Which Coffee Variety Has Large Beans? Liberica Coffee: One of the Three Major Coffee Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee - An Introduction to the Liberica Variety

Large-fruit coffee, also known as Liberian coffee or Liberica, is a variety that resists pests well and suits hot, humid climates. Its cherries and seeds are nearly twice the size of those of small-fruit coffee, and it has a rich aroma but a light taste. Drinkers in the Nordic countries tend to favor it. It is grown mainly in Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Madagascar in Africa.

Medium-fruit coffee has cherries larger than small-fruit coffee but smaller than large-fruit coffee. It is strongly resistant to disease and grows well in tropical climates below 700 meters. Its caffeine content is high, roughly 2%-4%, but it tastes bitter and of burnt rubber when drunk. It is grown mainly in tropical countries such as Indonesia, India, Uganda and Vietnam, and most of it goes into instant coffee.

Small-fruit coffee, better known as Arabica, is a species of the Coffea genus in the Rubiaceae family and the most traditional coffee variety of all. It originated in East Africa. Before the 15th century AD, coffee was long monopolized by the Arab world, which is why Europeans called it "Arabian coffee".

White coffee usually refers to a style popular in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. It is in fact an innovation of the Chinese community, developed by Chinese immigrants who settled in Malaysia. By blending selected high-quality Arabica, Robusta and Liberica beans and mastering the ideal temperature and timing, white coffee was gradually refined into a taste that suits Chinese palates particularly well. That is why Malaysia is the only place producing authentic white coffee.

The beans used to make white coffee are usually of higher quality. Old Town White Coffee uses three top-grade beans - Arabica, Robusta and Liberica - blended into a delicious, distinctive white coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Philosophy

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We hold nothing back, simply to help more people fall in love with coffee. Every month we run three discounted coffee events, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest price. That has been our mission for six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the blend of species described above makes you want to explore Indonesia, start with FrontStreet Lintong Mandheling. This Sumatran Arabica comes from the Toba Lake area of the Lintong region and is processed with the local wet-hulled method, in which the parchment is stripped while the beans are still half-dry and half-wet, leaving them fully exposed to the air as they finish drying - which is exactly what gives Mandheling its characteristic herbaceous and spice notes. Roasted medium-dark, it is low in acidity and full in body, with caramel, dark chocolate and toasted bread aromas and a long, sweet finish.

For the top of the Indonesian ladder, FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling is the flagship of the PWN trading house, which buys only specialty-grade Mandheling. The green beans are sorted by density, screen size, shape and color and pass through one mechanical and three hand sorts to remove every defect, leaving plump, even, translucent beans with far less of Mandheling's earthy, grassy character. Freshly roasted, it delivers sandalwood, herbs, spices, roasted hazelnut, caramel and dark chocolate - clean, sweet and full-bodied, with a great deal of complexity.

And if you want to taste what a touch of Robusta can do in a blend, FrontStreet Classic Espresso Blend adds a small proportion of Robusta to a base built for richness and roasts it dark, pushing the dark chocolate, nut and caramel notes as far as they will go. It is a forgiving bean that lets even a beginner pull a proper, full-bodied espresso.