So Many Types of Coffee Beans - What Are the Characteristics of Arabica Coffee

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee shares coffee bean knowledge and information so that more people can get to know their coffee a little better.

FrontStreet Coffee - Coffee Bean Varieties Introduction

Coffee trees are flowering plants of the Rubiaceae family, genus Coffea. There are currently about 120 known species, ranging from small shrubs to trees 18 meters tall. Wild Coffea species grow unevenly across the tropics, and new ones keep being discovered. Strictly speaking, however, only two species are cultivated commercially on a large scale: Arabica and Canephora, better known as Robusta. A few countries, such as the Philippines, also grow a third species, Liberica, to satisfy domestic demand.

Biologically, coffee varieties divide into Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. The varieties consumed worldwide are overwhelmingly Arabica and Robusta, while Liberica is often overlooked because of its limited production or inferior cup quality.

Arabica Varieties

Typica can be regarded as the ancestor of the Arabica family - the original variety. It is highly fragrant with floral notes, marked by light citrus-like acidity and delicate aromas.

Bourbon is also considered one of the original Arabica varieties, arising as a mutation of Typica. If the two were twin brothers, Typica would be the elder and Bourbon the younger, born seconds later. Bourbon offers rich aromatics and complex, layered acidity.

Geisha is the prodigy of the family. Production is very low, which makes it extremely precious. It is prized for intense aromatics and refreshing acidity, and its distinctive flavor never fails to draw attention.

Caturra is Bourbon's younger sibling - a dwarf mutation, smaller in stature. It grows at high altitudes and shows light acidity and body.

Caturra (continued): because it is produced at high altitudes, its acidity and body are light, though its acidity reads as somewhat one-dimensional compared with the original species.

Mundo Novo is a hybrid of Bourbon and Mandheling. It combines strong environmental adaptability with outstanding flavor balance.

Given how formidable the Arabica family is, there are many more mutant and collateral varieties than can be listed here one by one.

Knowledge Point

Robusta beans serve not only as a "price adjuster" in blends but also enhance the body of the coffee.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge freely with everyone. Its unrestrained sharing exists for one purpose: to help more friends fall in love with coffee - a mission it has kept for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Geisha is the best-known jewel of the Arabica family, loved for its unique florals and superb sweet-sour balance. Its scarcity - low yields, weak disease resistance, and demanding cultivation - keeps prices high, so it pays to know the different tiers. FrontStreet offers Esmeralda's two lines: the Red Label "Esmeralda Special," grown at 1,600-1,800 meters, cupping above 90 points, with each fully traceable single-plot batch carrying its own lot number (FrontStreet's Red Label comes from the Jaramillo block); and the Green Label "Private Collection," a blend of batches from multiple plots that shows the estate's signature high-altitude gesha profile at a friendlier price.

For a first taste of the legendary "gesha flavor," FrontStreet usually points newcomers to its Panama Boquete Gesha - an entry-level gesha that delivers the classic orange-blossom-and-honey character, an oolong-tea mouthfeel, and fine, layered fruit acidity at an accessible price.

In Ethiopia, Gesha Village applies grading as strict as Panama's: three gesha varieties (Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor Forest) across Gold Label RARITIES, Red Label GROWERS RESERVE, Green Label SINGLE-TERROIR, and Chaka lots. FrontStreet's Gold Label lot - a Gesha 1931 at just 10% of the estate's output, frequently chosen by competition baristas - is an exquisite natural with complex, layered flavors. The Red Label GROWERS RESERVE, a Gori Gesha making up 15% of production and scoring 88 or above on the SCA 100-point scale, is a fully traceable single-terroir series listing farm block, variety, and processing date for every batch.