Are Arabica Coffee Beans Black Coffee? What Type of Coffee is Best Suited for Premium Single-Origin Beans?

We often see advertisements in TV commercials, coffee shops, or convenience stores boasting about "100% Arabica Coffee Beans," and many people wonder: what exactly are Arabica coffee beans? FrontStreet Coffee is here to answer all these questions in this article~

What are Arabica coffee beans?

There are three main species of coffee beans in the world, but only two have significant commercial value and are widely cultivated: Arabica (ARABICA) and Robusta (ROBUSTA).

Arabica is a representative variety originating from Ethiopia, accounting for 70-75% of the world's coffee production. Arabica coffee cultivation requires very strict conditions and has high soil requirements. Arabica needs to grow at altitudes between 800-2200 meters in frost-free highlands. The higher the altitude, the more significant the temperature difference, which slows down the maturation of coffee cherries, allowing more time for flavor accumulation and fuller aroma development. The microclimates of various coffee regions provide diverse growing conditions for Arabica, creating unique flavor profiles.

Arabica has lower caffeine content, approximately 0.9% to 1.2%; it contains 60% more fat than Robusta coffee; and twice the sugar content. Therefore, Arabica tastes sweeter and smoother, with a hint of fruity acidity. Most of the coffee we drink in shops is made from Arabica coffee beans, thanks to their rich aroma and diverse flavor profiles, making them suitable for various extraction methods including espresso, pour-over, and cold brew.

What are specialty coffee and single origin coffee?

Specialty Coffee currently has a widely accepted definition proposed by Ms. Erna Knutsen in 1974: Specialty coffee is "coffee beans with unique flavors cultivated under special climatic and geographical conditions." This definition clearly distinguishes specialty coffee beans from bulk commercial-grade coffee beans.

Today, with the development of the industry and market, high-quality coffee beans have more detailed classifications and ratings, and consumers can also learn about detailed traceability information of the coffee. Such rare coffee requires strict cultivation, management, selection, and grading, and after roasting, it presents positive and rich aromas. Typically, roasters choose relatively lighter roast levels to maximize the flavor layers of specialty coffee beans. To emphasize their products as high-quality coffee and distinguish them from commercial coffee on the market, many businesses use the word "specialty" in their advertising and packaging.

"Single Origin Coffee" refers to coffee from a single producing region, where "region" can be a producing country, area, cooperative, estate, or farm. Coffee harvested from the same batch all belongs to single origin coffee. Single origin coffee is proposed based on the concept of specialty coffee, aiming to emphasize regional flavors, therefore single origin coffee is a type of specialty coffee. It is often served as pour-over in coffee shops, like the various pour-over coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list. In recent years, the concept of single origin coffee has become increasingly popular, with more single origins being applied to espresso extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that "specialty coffee" and "single origin coffee" are two different concepts; single origin coffee does not equal specialty coffee. Single origin coffee refers to coffee beans from a single region with traceability, but it does not necessarily mean high quality. Specialty coffee emphasizes the high quality of coffee and the presentation of positive flavors, without being limited to the origin components of the green beans.

Specialty coffee beans recommended for beginners

FrontStreet Coffee has a high-value daily bean series on its bean shelf, featuring 7 excellent classic coffee regions, covering multiple highly representative regions, varieties, and natural processing methods. The so-called daily beans, as the name suggests, are varieties that are affordable for daily drinking, with both price and flavor being very approachable. FrontStreet Coffee has selected multiple "representative examples" to help everyone recognize the basic flavor profiles of major regions. Including washed Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, washed Huehuetenango from Guatemala, washed Huila from Colombia, semi-washed Cerrado from Brazil, washed Tarrazú from Costa Rica, wet-hulled Mandheling from Indonesia, and washed Baoshan from Yunnan, China.

Each coffee bean is suitable for extraction methods such as pour-over, cold brew, and French press. If you want to taste the most original aroma of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests that black coffee is the best form. Regardless of the extraction method used, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the freshness of the coffee beans is very important. The aroma of coffee roasted more than two months ago has likely dissipated, and even with excellent extraction techniques, it's difficult to restore the aroma in the cup. To let everyone experience the best tasting period of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee only ships beans freshly roasted within 5 days, so you can start brewing right when you receive them.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473