Coffee Bean Varieties and Flavor Profiles: Are Arabica Coffee Beans Sour and Do They Have Better Taste?

FrontStreet Coffee: An Introduction to Arabica

Everyone is familiar with Arabica, and Robusta is not much of a stranger either. The third species, Liberica, is rarely heard of because its production is usually small and its quality poor, so it is often overlooked — we will not dwell on it here.

Arabica is the signature variety of Ethiopia and is also grown in most other producing countries. It is the world's largest coffee variety by production, accounting for 70%, which explains its greater fame.

Arabica makes up 70%–80% of all coffee production. Its excellent flavor and aroma make it the only coffee species that can be consumed directly among the original coffee species. It has low resistance to drought, frost damage, pests and disease, however, especially to coffee's natural enemy, leaf rust. Producing countries have therefore worked hard on variety improvement. Originally all commercial coffee in the world was Arabica, but by the end of the 19th century, rampant leaf rust had forced numerous plantations to close, and growers began searching for other disease-resistant varieties.

Arabica remains the most important coffee variety, accounting for about 3/4 of the world's total coffee production. It is grown mainly across Latin America, with some also grown in Indonesia and the Pacific islands. The world's largest coffee-producing region, Brazil, has geographical and climatic conditions very well suited to Arabica, and the main variety grown there is Arabica as well. Brazil's production accounts for more than 1/3 of the world total. Arabica fruit is smaller than that of Robusta and Liberica, with elliptical berries that generally contain two seeds, known as "coffee beans."

Arabica (Coffea arabica) originated on the Abyssinian plateau of Ethiopia (Abyssinia, now the Ethiopian plateau). It was first consumed mainly as medicine — Islamic monks used it as a secret remedy for body and mind, or to refresh the brain. In the 13th century the habit of roasting and drinking it took root. In the 16th century it reached Europe via the Arab region and went on to become a beverage loved worldwide.

Flavor Profile

Rich and delicate, aromatic and fragrant, with higher acidity and a smooth texture; unlikely to taste bitter.

Chromosomes

44 chromosomes.

Caffeine

Lower than Robusta.

Key Point

Arabica is one of the two very important varieties in the commercial coffee industry; the other is Robusta.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall happy to share coffee knowledge without reservation, simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. It also runs three coffee discount activities every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest price — a mission it has kept for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Since Arabica covers such a wide range of flavors, Brazil is a good place to start: it is the world's largest producer, and its Arabica beans are soft-textured with gentle fruit acidity, fine sweetness, a delicate and smooth mouthfeel and an overall balance that suits almost any brewing method.

FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic Brazilian single origin from the well-known Cerrado region, a South American Red Bourbon roasted medium to bring out creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel and hazelnut aromas with a rounded, low-acid body. It works for pour-over as well as moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon and French press.

FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon comes from Mogiana, near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil gives the fruit abundant nutrients. The estate's rare Yellow Bourbon, a natural mutation of Red Bourbon, offers a cleaner fruit character: through pour-over, moka pot or home espresso machine you can taste a sugarcane sweetness found in few other origins, along with fruit and chocolate notes.

Brazilian beans also anchor FrontStreet's espresso blends. The oil-rich FrontStreet Classic Blend, the nutty FrontStreet Signature Blend, the balanced FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend and the shop-focused FrontStreet Commercial Blend all contain Brazilian coffee, which contributes chocolate and creamy aromas, a soft sweet-tart-bitter balance and stability during extraction.