What Varieties of Venezuelan Coffee Are There? How Much Does a Cup of Venezuelan Coffee Cost?

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There are four main species of coffee trees in the world: Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Arabusta. However, only two species have commercial value and are widely cultivated. One is Arabica, and the other is Robusta.

Arabica

Primarily grown in tropical regions of Central and South America. Its coffee beans are smaller in size, with an oval front shape, narrow and zigzagging center cracks, and relatively complete curved backs. Arabica coffee trees require harsh growing conditions with many climate restrictions—they cannot be too humid but need abundant rainfall, moderate temperatures that aren't too hot. They must be planted at altitudes between 1,000-2,000 meters on fertile, well-drained mountain slopes, making harvesting difficult as it must be done manually with people climbing up and down. Despite being challenging to cultivate, Arabica coffee beans account for 70% of total coffee cultivation due to their distinctive aroma, rich flavor profile, and lower caffeine content.

The Caribbean islands have long served as trade hubs between South America and the Old World (Europe). Merchants, missionaries, and enslaved Africans brought coffee from Europe to Venezuela. Among them, José Gumilla, author of "El Orinoco Ilustrado" (The Orinoco Illustrated), recorded the story of missionaries introducing coffee to Venezuela. Shortly after coffee seeds took hold in western Guayana (currently Bolívar State), coffee began entering Colombian territory through these missionaries in 1730.

At that time, Venezuela's economy was driven by European demand—specifically European nobility—so domestic production focused primarily on tobacco, sugarcane, and cocoa. Venezuela's economic trade was mostly controlled by a company called Guipuzcoana, as Spanish absolutism (1730-1785) promoted a commercially-oriented society. To restrict the entry of Dutch-made contraband, regulations became increasingly strict. To strengthen deterrence and attack those who dared to evade taxes, the government even arranged armed vessels and strategic fortresses along major transport waterways to limit illegal trade.

In 1774, the Guipuzcoana Company completed its first significant coffee business, legally transporting coffee from Lake Maracaibo (located in the northwestern coastal region of Venezuela; the largest lake and lagoon in South America) to Spain, marking an important milestone. Venezuelan writer Mario Briceño Iragory once offered an interesting analysis and insight into the role of coffee and cocoa beans in Venezuelan culture. He described cocoa beans as having the symbolic meaning of European domination over Native Americans, while the emergence of coffee beans became a bargaining chip for the new generation of mixed-race people to gain social status, gradually helping society move away from authoritarian regimes toward a new era.

In the new era, coffee spread throughout the country, including regions such as Lara, Portuguesa, Táchira, Mérida, Trujillo, Monagas, Sucre, and Yaracuy (still true today). However, not long after, national attention shifted to petroleum. Between 1929-1938, the United States experienced the Great Depression, and the sharp decline in the dollar made coffee exported in Venezuelan currency too expensive. As demand for coffee decreased, the military government, recognizing the value of oil, began petroleum exploration, and agriculture was quickly forgotten. Farmers and young people moved away from rural areas, hoping to participate in the oil generation in cities. It's believed that the urban population growth rate was so exaggerated that no urban planning could have kept up.

In 1777, coffee cultivation in Venezuela accelerated rapidly, with small coffee plantations beginning in the Mérida, Trujillo, and Táchira regions. Around 1784, the first large-scale plantation appeared in the small town of Chacao near the provincial capital Caracas. Venezuela's economic development was unstable at that time, with various factors contributing, including the independence struggle after the 1810 declaration and the establishment of Gran Colombia in 1821 (comprising Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama). Until peace emerged in the region, coffee began to gain favor among farmers and politicians. However, although the country achieved peace and tranquility, it was not immune to international crises—1836, 1840, 1857, 1882, and 1890 were all years recording trade disasters, with banks failing and conflicts arising in inland Europe. The international price of coffee naturally declined, and Venezuela, dependent on Europe and a single export commodity, fell from the world's third-largest coffee exporter to eighth place...

Colombia and Venezuela have very similar economies, but in comparison, Colombia's economy is more diverse. In addition to developing coffee, it has continuously invested in other crop cultivation and manufacturing. Venezuela, however, focused on oil, especially under President Marco Pérez Jiménez, with all oil revenue invested in public facilities, healthcare, education systems, and agricultural modernization. Marco Pérez Jiménez was an internationally renowned political figure, with Time Magazine even featuring him in 1955.

Later, following Gómez, the country began to experience democratic reforms, with attitudes toward international relations and oil issues significantly changing. However, attention to coffee remained low, with many politicians frequently using coffee as a political tool and campaign tactic to gain farmers' support.

Throughout, farmers have held an inexplicable reverence for their crops, even feeling reluctant when cutting down old crops to allow soil to recover nutrients. Common coffee bean varieties include Caturra, Catuai, and Bourbon, with Canephora also found in warmer regions. However, fate intervened—the appearance of Roya (coffee leaf rust) caused farmers across the country to lose their crops. Consequently, various institutions, including INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas) and ULA (Universidad de Los Andes), began research on coffee varieties. The developed varieties INIA-01 and Araguaney were widely welcomed by farmers.

The relationship between coffee and politics cannot be underestimated. In 2009, the government arbitrarily chose to import beans from Brazil and Nicaragua for cost reasons, no longer supporting local agriculture. Farmers' competitiveness was repeatedly weakened.

Among developing countries, coffee is often an economic remedy, but local farmers and politicians deeply understand this point while not forgetting the risks of relying on single-sector development. After all, Venezuela has historically shown this tendency, having learned many lessons from cocoa, coffee to oil. Venezuela is a rare country with all the necessary elements, possessing both natural resources and human conditions. Remembering the problems brought by relying on a single economy—inflationary pressure—the country needs to repeatedly reconsider the value of farmers and coffee.

Venezuela's coffee production is not high, with most of it supplying domestic consumption. Although geographically Venezuelan coffee is primarily produced in western regions near Colombia, its acidity is very weak, unlike Colombian beans, but rather sweet and deep like Caribbean beans.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests using water at 89-90°C to brew to highlight the sweetness of Venezuelan coffee.

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

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