffee trees don't require shade, have many branches resulting in high yields, and are compact in shape for easy picking. Colombia introduced Caturra in 1952 and began widespread cultivation in the 1960s. Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, with strong adaptability, but higher altitudes yield better flavors with relatively reduced production. Caturra's taste is filled with fruity notes, berry flavors, and medium roasting can highlight more nutty and cocoa aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed Caturra coffee beans from Huila best represent Colombian specialty bean flavors—nutty and dark chocolate aromas, caramel sweetness, and soft fruit acidity, with clean taste and moderate body.

FrontStreet Coffee: Colombia Huila Coffee Beans

Region: Huila
Altitude: 1500-1800 meters
Processing: Washed
Variety: Caturra
Flavor: Nuts, Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Soft Fruit Acidity

Ethiopia

Ethiopia can be said to be one of the most popular Arabica coffee-producing countries. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has an enormous number of coffee varieties—it can be called a treasure trove of coffee varieties. However, variety identification is time-consuming and laborious, and most are grown by small farmers. After harvest, mixed processing makes it difficult to细分 varieties, so they are generally collectively referred to as "Heirloom" for Ethiopian exported coffee beans.

Speaking of African coffee beans' floral and fruity aromas, FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu has nearly ten different flavor types of coffee as daily store options. The Ding Ding Cooperative with bright, fresh lemon acidity, sun-dried Red Cherry with fermented sweet and sour, and the flower queen coffee with rich tropical fruits are loved by many customers. Among so many styles of Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes the most representative is undoubtedly washed Yirgacheffe.

The coffee cultivation altitude in Yirgacheffe town reaches 2100 meters. High altitude creates significant day-night temperature differences, allowing coffee fruits to grow and mature slowly, absorbing more nutrients and developing richer aromas.

Traditionally, Ethiopia primarily used sun-dried processing, but common sun-dried methods were crudely processed and prone to defective flavors. Therefore, in the last century, the Yirgacheffe region introduced washed processing from the Americas. The multiple steps of washed processing eliminate defective coffee beans, presenting cleaner and fuller flavors. The so-called Yirgacheffe flavor features bright citrus and lemon acidity, rich jasmine floral aroma, and honey-like sweetness, leaving an endless aftertaste.

One of FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans is classic washed Yirgacheffe. Unlike the stereotypical impression of deep-roasted coffee dominated by bitterness, lightly roasted Yirgacheffe has a fresh and bright taste, with unique aromas that make one feel like tasting a cup of floral and fruity tea.

FrontStreet Coffee: Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe region, Ethiopia
Altitude: 1800-2000m
Processing: Washed
Variety: Heirloom
Flavor: Jasmine, Citrus, Lemon, Berries

Kenya

Kenya is another most representative coffee-producing country in Africa, with highly recognizable berry notes reminiscent of grapefruit, blackberries, plums, and other fruits. The extremely high acidity makes Kenyan coffee one of the most popular iced coffees at FrontStreet Coffee stores during summer, with its saturated juice sensation being particularly refreshing. Kenya's flavor profile largely comes from its SL28 & SL34 varieties and mature washed processing techniques.

SL refers to Kenya's Scott Laboratories. In the 1930s, Kenya experienced a massive outbreak of coffee berry disease, so Scott Laboratories was commissioned by the government to begin cultivating new disease-resistant varieties. Among the research results, varieties No. 28 and No. 34 showed stronger disease resistance and outstanding flavors.

The SL28 variety has Bourbon, Yemen Typica, and Mocha lineage, is easy to grow without special care, has large beans and high yields. It was first cultivated in Kenya and then spread to Uganda, and is now widely noticed even in Central America. This variety is suitable for medium to high altitude areas and has drought resistance, but remains susceptible to major coffee diseases. However, only SL28 varieties grown in Kenya exhibit the original Bourbon's bright notes, Mocha's original rich acidity, and other more complex flavors and rich textures.

SL34 has Bourbon and more Typica lineage, with elongated oval-shaped coffee beans that appear flatter from the side. In terms of flavor, it has complex and varied acidity and high-quality sweet aftertaste.

When customers come to FrontStreet Coffee stores expressing their preference for clear acidity, FrontStreet Coffee's barista will recommend this bean with cherry tomato, plum, and plum notes.

