What Does Arabica Mean? Coffee Bean Varieties from These Three Major Branches

Introduction to Coffee Varieties by FrontStreet Coffee

The quality of a cup of coffee ultimately comes down to the beans, and the quality of the beans is inseparable from their variety. Hundreds of coffee varieties are grown commercially today, but all of them descend from three main species:

Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica originates in the Ethiopian highlands and is grown across the tropics, with major producing areas in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. It is the world's dominant coffee variety and stands out for flavor and quality. The better the quality, however, the more demanding the plant: Arabica is extremely particular about where it grows, requiring a specific altitude, temperature, and humidity, annual rainfall of no less than 1,400 millimeters, fertile soil, and the right balance of sun and shade. It is fair to call it the nobility of coffee.

Grown in those conditions, Arabica trees develop slowly and resist pests and disease poorly, leaving them vulnerable to cold winds and drought. Compared with the other two species, Arabica is a little harder to cultivate, which keeps annual production lower. Its caffeine content, though, is only 1% of the bean's weight.

Robusta Coffee

Robusta naturally lacks Arabica's distinctive aroma, but it has a rich, mellow taste with slight bitterness and low acidity. Robusta trees originate in the Congo region of Africa, with major production in Indonesia and Vietnam, and their output accounts for the majority of the world's coffee supply. The trees have modest environmental requirements and strong adaptability, tolerating harsh climates and pest pressure, so they need little attention and are relatively easy to grow.

Robusta beans are, however, more bitter than Arabica and of much lower quality, which is why they mostly go into instant coffee. The coffee sold in convenience stores typically uses Robusta beans.

Liberica Coffee

Liberica trees originate in Liberia, Africa. They have a shorter cultivation history than the other two species and are grown in only a few places, such as Liberia in West Africa, Suriname, and Guyana, so their production accounts for less than 5% of the world total. Liberica suits the lowlands, and the beans it produces have an extremely strong aroma and bitterness. They are rarely discussed because of their poor quality and low production.

Coffee sold on the market today is mainly Arabica and Robusta. Liberica production in Malaysia and the Philippines is relatively small and rarely exported.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee shop dedicated to sharing knowledge about coffee with everyone. We share our expertise without reservation to help more people fall in love with coffee. We also hold three low-discount coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Arabica is the species behind virtually every specialty coffee, and Ethiopia, its birthplace, is the best place to start tasting the range. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the classic introduction, with clear jasmine fragrance and bright citrus acidity—light, elegant, and tea-like. Yirgacheffe is a town in southern Ethiopia's Sidama zone at roughly 1,700–2,100 meters, with coffee planted above 1,800 meters, and its cool, misty, humid climate is what produces that distinctive floral and fruit character.

Because most Ethiopian coffee is grown by smallholders who deliver their cherries to village-level processing stations, the country's coffees are often named for a cooperative. FrontStreet Coffee's Gidding Cooperative coffee comes from the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, originally part of the YCFCU-affiliated Worka cooperative; in 2012, with about 300 members, it became independent. Removing the pulp before drying lets the coffee's inherent aromatics come through, giving citrus and lemon with elegant white florals. FrontStreet Coffee also offers varieties that show how broad Arabica really is: Sun-Dried Huakui, a medium-light natural from Hambella in Sidamo's Guji zone with a light fermented wine note, florals, citrus and mango, honey sweetness, a cocoa accent, a thick body, and a long finish; and Hamasho, whose 74158 beans from a JARC-released disease-resistant line are small and intensely floral and fruity, with perfumed lemon, strawberry, and starfruit on the nose and clear strawberry, starfruit, and green grape sweetness in the cup.

For drinkers curious about the wildest end of Arabica, FrontStreet Coffee's Kaffa Forest is grown between 1,400 and 2,100 meters in shaded, near-pristine conditions on red soil with ample rainfall. Roasted medium-light, it shows clear white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot, a faint melon and nut sweetness on the finish, and a green-tea-like body.