What Arabica Coffee Beans Does Starbucks Use? How Are They Different from Robusta?

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What is Arabica Coffee? How Does It Differ from Robusta?

There are many varieties of coffee trees, but the two main types that can be used for drinking and are circulated in the market are "Arabica species" and "Robusta species." Currently, about 70% of coffee cultivated in the world's major coffee-producing regions is Arabica species, about 30% is Robusta species, and Liberica species (C. Liberica) has minimal production.

Arabica Species

It has special requirements for climate, rainfall, and soil conditions (not suitable for high-temperature, high-humidity climate environments), and is easily affected by pests, diseases, frost, and drought, making it a relatively difficult variety to cultivate. However, due to the rich and mellow coffee taste of Arabica species, it is mostly used for fresh-roasted original coffee.

Robusta Species

It has strong resistance to pests and diseases and grows easily even in high-temperature, high-humidity climate conditions. It has strong bitterness and astringency, lacks the acidity of fruit, and has a low overall evaluation as coffee. The caffeine content of Robusta species is almost twice that of Arabica species. Due to the low cultivation cost of Robusta species, it is mainly used for canned coffee, instant coffee, commercial coffee powder, or as an additive for inexpensive fresh-roasted original coffee. Additionally, French roast or Italian espresso also prefers Robusta species beans to create special flavors.

What Do Bourbon and Typica Mean?

Typica (original native species) and Bourbon (new mutant species) are the two major varieties of Arabica coffee. They are also old varieties that originate from Arabica.

Typica is the original native species of Arabica. The beans are somewhat slender, with rich aroma and elegant fruit acidity and sweetness coexisting. However, the yield is small, harvest years are unstable, and it is extremely susceptible to pests and diseases.

Bourbon is a variety that emerged when the French planted seedlings on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in the 18th century (then called "Bourbon Island"). It is a new mutant species of Typica. The beans are round, with good quality, excellent sweetness, and mellow richness. The harvest yield varies between years with large and small amounts, making it unstable, and it is susceptible to frost damage and pests and diseases. Instead, improved varieties with high yield and strong pest resistance are widely planted. However, in recent years, with the popularization and improvement of consumer market knowledge and enjoyment of coffee, pursuing high-quality excellent taste has become a new trend of the times. Typica and Bourbon species, which have low yield but excellent and rich flavors, have begun to be valued and promoted again.

Coffee Bean Components

Caffeine

Has a particularly strong bitter taste and stimulates the central nervous system, heart, and respiratory system. Appropriate amounts of caffeine can also reduce muscle fatigue and promote digestive fluid secretion. Because it promotes kidney function, it has a diuretic effect, helping the body expel excess sodium ions. However, excessive intake can lead to caffeine poisoning.

Tannic Acid

When boiled, tannic acid decomposes into pyruvic acid, so coffee brewed for too long will taste worse.

Fats

The most important among them are acidic fats and volatile fats.

Acidic Fats

That is, acids contained in fats, whose strength varies depending on the coffee variety.

Volatile Fats

Are the main source of coffee aroma, emitting about forty aromatic substances.

Proteins

The main source of calories, but the proportion is not high. Most of the proteins in coffee powder do not dissolve when brewing coffee, so intake is limited.

Sugar

The sugar content in raw coffee beans is about 8%. After roasting, most of the sugar converts to caramel, making the coffee brown and combining with tannic acid to produce sweetness.

Fiber

The fiber in raw beans carbonizes after roasting, and when combined with caramel, it forms the color tone of coffee.

Minerals

Contains small amounts of lime, iron, phosphorus, sodium carbonate, etc.

Coffee Characteristics (Four Tastes and One Aroma)

All the color, aroma, and taste of coffee are formed through the roasting process, where chemical changes occur in coffee (raw beans), resulting in the distinctive characteristics of richness, bitterness, sweetness, acidity, and aroma.

Richness

The thick, mellow taste of coffee beans.

Bitterness

When roasting beans, the soluble minerals in coffee beans are the basic taste of coffee beans.

Acidity

The compound components of tannic acid are the main taste of coffee beans, but in some 5 to 10-year-aged beans, even the acidity disappears.

Sweetness

When sugar is added during roasting of raw beans, after roasting and caramelization, the caramel components become the sweet taste.

Aroma

The fats, proteins, and sugars in raw beans are important sources of aroma, and some aroma also comes from spices added when roasting beans.

In addition to the above four tastes and one aroma, aged coffee beans have a particularly mellow and rich taste, while slightly fermented beans also have a particularly smooth throat-feel, truly special!

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and unknown beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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