FrontStreet Coffee: Kenya Asalia Coffee Beans

Region: Thika region, Kenya, Asali Processing Station
Altitude: 1550-1750m
Processing: Washed
Variety: SL28 & SL34
Flavor: Snow Pear, Plum, Brown Sugar, Plum, Cherry Tomato

Panama

Panama can be said to be the most popular specialty coffee-producing country today, with numerous estates. Hacienda La Esmeralda, Finca Deborah, and Elida Estate are all famous estates that have won multiple coffee competition championships. Panama's most noteworthy coffee variety is the uniquely flavored Gesha, along with other quality varieties like Caturra and Catuai.

The Gesha variety was discovered in the Gesha forest of Ethiopia in 1931 and then sent to neighboring Kenya's Coffee Research Institute. In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1953 also to Costa Rica. It wasn't until 1970 that Panama, aiming to improve coffee genetic diversity and disease resistance, Mr. Don Pachi received Gesha seeds from Costa Rica's coffee research institution CATIE and brought them back to Panamanian coffee estates to begin cultivation.

Gesha variety has high requirements for growing environment, needing high altitude, clouds or plant shade, and cannot be directly exposed to strong sunlight. Additionally, it requires fertile soil. The higher the altitude where Gesha is planted, the longer the coffee fruit maturation time, and the more complex and unique the flavor expression.

Initially, due to weak disease resistance and very low yields, Gesha was not valued by Panamanian coffee growers. It wasn't until 1998 that the third-generation owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda, Daniel Peterson, discovered the special qualities of Gesha coffee trees and moved them to higher altitude areas. In 2004, the Peterson family decided to send mass-produced Gesha coffee to participate in the local green bean competition—Best of Panama (BOP)—defeating multiple quality varieties and winning that year's championship. Since then, many estates in Panama have begun producing Gesha coffees with their own unique characteristics, becoming the ever-victorious general in the coffee world.

Among so many estates growing high-quality Gesha coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Gesha's talent scout—Hacienda La Esmeralda—deserves significant credit. Their Esmeralda Special (Red Label Gesha) has fragrant floral aromas, rich fruit flavors, delicate mouthfeel, and lasting aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee: Red Label Gesha Coffee Beans

Region: Boquete region
Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda, Canas Verdes
Altitude: 1700+ meters
Variety: Gesha
Processing: Natural Processing
Flavor: Lemon, Honey, Berries, Orange Peel, Mango, Cream, Citrus

Guatemala

Guatemala is a very typical volcanic country located in Latin America. Its famous Antigua region is surrounded by three volcanoes, and volcanic ash soil provides sufficient nutrients for coffee tree growth. Including Antigua, Guatemala has multiple coffee-producing regions, each with different growing environments and conditions, creating different regional flavors.

The Huehuetenango highlands are located in the western non-volcanic region of Guatemala with the driest climate and highest altitude. Due to its location at the edge of tectonic plate junction activity, the高山 basin's constantly changing terroir conditions create rich and diverse coffee flavors. Like the Antigua region, it also has rich volcanic soil, with altitudes reaching up to 2000m. However, dry hot winds from Mexico's northwest allow coffee trees to grow on slightly high plateaus at 2000 meters.

Guatemala's coffee varieties are mainly Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, and Caturra, with small amounts of Yellow Bourbon, Gesha, and Pacamara, as well as newly bred Maracaturra varieties, making for quite diverse varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee has selected washed-processed Huehuetenango region coffee beans as Guatemala's flavor representative. The batch of Huehuetenango coffee selected by FrontStreet Coffee includes Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai varieties. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo varieties, adapting to the harsh climate of high-altitude areas with high yields. It was first produced in Brazil and is now widely cultivated in Central America, with bright acidity but thinner layers and lower body than Mundo Novo varieties. Huehuetenango has rich berry and citrus acidity, with lemon peel and nut aromas and tea-like aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee: Guatemala Huehuetenango Coffee Beans

Region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: 1500-2000m
Variety: Bourbon, Typica, Catuai
Processing: Washed
Flavor: Citrus, Lemon Peel, Berries, Nuts

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has been cultivating coffee for over two hundred years, with a very mature coffee industry. It is also one of the few countries worldwide that prohibit the cultivation of Robusta varieties (even Catimor varieties are not allowed), making it a country that highly values coffee quality.

