Why are all delicious coffees made with Arabica coffee beans? Is Arabica truly a premium coffee bean?

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What is Arabica Coffee?

In many places that sell freshly ground coffee, we can see the phrase "selected Arabica coffee beans." For ordinary consumers who are not familiar with coffee knowledge, seeing this frequently makes one curious whether this is a place name or a person's name.

Actually, it's neither.

Arabica Coffee Varieties

"Arabica" is the variety name of the coffee tree. Besides this variety, coffee trees also include Robusta and Liberica. Currently, the vast majority of coffee produced globally uses Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. Liberica is often not selected due to its limited production or inconsistent quality.

Arabica: Premium Coffee Beans with Exceptional Flavor and Aroma

Arabica coffee beans originate from Ethiopia. They carry a mixed aroma of light jasmine, ripe melon, and various citrus fruits, and are known for their delicate balance between bitterness and sweetness.

Arabica coffee has very strict requirements for growing conditions. Fertile soil, humid air, moderate sunlight, and shade are all necessary factors for high quality. Due to its weaker resistance to pests and diseases and lower annual yield, it is more suitable for cultivation in high-altitude areas, especially Arabica coffee beans produced above 1,500 meters, which have the best quality. Arabica green beans have a dark, narrow appearance, and high-altitude Arabica, recognized as the highest quality, is rich in aroma and complexity.

Nature is truly magical - more stringent growing conditions naturally nurture better quality fruits, which is probably nature's gift.

Arabica beans originally came from the Ethiopian highlands. After years of breeding and improvement, they now account for three-quarters of global coffee production. Among these coffee beans, only about 10% can be certified as specialty coffee. These Arabica beans have balanced flavor and aroma. The three famous coffee beans - Hawaii Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, and Yemen Mocha - belong to this Arabica variety.

What's the Difference Between Arabica and Robusta?

As mentioned earlier, there are two main varieties of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. So what are their differences?

Robusta coffee, commonly known as "strong beans," can be grown in low-altitude areas, has strong resistance to pests and diseases, high yield, and low cultivation cost. Robusta coffee beans have a puffy oval appearance. The green beans are light brown or yellowish-brown with grass-green and yellow luster. Compared to the Arabica variety, the taste is milder, with less noticeable acidity and heavier bitterness.

Arabica beans, when unroasted, smell like grass. Light to medium roasting reveals fruit aromas, while dark roasting emits rich caramel sweetness.

Generally, Arabica has excellent quality and charming aroma, often used for specialty coffee. Robusta, due to its easy cultivation, has the advantage of low prices and is mainly used for blending or as the main ingredient for instant coffee.

Therefore, freshly ground coffee that uses Arabica beans naturally already has the foundation of high-quality coffee.

Main Growing Regions of Arabica Beans

Nothing is absolute. Not all Robusta beans are inferior to Arabica beans, and the quality of Arabica beans from different regions also varies. Let's introduce several major growing regions of Arabica beans.

Ethiopia is the famous birthplace of Arabica coffee beans. Coffee growing areas at altitudes exceeding 1,500 meters have undergone thousands of years of evolution and adaptation, forming unique coffee flavors. The famous Yirgacheffe is produced here.

Kenya is also an important region for high-quality Arabica. The high-altitude mountainous areas of Kenya have lower temperatures, which prolongs the maturation period of coffee beans, allowing them to fully accumulate complex fruit aromas, forming unique flavors.

Colombia has an impressive annual production of 660,000 tons, and its quality is naturally very good. Colombian coffee has a fresh style with rich fruit flavors that are unforgettable.

In fact, not everyone can appreciate single-origin coffee beans. Besides professional coffee enthusiasts, it's difficult to discern the complex aromas of different coffee beans. Moreover, many factors determine the taste of a cup of coffee, such as the roasting of coffee beans, the barista's skill, the coffee machine used, water, and many other factors.

Currently, well-known coffee chain brands on the market, such as Starbucks, Costa, and Luckin Coffee, all use good quality Arabica coffee beans, but their flavors have slight differences, each with its own merits. For example, Luckin Coffee uses 100% high-quality Arabica coffee beans from four major regions including Ethiopia, which are about 20% to 30% more expensive than the Arabica beans commonly used in commercial coffee. So although it's a new brand, it has quickly captured the white-collar coffee consumption market in first-tier cities with its high quality.

Coffee Flavor Preferences

Coffee flavor preferences vary from person to person. Many Chinese people actually don't know how to appreciate the quality of coffee. They might think that bitter, strong coffee is good coffee, or they might just blindly follow trends to choose a coffee that they don't truly like. In fact, what you truly enjoy drinking is most important, and that's the Arabica bean flavor you want.

Arabica Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

The Arabica coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high cost-effectiveness. Each package is 227 grams, priced at only around 70-90 yuan. Calculating based on 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 5-6 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for over a hundred yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473