Characteristics of Arabica Beans - Introduction to Arabica Coffee Bean Flavor, Taste, and Variety Features

Most of the coffee beans we drink daily are of the Arabica variety, though this isn't often emphasized. When mentioned, it's typically to distinguish them from another coffee variety (Robusta). In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will take you to explore what characteristics Arabica coffee possesses.

Arabica Coffee Belongs to the Small Bean Variety

Arabica (scientific name Coffee Arabica) is also known as small bean coffee, originating from Ethiopia. Initially, Arabica coffee was mainly used for medicinal purposes. Later, people developed the habit of roasting and drinking it. In the 16th century, Arabs spread it worldwide through trade, gradually developing it into the popular beverage we know today. Many of the specialty coffee beans we're familiar with belong to the Arabica variety, such as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Panamanian Gesha coffee, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, and more.

Arabica plants are relatively large shrubs, suitable for cultivation in mountainous environments at altitudes of 600-2200 meters (in Ethiopia, they can also be grown at extremely high altitudes up to 2350 meters with excellent quality), temperatures between 15°-24°C, and annual rainfall of 1200-2200 millimeters. The leaves are oval-shaped and dark green, and the fruits are also oval, typically containing two slightly flattened beans. The beans are rounded, with an oval front face and a narrow, curved S-shaped crack in the middle. The back of the bean has a relatively flat arc shape. There are two Arabica coffee trees planted next to FrontStreet Coffee's Dongshankou store, so you might want to take a look when you come for coffee.

Arabica's chlorogenic acid content is relatively low, about 5.5% to 8%. Besides its antioxidant properties, chlorogenic acid is also an important component that resists pests. Therefore, Arabica is more susceptible to pest damage and is also more affected by climate. It's generally planted at higher altitudes, yields fewer fruits, and matures more slowly, resulting in lower coffee bean production per hectare compared to Robusta, making Arabica's cultivation cost much higher.

The Flavor of Arabica Coffee

The bitterness we taste when drinking coffee mainly comes from chlorogenic acid in coffee. Robusta has higher caffeine, amino acid, and chlorogenic acid content. Therefore, Robusta naturally lacks the elegant, aromatic fragrance unique to Arabica beans, replaced instead by a richer, deeper bitterness. Arabica's caffeine content is low, about 0.9% to 1.2%. Its fat content is 60% higher than Robusta coffee. Compared to the strong-tasting Robusta beans, Arabica has lower caffeine content, and its sugar content is twice that of Robusta beans. Therefore, Arabica coffee tastes smooth, has high sweetness, and rich layered acidity, making it the first choice for coffee drinkers.

With the continuous promotion of specialty coffee culture, everyone has more or less requirements for coffee's taste, texture, and quality. Therefore, only high-quality Arabica beans better meet the current specialty coffee market. Many pour-over single-origin coffees on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list belong to the Arabica variety, showing that compared to Robusta, people prefer the pure flavor of Arabica.

What Are the Common Arabica Varieties?

As a major category, Arabica can be divided into nearly three thousand varieties, all derived from Ethiopia's oldest native varieties, Typica and Bourbon, planted in South America or Asia and then mutated. As an agricultural product, coffee flavor is always closely related to factors such as variety, climate, altitude, soil, and management, reflecting the natural expression of variety and local terroir. Here, FrontStreet Coffee selects several representative varieties for you to understand Arabica better.

Typica

The oldest native variety from Ethiopia, discovered around the 15th to 16th centuries AD. Typica is characterized by taller coffee trees, bronze-colored top leaves, and coffee beans that are larger and longer, with pointed tips that slightly curl upward, somewhat like eggs. Typica coffee often has citrus acidity with a sweet aftertaste, praised by many as elegant and clean coffee beans. Unfortunately, due to its low yield and poor resistance to leaf rust disease, it has gradually been replaced by farmers with other more robust varieties.

Typica was introduced to this country by Sir Nicholas Lawes in the 18th century and soon spread to Blue Mountain for cultivation, with a history of over two hundred years. The Blue Mountain Typica has also adapted to the local island tropical rainforest climate, evolving stronger disease resistance, particularly against coffee berry disease, which is much stronger than typical Typica. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Blue Mountain's delicate and clean flavor is inseparable from Jamaica's meticulous cultivation of the Typica variety, allowing Typica to integrate into the local terroir. The excellent terroir and unique microclimate of the Blue Mountains also play a significant role. FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roasting to maximize the presentation of chocolate and nut aromas while preserving soft acidity and sweetness, creating a balanced overall taste.