Costa Rica's main coffee varieties are Caturra and Catuai. The Bourbon variant Caturra has better yields and disease resistance than Bourbon, with a shorter tree shape convenient for harvesting and can grow well without shade trees. The bean shape is also similar to Bourbon, with overall bright flavors and comfortable sweetness. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, thus inheriting Caturra's low tree characteristics. The fruit is more solid than Caturra and won't easily fall off in strong winds. In terms of flavor, it highlights fresh fruit aromas.

Costa Rica has eight main coffee-producing regions, each with different altitudes, climates, and soil characteristics, resulting in varied coffee flavors. Among these, the Tarrazú region, with the highest altitude, is also the most famous. The characteristic that distinguishes Tarrazú region coffee from other regions is its high altitude, approximately 1200-1700 meters, creating greater day-night temperature differences. Coffee fruits require longer time to mature, absorbing more nutrients. The coffee harvest season is from December to March of the following year. Coffee beans at high altitudes are hard and full, with high acidity and prominent fruit flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed-processed Tarrazú coffee best represents Costa Rican coffee characteristics, thus adding it to FrontStreet Coffee's high-value daily bean series. Tarrazú presents distinct sweetness, with honey, toffee, and nut aromas, moderate acidity, and soft, balanced mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee: Costa Rica Tarrazú Coffee Beans

Region: Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Altitude: 1500 meters
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Washed
Flavor: Sweet Orange, Honey, Toffee, Nuts

Jamaica

Speaking of balanced specialty coffee, Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee is the most classic.

The Blue Mountains are located in the eastern part of Jamaica Island. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, on clear days when the sun directly shines on the azure sea surface, the mountain peaks reflect the sea's brilliant blue light, hence the name. The vast majority of coffee cultivated in Jamaica is the ancient variety Typica, with pure flavors, high viscosity, elegant acidity, and sweet aftertaste. Typica has weak resistance to leaf rust disease and low yields, requiring more artificial care to produce high-quality coffee batches. Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee variety is the elegant-flavored Typica.

For many years, Blue Mountain coffee has been subject to strict export controls, traditionally only exporting washed-processed Typica to countries like Japan. Currently, with the trend of specialty coffee market popularity, Clifton Farm has begun producing small batches of sun-dried Blue Mountain, adding slight berry acidity and mild fruit fermentation flavors. However, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that Blue Mountain coffee's flavor is best represented by washed Typica. Washed Blue Mountain coffee has citrus acidity but overall strong balance, nutty and dark cocoa mid-palate, lasting aftertaste, and rich mouthfeel.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee that FrontStreet Coffee acquired uses green beans with basic standards of beans above 17 mesh, defect rate below 2%, moisture content around 13%, appearing as uniformly sized, full blue-green green beans. In terms of flavor, it simultaneously combines comfortable acidity, sweetness, bitterness, aroma, and richness.

FrontStreet Coffee: Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

Region: Blue Mountains, Jamaica
Estate: Clifton Farm
Altitude: 1310m
Processing: Washed
Variety: Typica
Flavor: Chocolate, Nuts, Cream, Cocoa

Indonesia

Indonesia consists of more than seventeen thousand large and small islands, with Java Island being the main coffee-producing region. Indonesia, with its long coffee cultivation history, experienced a coffee leaf disease outbreak in the 1980s that nearly destroyed all Arabica varieties. Afterward, it shifted to cultivating disease-resistant Robusta varieties and has now become the world's fourth-largest coffee-producing country.

Currently, 90% of Indonesia's total coffee production is Robusta varieties, with only 10% being Arabica varieties, mostly Ateng and TimTim. TimTim is a hybrid of the ancient Arabica variety Typica and Robusta, while the Ateng series belongs to a hybrid of Caturra and TimTim, still carrying Robusta genes—what we commonly hear as Catimor. Both Ateng and TimTim have resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease, with high yields.

Mandheling can be said to be synonymous with Indonesian specialty coffee. The main production area of Mandheling coffee beans is located around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The local rainy season means that green coffee bean processing cannot use long-term sun-drying like African regions, so they developed their own processing method: Wet Hulling. This unique Sumatran semi-washed processing method largely creates Mandheling's characteristic low acidity and high body flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee selected Mandheling coffee beans from Lintong as the representative daily bean for this region, with rich herbal and spice aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee: Indonesia Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Sumatra, Indonesia
Grade: G1
Altitude: 1100m-1600m
Variety: Ateng TimTim
Processing: Wet Hulling
Flavor: Nuts, Spices, Chocolate, Caramel

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