Coffee Bean Varieties and Origins Guide - Understanding Typica Coffee Through Its Family Tree

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Three Major Coffee Bean Species and Typica Coffee Varieties

Coffee has three original species: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Due to flavor and cultivation reasons, only the first two are circulated in the market - Arabica and Robusta, with a market share ratio of approximately 70% to 30%.

These three original species have been spread to different growing regions worldwide, producing diverse flavor variations. Just like apples, apples from different provinces in China taste different, have different varieties, and there are significant differences between domestic and international varieties.

Broadly speaking, there are two main coffee bean species in the coffee world: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica accounts for 75% of world coffee production and has more demanding growing conditions, requiring higher altitudes. It possesses broad and varied potential flavors, with high-quality Arabica typically sold as specialty coffee. Robusta, also known as "coarse beans," has strong vitality and lower production costs, generally used for instant coffee or canned coffee.

Flavor Comparison

Arabica is generally considered "high-quality" coffee beans because of its rich taste, lacking the intense bitterness of Robusta beans. Many producers specially label their roasted coffee beans as 100% Arabica to highlight their quality.

Because Arabica coffee produced in different regions, at different altitudes, and under different climates typically has unique characteristics, it can exhibit completely different regional flavor personalities. After appropriate roasting, the fruity aroma and caramel sweetness generally provide better aroma and flavor than Robusta beans.

Robusta typically has a more rigid and pungent flavor profile, mostly grown in low-altitude areas. Flavor variations produced by different regions and climates are not significant, lacking regional personality. Low-value Robusta beans after dark roasting often have a rubber tire taste, making it difficult to exhibit delicate flavors.

Typica

This is a coffee variety native to Yemen. Through the spread by the Dutch and French, this variety gradually spread throughout Central and South America, becoming one of the most common varieties worldwide. Typica coffee has lower yields, bronze-colored top leaves, and cone-shaped fruits with extremely high quality. When cultivated and processed properly, Typica coffee beans have higher sweetness, clean mouthfeel, and pleasant acidity. It is one of the oldest coffee varieties, along with Bourbon.

Knowledge Point: Caturra has strong adaptability, doesn't require shade trees, and can thrive directly under intense sunlight, earning it the name "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilization, increasing costs, so initial acceptance by coffee farmers was not high.

In Summary

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