Coffee Bean Varieties: Complete Guide to Characteristics and Taste Differences

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

FrontStreet Coffee - Arabica Varieties and Flavor Introduction

The origin of Arabica species is in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is known as the cradle of humanity and coffee. In mythology, the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit is believed to be surrounded by several major coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia. Initially discovered for its good refreshing and brain-awakening effects, it was consumed as medicine. Later, it was used by Muslims as a secret medicine for treating body and mind and staying awake during evening prayers, spreading from Arabia to the world and becoming a widely beloved beverage by people worldwide.

Coffee bean producing regions are mainly divided into: Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.

African Coffee

African bean flavors: Among them, Ethiopian coffee has a relatively strong orange fragrance, while Kenyan coffee has rich berry aromas, along with the sour fragrance of plum juice and grapefruit, as well as the clear sweet fragrance of sugarcane. The orange fragrance of Ethiopian coffee and the berry aroma of Kenyan coffee are the biggest characteristics of African beans and what fascinates coffee enthusiasts most. The general characteristics of African coffee are rich aroma and charming fruit acidity. Its bright acidity is lively and refreshing, but the body of African coffee is often somewhat thin, and the sweetness is not very prominent. Due to drought and water shortage in Africa, the natural processing method is often used for raw beans. The bean shapes are often not uniform and attractive, with a higher defect rate.

Central and South America

Central and South American bean flavors: Generally speaking, the flavor is relatively conventional. Among them, Brazilian coffee is smooth and sweet, Costa Rican coffee is mild and smooth, with sour fragrance, sweet fragrance, and chocolate fragrance blended together, extremely balanced. The overall flavor of Latin American coffee is known for its balance - all coffee flavors can be found in Latin American coffee. The common use of wet processing for raw beans is also one of the characteristics of Latin American coffee. The good processing process also makes its bean shapes larger and more uniform compared to African coffee, with a lower defect rate.

Asian Coffee

Asian and island bean flavors: The body is higher than Central and South American beans and African beans, but the acidity is lower, with flavors slightly showing woody, herbal, spicy, and earthy notes. The low, mellow aroma is higher than the bright sour fragrance. Island beans are relatively light and mild, with an elegant tone.

When mentioning Asian coffee, the first impression of coffee enthusiasts is often thick and steady. Precisely because of the heavy characteristics of Asian coffee, it is very suitable as a base when making espresso blends. Asian raw coffee bean processing generally uses wet or semi-wet processing methods. Most raw bean shapes are relatively uniform, but the beans after semi-wet processing are darker in color. The general characteristics of Asian coffee are heavy flavor, strong and round sweetness, but the aroma and brightness are somewhat plain.

Coffee Flavor Characteristics of Several Major Producing Regions:

Brazil: Part of it produces Robusta, with strong taste and chocolate aftertaste. Large quantities of coffee products usually come from Brazil.

Colombia: The taste is relatively light, with good balance, low acidity, and fruity aftertaste; it is quite popular in the United States.

Indonesia Mandheling: Has earthy aroma or smoky flavor, with bitter cocoa aftertaste and thick body.

Ethiopia: The origin of coffee, with high diversity of varieties. Many are described as having syrupy taste, citrus sour and sweet sensation with strawberry or blueberry aftertaste.

Kenya: Clean taste, berry flavor, with some tomato-like acidity.

Jamaica Blue Mountain: Balanced sweet, sour, and bitter; mild, fragrant, mellow, and smooth, with dark chocolate flavor.

Knowledge Expansion:

Arabica species coffee beans account for about 70% of global production. It has excellent aroma and flavor, making it the only coffee variety among native species that can be directly consumed.

In Summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unreserved sharing is only to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Moreover, there are 3 low-discount coffee activities every month. The reason is that FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has also been the purpose of FrontStreet Coffee for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473