Complete Guide to Arabica Coffee Varieties Classification Are Typica Coffee Beans Arabica

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FrontStreet Coffee - Coffee Bean Varieties Introduction

Coffee beans (Coffee Cherry) refer to the plant fruits used for making coffee. Broadly speaking, there are three types of coffee beans in the world, but the most common ones we encounter are Arabica beans and Robusta beans.

Arabica Species Robusta Beans Liberica Species

The Three Major Coffee Varieties

The three major native varieties are Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Arabica ranks first in production, accounting for approximately 60-70% of the world's coffee total. It has sub-varieties such as Bourbon and Typica. Robusta accounts for about 30-40% of the world's total coffee production. Liberica only accounts for 3% of the total, mostly cultivated in the Asia-Pacific region.

Arabica Species (Arabica)

Arabica

Also known as small-grained coffee beans, originally from Ethiopia. Arabica coffee trees mostly grow at altitudes between 1000-2000 meters; they are relatively cold-resistant, with suitable growing temperatures of 15-24°C; they require high humidity, with annual rainfall no less than 1500ml. At the same time, they also have higher requirements for cultivation techniques. Arabica coffee trees belong to larger shrubs, with oval-shaped, dark green leaves, and oval-shaped fruits. Generally, there are two slightly flattened beans, with a long oval front face, narrow and curved S-shaped cracks in the middle, and relatively flat arc-shaped backs. Caffeine content is approximately 0.8%-1.5%.

Arabica beans are an important type in commercial coffee, with a fruiting period within three years, featuring quality aroma and acidity. Main producing regions for Arabica coffee beans include South America (excluding some areas of Argentina and Brazil), Central America, Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and other places, mainly East African countries), and Asia (Indonesia, Yemen, India, and some areas of Papua New Guinea).

Robusta Species (Robusta)

Robusta beans are also known as medium-grained coffee beans, originally from Congo, Africa. Robusta coffee trees are mostly planted in lowlands at altitudes of 200-800 meters, preferring warm climates with temperature requirements of 24-29°C, and are not demanding about rainfall. However, this variety relies on insects or wind for pollination, so it takes 9-11 months from pollination to fruiting, relatively longer than Arabica. Caffeine content is approximately 3.2%, much higher than Arabica beans.

Robusta species (Latin name Coffee Robusta Linden) is one of the most important coffee tree varieties in the world. Discovered in Congo, Africa, it's a leaf rust-resistant variety with stronger disease resistance than Arabica species.

Robusta coffee beans are mainly used for espresso blends to increase body and obtain rich oils. Although Robusta's flavor cannot compare with Arabica, it has its own value. It's the main raw material for instant coffee, and some espresso coffees also blend a certain proportion of Robusta.

Main producing countries of Robusta beans include Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, and other countries.

Typica Coffee

Typica is a sub-variety of Arabica coffee. The Typica variety initially grew in Martinique. Central America, Jamaica, Hawaii's Kona region, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor are currently the main coffee cultivation areas for Typica. To obtain more coffee production from high-quality Typica, Typica coffee varieties are usually cross-bred with other species. Typica coffee is famous for its sweetness, and some of the world's best coffees come from the Typica coffee variety series, including Blue Mountain, Sumatra, and Kona.

Typica green beans have slightly upturned ends, with an oval shape. From the side view, the beans are thin and flat. Even if the altitude of the cultivation area varies, the thickness difference on the side of the green beans won't be too significant.

Unlike other bean varieties, Typica coffee fruits are cone-shaped. Typica coffee has extremely high quality, making it very popular among plantations worldwide. When properly cultivated, Typica coffee has high sweetness, pure taste, and pleasant acidity. Yunnan Typica offers Asian herbal plant aromas, lively and bright acidity, mouth-watering effects, good balance between soft acidity and richness, rich layers, with obvious black chocolate, honey, and sucrose flavors in the aftertaste, and brown sugar flavors when completely cooled.

Knowledge Extension

Arabica is mainly used for single-origin or specialty coffees. From the perspective of both coffee culture and genetics, Bourbon and Typica are the two most important branches of Arabica coffee species.

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