What Are the Types of Arabica Beans? How to Distinguish Arabica from Gesha, Bourbon, and Typica Coffee Beans?

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, naturally serves as the genetic reservoir for coffee varieties, which is why many coffee varieties originate from Ethiopia. There are three major coffee species: small-seeded Arabica coffee, medium-seeded Robusta coffee, and large-seeded Liberica coffee.

Arabica Coffee

Small-seeded coffee, also known as Arabica coffee, represents most specialty coffees and is currently the most widely produced variety globally. Arabica was the first discovered variety and is considered the finest among coffee species, as well as the most predominant variety worldwide. Arabica is cultivated in various countries including Central and South American nations, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and Tanzania in Africa, Yemen, Indonesia, and others. Arabica plants typically grow between 2.5 to 4.5 meters tall, tolerate low temperatures but cannot withstand frost, have limited drought resistance, produce relatively large beans with excellent quality and mellow flavor, exhibit slight acidity and mild bitterness, and account for approximately 75% of world production. Small-seeded Arabica coffee originates from the Ethiopian highlands and, due to its exceptional flavor and quality, is now widely cultivated and has given rise to many varieties. Typica, Bourbon, Geisha, and others all belong to the Arabica coffee species. These are among the most ancient Arabica varieties, primarily cultivated in Brazil, Colombia, and other Central and South American countries; in Central America's Tikal and Sidamo regions; as well as Sumatran Typica in Indonesia and Jamaica's Blue Mountain.

Arabica varieties are highly sensitive to their growing environment, therefore regions suitable for Arabica coffee tree cultivation are mostly located in high-altitude mountainous terrain within the tropical coffee belt between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Arabica requires altitudes between 800-2000 meters, with higher elevations generally producing better coffee quality. Arabica coffee is currently the most widely distributed coffee variety, cultivated in Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. Countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil are all renowned Arabica coffee-producing nations.

In terms of flavor, Arabica coffee beans are considered the finest quality coffee beans and have been used in the specialty coffee consumer market since the emergence of the specialty coffee concept. For example, the Typica sub-variety of Arabica coffee possesses excellent acidity, scores high in cupping, and, as one of the most ancient coffee varieties, boasts outstanding genetic heritage.

Externally, Arabica beans are elongated and flat with an S-shaped center line, while Robusta beans are robust and more rounded with a center line closer to straight. Although from the same Arabica coffee tree, when planted in different locations, factors such as climate and soil can produce completely different flavors. For instance: Geisha varieties grown in Ethiopia versus Panama exhibit completely different taste profiles.

Bourbon and Typica constitute the world's most culturally and genetically important C. arabica coffee group. Historical records indicate that coffee seeds were brought from the coffee forests of southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, where they were cultivated as crops. Recent genetic testing confirms that Bourbon and Typica were the primary seeds transported from Ethiopia to Yemen. The descendants of Bourbon and Typica spread from Yemen to the rest of the world, forming the foundation of modern Arabica coffee cultivation.

Arabica was the first discovered coffee variety and is considered the finest among all varieties, with generally superior overall flavor characteristics, making it the primary source of specialty coffee. However, it has weaker disease resistance and can only be cultivated at high altitudes. Humans have been cultivating Arabica coffee trees for over 700 years, developing many varieties. Currently, common Arabica coffee bean varieties include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Pacas, Villa Sarchi, Maragogipe, Pacamara, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Geisha, Timor, Catimor, among others. Arabica predominantly appears as specialty coffee.

Typica

Ethiopia's most ancient native variety, from which all Arabica varieties are derived. Typica has bronze-colored young leaves and oval or slender, pointed beans; it offers elegant flavor but has weak physical constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield. Excellent estate beans such as Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to the Typica variety.

Typica has distinct characteristics and may be the most easily identifiable variety. The plant exhibits an overall conical shape with a vertical main trunk that can reach up to 5 meters in height. This height means that, compared to other varieties, the branches on the same stem are more sparsely distributed. The trunk and branches are not very thick. The leaves, coffee cherries, and green beans are typically slender, with young leaves showing bronze-colored tips during growth. The leaf surface is smoother than other Arabica varieties, with less pronounced wavy edges, and mature coffee cherries display a bright red color.

Arabica beans contain approximately 1.2% caffeine, while Robusta beans have higher caffeine content at around 2.8% (with inferior flavor often used for instant coffee), whereas Pointed Bourbon has only 0.6%. Not only does it have low caffeine content, but its rich fruit flavors and mellow character are丝毫不不减.

Bourbon

A natural mutation of Typica that occurred after Typica was introduced to Yemen in early times (pre-coffee history). The bean shape changed from slender and pointed to round. In 1715, after the French introduced the round beans from Yemen's Mocha to Bourbon Island off the east coast of Africa (renamed Reunion Island after the French Revolution), the variety was named Bourbon. The round Bourbon beans were辗转 introduced to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727, and in 1732, the British introduced Yemen's Mocha round beans to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later exiled), also Bourbon round beans. Bourbon is a consistent winner in specialty coffee cupping competitions in the Americas.

Bourbon shares the same tall height and conical shape as Typica, but has more secondary branches, appearing denser. Both the main trunk and branches are thicker, making Bourbon sturdier than Typica but relatively less flexible. The more密集 branching means this increased density allows Bourbon to produce approximately 30% more coffee cherries than Typica.

Bourbon leaves are wider than Typica's, with a rougher texture and wavy edges. Young leaves are typically green but sometimes have bronze-colored tips. Coffee cherries are round and mature into various colors such as red, orange, or yellow (though colors are consistent on the same plant).

