Types of Arabica Coffee and the Pleasantly Sour Aroma of Typica Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: An Introduction to Typica

Broadly speaking, coffee is divided into three original species: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

Virtually every coffee grown anywhere in the world falls into one of these three. The Blue Mountain, Colombian, and Mandheling coffees we hear about most often are all Arabica. In cafés and milk-tea shops, most espresso is a blend of Arabica and Robusta, and the instant coffee many of us grew up with is Robusta too. As for Liberica, it has little commercial value and is produced only in small quantities, kept mainly for research purposes.

All of the specialty coffee on the market today is Arabica. Because of its outstanding cup quality, Arabica has given rise to many varieties and, in turn, many smaller cultivars.

Typica — literally "the typical one" — is the representative variety of the Arabica species, and the earliest variety to be carried from Yemen to India, Indonesia, and Central and South America, where it flourished everywhere it was planted. The old Typica lines produce large beans with a distinctly pointed, elongated shape, though after generations in the New World, many different forms have emerged, including more oval, smaller-grained types.

In the cup, Typica is prized for its balance, with mildness and smoothness as its greatest strengths. Its acidity and aroma are gentle rather than sharp or unpredictable, which makes it a good choice for drinkers who shy away from acid. One caveat: when Typica is grown below 1,000 meters or in excessively hot conditions, it can easily take on a woody taste. Poor disease resistance and low productivity are its biggest weaknesses as a crop.

Typica is also known as the classic old line of small-grain coffee. Because yields are low and cultivation is difficult, it commands a much higher price than ordinary commodity coffee. Typica green beans are smaller than Catimor's — a useful identifying feature.

Typica coffee traces back to Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan, and it remains the most widely planted variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plants are relatively vigorous but intolerant of strong light, and they yield well in Hawaii. Typica's young top leaves are reddish-bronze, which is why it is sometimes called red-tipped coffee.

Summary

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research studio that happily shares coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation because we want more people to fall in love with coffee, and every month we run three special-discount coffee events. Our principle for the past 6 years has been simple: let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Curious what a classic Arabica tastes like in the cup? Mandheling — Indonesia's signature Arabica — is a great place to start. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling comes from the PWN company in Indonesia, which applies unusually strict grading: beans are selected at 18 mesh or larger, and every 300-gram sample of green beans must contain fewer than 3 defective beans to meet the top G1 grade, followed by three rounds of hand sorting to remove any remaining flaws.

The result is a cup with exceptional cleanliness and sweetness. FrontStreet roasts it medium-dark to bring out dark chocolate and caramel flavors while keeping Mandheling's signature wild herbal character. For pour-over, try 15 grams of coffee, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, water at 87–88°C, a coarse-sugar grind, and a three-stage pour: 30ml to bloom, 100ml to lift the bed, then a gentle final pour of 95ml through the center.

If you'd rather pull espresso, the FrontStreet classic blend — Brazil's creamy nuttiness layered with medium-dark Mandheling — delivers butter, roasted chestnut, and caramel notes, with a touch of Robusta added for richer crema. Whether you prefer gentle Typica or bold Mandheling, there's an Arabica for every palate.