What are the Characteristics of Arabica Coffee Beans and What Does Coffee Bean Protein Content Determine?

Introduction to Arabica Varieties and Protein Components

Arabica and Robusta coffee beans have significantly different growing environments. Arabica is better suited to hills and mountains between 600 and 2,000 meters, while Robusta is grown on plains and hills below 600 meters. Most Arabica therefore sits above 600 meters, often climbing well past 1,000 meters and up to around 2,000 meters.

Because of the terrain, harvesting is limited too. On plains it can be mechanized, which cuts labor costs quickly; on hills and mountains it can only be picked by hand, which sharply increases labor costs. That is also one of the main reasons coffee from Taiwan is so expensive.

Beans grown in Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region are named for the region, while the variety grown around the Gesha mountain area is called Geisha -- the name matching the Japanese word for a geisha. Panama's finest Geisha comes from Hacienda La Esmeralda, commonly known as Jade Estate. Arabica coffee beans show more fruit acidity and floral aromas.

Protein and Amino Acids

In terms of crude protein, raw coffee beans contain about 13%-16%.

If we subtract nitrogen-containing compounds such as caffeine and trigonelline, the actual protein content is about 8.8%-9.7%.

Raw coffee beans also contain various enzymes, such as lipase, protease, carbohydrase, galactosidase, and peroxidase.

Raw coffee beans contain approximately 0.15%-0.25% free amino acids.

Robusta has a higher content than Arabica. These free amino acids have a greater impact on coffee flavor and less impact on taste.

Knowledge Extension

Caffeine accounts for 0.9%-1.4% in Arabica varieties, while Canephora usually accounts for 2%, sometimes exceeding 3%.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that loves to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also run three discounted coffee activities every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The fruit acidity and floral aromatics of Arabica are what make Yirgacheffe the classic demonstration of the species, and FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe daily drinker is the easiest way in: white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body at an affordable price.

Yirgacheffe itself is a town in southern Ethiopia's Sidamo province at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters, with the coffee trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest-growing coffee regions in the world. Once the name had become famous in its own right, the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange separated it from Sidamo in 2010.

For a cooperative-level lot, FrontStreet Coffee's Gededing cooperative comes from the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe. Independent since 2012 and still using traditional washed processing, it shows clean citrus, lemon, and jasmine. If you want more fruit, the sun-dried Red Cherry adds tropical fruit, a berry-juice body, and honey sweetness.

Brew either as a V60 pour-over at 90-91C with 15 g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, ground to fine caster sugar (80% through the China standard #20 sieve), poured in three stages.