Caturra

A natural mutation of the Arabica variety Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plants are shorter than Bourbon. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for cultivation there and therefore was not planted on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South American regions, with extensive cultivation in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai

Catuai is a人工培育 hybrid variety of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Mundo Novo is the result of natural hybridization between Bourbon and Sumatran Typica. Therefore, Catuai also possesses Typica genes, which naturally manifest in its physical characteristics.

Catuai coffee beans are oval and flat, with the tail end being relatively slender. In Central and South America, many growing regions plant Caturra and Catuai together, which is why we can find smaller, rounder Caturra beans mixed with larger, longer Catuai beans in Central and South American coffees.

Pacas

Pacas: A Bourbon mutation discovered in El Salvador. In 1935, Salvadoran coffee farmer Pacas selected high-yielding San Ramon Bourbon varieties and planted them on his farm. In 1956, friends discovered that the Bourbon yield on his farm was higher than other coffee trees of the same variety, so they invited a professor from the University of Florida to identify it. It was confirmed that Bourbon had undergone genetic mutation, and the new variety was named "Pacas" after the farm's evaluation. Due to its high yield and excellent quality, Pacas became quite popular in Central America and also played the role of a "stud horse" for variety improvement. Currently, 68% of El Salvador's coffee is Bourbon varieties, 29% is Pacas, with the remaining 3% being Catuai, Caturra, and the noble Pacamara.

Kenya's "SL28" and "SL34"

Kenyan specialty coffees are typically washed processed, resulting in clean and bright flavors with more prominent acidity. Many small farmers still insist on high-quality control, consistently producing excellent specialty coffees. The phosphate-rich Kenyan soil seems to be well-suited for the SL-28 and SL-34 Bourbon mutations, which are the main contributors to the characteristic plum-like acidity. The unique plum-like acidity, citrus aroma, and wine-like pleasant flavors, mixed with sugarcane sweetness, create intense yet elegant aromas with clear, distinct layers. The complex and deep flavors, full of individualistic acidity, demonstrate the extraordinary nature of Kenyan specialty coffees.

Geisha

Geisha coffee is likely the most familiar variety to everyone, but many friends have only heard its name without seeing its appearance. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee will explain its characteristics, starting with Panamanian Geisha as an example, as it has the highest recognizability. Panamanian Geisha coffee beans are slender and elongated, pointed at both ends, and plump and full in the middle. The roasted beans somewhat resemble sausage buns.

This extremely popular coffee variety can be easily identified by the angle of its top branches and the plant's shape. Geisha variety's top branches extend toward the sky at 45-50 degree angles. Geisha plants are tall with long distances between branches, and both the trunk and branches are slender, somewhat resembling Typica.

The leaves are smooth and slender, and the coffee cherries are also elongated like Typica. The most obvious difference between Geisha and Typica is that Geisha has an umbrella-shaped or flat top, while Typica is conical. Mature Geisha cherries taste completely different from other varieties, possessing citrus flavors and sweetness, along with jasmine-like aromas.

For example, in "Butterfly" blend beans, which contain Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, we can first clearly separate the large, elongated beans pointed at both ends - these are typical characteristics of Geisha coffee beans. Of course, smaller Geisha coffee beans have slightly lower recognizability, but with careful observation, they still meet the characteristics of being pointed at both ends and plump in the middle.

However, these characteristics do not apply to Ethiopian Geisha, because Ethiopian Geisha coffee beans were identified after Panamanian Geisha became famous, by tracing back to the forest in Ethiopia where samples were originally taken, then searching the forest for varieties they believed had flavors similar to Panamanian Geisha.

For example, the Geisha coffee varieties at Gesha Village Estate are called Gori Gesha and Gesha 1931. The estate owner traced historical records to find a place called Gori Gesha Forest, believing that the British originally sampled and took Geisha varieties from there. They also sampled in this area and finally selected Gesha 1931. It was selected not through genetic identification, but based on observations of plant morphology, bean shape, and cupping flavors. From their samples, they believed this coffee variety was similar to Panama's Geisha.

As for Gori Gesha, it was found by the owner when he re-entered the Gori Forest in 2011. Even if they found the right place, with thousands of varieties in the Geisha forest, there's no guarantee that the varieties they found were actually the original Geisha (T2722). Therefore, different bean characteristics are normal,毕竟 they are not the same variety.

Gesha Village's Geisha beans are generally smaller in size. Gesha 1931 has slightly pointed ends at both sides and is plump in the middle. Gori Gesha appears oval-shaped and is relatively small.

Villa Sarchi

A Bourbon mutation first discovered in Costa Rica in the 1960s.

Maragogipe (Elephant Bean)

Bean shape is three times larger than Arabica, making it the largest in the world, hence its name. It is the most famous mutation of Typica, first discovered in 1870 in the Maragogipe production area of Pará state in northeastern Brazil.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations:

For coffee brewing, the freshness of coffee beans is crucial to the flavor. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships all coffee beans within 5 days of roasting. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee possible. The coffee's resting period is approximately 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide inside the packaging also helps mellow the coffee flavor. Therefore, you can immediately brew a cup when you receive the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, as it oxidizes relatively quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly and won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

Coffee bean variety is a factor that directly affects coffee flavor. Different origins and varieties result in different coffee flavors. For this reason, FrontStreet Coffee wants everyone to gain more knowledge about coffee, which is why FrontStreet Coffee offers over fifty different single-origin coffee beans from various regions, and has directly selected 9 coffee beans from different producing countries as daily stock beans with excellent value! Examples include: Colombia's Huilan coffee, Panama's Boquete Geisha coffee, Brazil coffee, Ethiopia's washed Yirgacheffe coffee, China's Yunnan small-seed coffee, and more.

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

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