Introduction to Coffee Bean Varieties | Analysis of the Genetic Relationship Between Arabica and Geisha!

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to the Relationship Between Arabica and Geisha

Geisha is the king among coffees. With its low yield and excellent flavor, it has won numerous awards in world green bean competitions and its price remains consistently high. The tempting flavor and expensive price make many people hesitate. Have you ever wondered if Geisha is a derivative of Arabica? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to the Geisha variety!

Arabica: Origins and Characteristics

The main origins of Arabica are Central America, South America, Africa (mainly in East African countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya), Asia (mainly in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam), and Hawaii in the United States. Arabica coffee trees are suitable for tropical, cooler high-altitude areas. They particularly like to grow on steep mountain slopes, especially in terrain with large temperature differences between day and night, suitable sunlight and shade, and frequent morning fog, which can produce high-quality Arabica beans. Sufficient humidity and moisture, plus fertile volcanic soil rich in organic matter, provide an excellent coffee growing environment. The main coffee producing areas are concentrated in tropical countries between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, with coffee quality north of the equator being superior to that south of the equator.

Arabica beans belong to the small bean variety, with a flat oval shape. They have a rich, fragrant, delicate aroma, pleasant acidity, and smooth texture, with less bitterness.

Originating from Ethiopia, Arabica has spread to various regions and, through repeated mutations and hybridizations, has given rise to numerous coffee varieties. Some have been improved in quality and flavor, while others have been enhanced in environmental adaptability, disease and pest resistance, and yield. It has now developed into dozens of varieties, mainly including: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Pacamara, Catimor, Maragogipe, Mundo Novo, Kent, Amarello, Variedad Colombia, and others.

Geisha: The Precious Variety

Geisha (or Gesha, as it's called in Central America) is a precious coffee variety with unique jasmine fragrance and bright fruit acidity. It often dominates various coffee competitions and its price has become increasingly expensive.

The Origin Story of Geisha

Geisha seeds were originally collected in the 1930s from the wild Kaffa forest in southwestern Ethiopia, when people were searching for new disease-resistant coffee varieties. The name Geisha comes from the nearby Gesha mountain. The Geisha seeds were first taken to Tanzania and then to Costa Rica, where the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) labeled them as T2722. In the 1950s and 1960s, T2722 was planted as a disease-resistant variety in some coffee farms, but due to low yield, it was not widely cultivated.

Arabica Bean Harvesting Challenges

Because Arabica beans are grown on steep slopes, mechanical harvesting is difficult, and they are mainly picked by hand. Transportation is also inconvenient, so the price of Arabica beans is significantly higher than Robusta beans.

Knowledge Expansion

Geisha is a wild variety that has not yet been domesticated (the process of transforming the natural reproduction of wild plants into artificially controlled processes) for commercial use. Therefore, seedlings bred from it are likely not true purebred Geisha.

Conclusion

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research institute, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, there are three coffee discount events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

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