Gesha

Friends who often drink pour-over coffee must have heard of Panamanian Gesha coffee, which has become one of the symbols of contemporary specialty coffee due to its stunning aroma. The Gesha variety is derived from Typica and also originates from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

Gesha is very particular about its growing environment, requiring high altitudes, fertile soil, clouds or plant shade, and cannot be exposed to direct sunlight. The owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda said that the farm needs many shade trees to shelter the delicate Gesha from the sun, and traditional pruning must be used in the early planting stage, otherwise the plants are prone to death. Gesha planted at higher altitudes has longer maturation times for coffee cherries, and the flavor expression is more complex and unique. Unlike other coffee varieties, Gesha coffee trees have very thin leaf systems, meaning photosynthesis efficiency is low. The roots are also fragile, with slow absorption of water and nutrients, resulting in very low coffee yield. Combined with the high-altitude growing environment, fruit maturation is also relatively late.

Currently, Gesha is cultivated in many regions worldwide and is the new king of specialty coffee, with particularly high quality in Latin American countries such as Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia. Panamanian Gesha is especially outstanding among specialty coffees. When talking about Gesha coffee, the most popular on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list is undoubtedly the famous Gesha coffee produced by Hacienda La Esmeralda, which is divided into Red Label Gesha, Green Label Gesha, and Volcanic Gesha based on different characteristics. High-quality Gesha coffee has an intoxicating fragrance of rose flowers, citrus, berries, and honey, loved by many coffee enthusiasts.

Bourbon

Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica, with the bean shape changing from slender and pointed to rounded. It was first discovered on the island of Réunion (formerly Bourbon Island) off the east coast of Africa. In 1715, after the French transplanted round beans from Yemen's Mocha to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Réunion after the French Revolution), it was named Bourbon. The round Bourbon beans were introduced to Brazil in 1727 for cultivation.

Although the yield isn't high, compared to the fragile Typica variety, Bourbon has better resistance to leaf rust disease. Bourbon coffee grown at high altitudes has rich and delicate flavor, fragrant aroma, and smooth acidity. Generally, the Bourbon cherries we see turn from green to light yellow, orange-yellow, red, and finally to fully ripe dark red, which is what we call Red Bourbon. There's also a less common Yellow Bourbon, where ripe cherries present a bright yellow color. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate coffee belongs to the Yellow Bourbon variety.

Brazilian coffee mostly has lower acidity, paired with the rich aroma of coffee, making it extremely smooth on the palate with a refreshing aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee selected a semi-dry processed Red Bourbon coffee as Brazil's representative, with distinct nutty and chocolate flavors, moderate caramel sweetness, and a smooth, balanced overall taste. FrontStreet Coffee added it to the daily bean series. FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans are the face of each major producing region, presenting the basic flavors of the region. Coffee beginners can understand the basic flavors of each region and then choose to explore different region types in depth according to their preferences.

Caturra

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. The plant form is relatively small, with not high disease resistance, but due to the ability to plant intensively and higher fruit-bearing rate, its yield is higher than Bourbon and other varieties. It's widely cultivated in Central American countries. In terms of flavor, Caturra has bright acidity, with a taste full of fruit flavors. After medium-dark roasting, it presents chocolate and nut sweetness, making it a frequent champion in many coffee competitions.

There are many coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list that contain the Caturra variety. If you want to understand the flavor characteristics of this variety, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the Colombian daily beans here, which are selected from washed processed Caturra varieties with very high cleanliness. FrontStreet Coffee hopes to highlight the classic Colombian coffee flavor, using medium-dark roasting to present aromas of nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel.

SL28 & SL34

During the period 1935-1939, Scott Laboratories prefixed all selected and cultivated coffee varieties with SL. The laboratory selected 42 varieties from different origins and studied their yield, quality, drought resistance, and disease resistance. After individually numbering and screening, SL-28 and SL-34 were finally obtained. SL28 comes from the Bourbon genetic group, with short, round beans and thick bodies, featuring uplifting acidity and obvious sweetness characteristics.

SL34 comes from the Typica genetic group, with oval beans that appear flatter from the side compared to Typica varieties, featuring balanced sweet and sour fullness and caramel aftertaste characteristics. FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Asalia coffee beans are selected from these two varieties, using 72-hour washed processing to present the full acidity of plum, brown sugar, preserved plum, and cherry tomato.

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