Which Coffee Bean Varieties Are the Best? A Guide to Arabica Coffee Bean Flavors

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

An Introduction to Arabica Coffee Varieties

The two main coffee varieties we are familiar with are Arabica and Robusta. These two main varieties have many sub-varieties, such as Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and others.

Arabica: Premium Coffee Beans with Excellent Flavor and Aroma

Arabica is a representative variety native to Ethiopia and is also produced in South Africa, African countries, and Asian nations. It accounts for 70% to 75% of the world's coffee production. Arabica has relatively weak resistance to pests and diseases, making highland areas more suitable for cultivation. Arabica coffee beans grown at elevations above 1,500 meters show the best quality.

The two ancient, pure variety sources of Arabica are Typica and Bourbon.

Typica

Typica is the original variety from which all Arabica varieties originate. Typica originates from southern Sudan, and its ripe fruits are red. This variety has relatively low yield and extremely poor disease resistance, but its excellent cupping quality has made it popular worldwide.

Typica coffee varieties include: Geisha, Jamaican Blue Mountain, Hawaiian Kona, Maragogype, and Sumatra Typica (Mandheling).

Geisha

Geisha, with slightly elongated fruits and leaves, is a genetic mutation of Typica, originating from the Geisha Forest in southwestern Ethiopia. In the 1930s, Geisha seeds were transported to Tanzania, and in the 1950s, they traveled to Costa Rica. In the 1960s, they made their way to Panama, and after nearly half a century, they made a stunning impact. They defeated the perennial champions Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica varieties, sweeping the first prizes in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Panama National Treasure Bean Cupping Competition. In 2007, Geisha won the championship at the International Famous Bean Cupping Competition hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), with a bidding price of $130 per pound, setting the highest price record for competition beans in history. Geisha is a member of the Typica family, yet it gained fame more than seventy years after leaving Ethiopia, confirming the saying that Ethiopia is a treasure trove of Arabica genetics. Any variety casually sent abroad is enough to stir up the coffee market.

Geisha is grown in many regions worldwide and is the new king of specialty coffee, with particularly high quality and prices in Latin American countries such as Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Geisha possesses distinctive tropical fruit flavors, floral notes, citrus, and tea-like characteristics.

Blue Mountain

Produced in the Blue Mountain range in eastern Jamaica, this Typica variety gets its name because when the weather is clear, the sun directly reflects on the blue sea surface, and the mountains reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater. The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches 2,256 meters, making it the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. Located in an earthquake zone, it has fertile volcanic soil, fresh air without pollution, and a humid climate with year-round fog and rain (average precipitation of 1,980 mm and temperature around 27°C). Such climate conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, which is also the second most expensive coffee in the world.

Blue Mountain coffee possesses all the characteristics of premium coffee. Not only does it have a rich and mellow taste, but due to the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness, it has no bitterness at all, only moderate and perfect acidity.

Hawaiian Kona

Kona is an ancient, pure Arabica Typica variety coffee, produced in the western and southern regions of the Kona district on the island of Hawaii. Coffee trees are scattered across the volcanic slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, where the elevation ranges from 150 to 750 meters. The volcanic ash soil is highly fertile, and the conditions of morning sunshine and afternoon cloud cover are perfectly matched. There is no frost throughout the year, making it ideal for coffee growth.

The finest Kona coffee is divided into three grades: Extra Fancy, Fancy, and Number One. In terms of flavor, Kona coffee beans are similar to Central American coffees, with cinnamon spice notes and balanced, moderate acidity.

Maragogype

The most well-known mutation of Typica, Maragogype was first discovered in 1870 in the Maragogype coffee-producing region of Bahia state in northeastern Brazil. The beans are at least three times larger than regular Arabica beans, hence the name. Maragogype has poor flavor at low altitudes but better flavor at high altitudes, with mild acidity and pleasant sweet aroma.

Sumatra Typica (Mandheling)

Mandheling is produced in Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia. It is an ancient Typica variety coffee with rich flavor, fragrant and mellow taste, and mild, reserved acidity as its most distinctive characteristics.

Mundo Novo

A natural hybrid variety of Bourbon and Sumatra Typica, first discovered in Brazil. It has high yield and disease resistance, and was widely planted in Brazil in the 1950s, hailed as the new hope of the Brazilian coffee industry. However, the trees are tall and not easy to harvest.

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 varieties.

END

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473