What Are the Two Main Coffee Varieties and How Do Vietnamese Robusta Coffee Beans Differ?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Robusta Coffee Beans

The two most important coffee trees in coffee production are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica coffee beans originated from the mountains of Yemen and account for about two-thirds of global coffee production. Additionally, the highland areas of southwestern Ethiopia, southeastern Sudan, various parts of Latin America, India, and Indonesia all produce Arabica coffee beans.

Arabica coffee trees grow in high-altitude climate conditions, hence they are also known as "mountain coffee." Arabica coffee beans can produce coffee with complex flavors, superior to Robusta coffee beans, which is why many coffee recipes are eager to claim that their beans are "100% Arabica coffee beans."

Vietnamese coffee was introduced to Vietnam around 1860 by French Jesuit missionaries, and in 1888, Vietnam established its first coffee plantation. After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Vietnam's coffee industry entered a period of rapid development. In 1978, East Germany began to support Vietnam's coffee cultivation industry. From 1975 to 2010, over 35 years, Vietnam's coffee cultivation area expanded from 13,400 hectares to 513,000 hectares, an increase of 37 times.

Currently, Vietnam has more than 640,000 hectares of coffee cultivation area, mainly concentrated in the Central Highlands region. Among these, 10%-15% belong to various state-owned enterprises and farms, while 85%-90% belong to individual farmers and estate owners. At present, Vietnamese coffee is exported to 60 countries and regions worldwide, and among all exported agricultural products from Vietnam, coffee ranks second only to rice.

Vietnam's geographical location is highly favorable for coffee cultivation. The southern part of Vietnam has a humid tropical climate. At the same time, the country's low altitude, flat terrain, high-density planting, extensive irrigation, excessive fertilization, and the absence of shade trees to maximize yield perfectly leverage the production capacity of Robusta coffee.

Therefore, the most widely cultivated coffee in Vietnam is Robusta coffee, which offers the best economic benefits.

This is because for Vietnam, the economic value brought by coffee is far more important than its reputation in the specialty coffee industry. Many coffee plantations in Vietnam's Daklak, Gia Lai, Kontum, and Dong Nai regions achieve yields of 3-4 tons per hectare, with some plantations even reaching as high as 8-9 tons per hectare, while Arabica coffee yields only a few hundred kilograms per hectare.

Knowledge point: Most coffee grows in the equatorial zone between 25° north and south of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The coffee cultivation belt and country of origin have a significant impact on its flavor.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a research-focused coffee establishment dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unconditional sharing is aimed at helping more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee events every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to provide the best coffee to more friends at the lowest prices, which has been our mission for the past six years!

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