Types of Coffee Beans: Introduction to the Best Tasting Coffee Bean Varieties and Top Choices for Brewing

Understanding Coffee Bean Varieties

Walk down any supermarket coffee aisle and you will notice that "coffee" is not a single product but a whole family of them. So how many types of coffee beans are there? If you care about what is actually in your cup, the flood of mixed information about coffee types can be overwhelming, and the labels on the bags rarely help. This guide sorts it out.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica is the most common and most popular coffee in the world, and it is the most common ingredient in any blend. The species originated in Ethiopia; some argue it was first found in Yemen, but the accepted history is that it was discovered and domesticated in Ethiopia and soon afterward carried to Yemen, where it became famous in the port city of Mocha.

Arabica is the less caffeinated of the two main commercial species, containing only 1.5% caffeine. It also happens to be a sweeter, fatter bean than Robusta, which produces the more aromatic, milder cup that most drinkers prefer. Arabica and its subspecies together account for about 60% of the world's total coffee production. Their great weakness is susceptibility to pests and disease, a problem that has shaped the industry's history.

Arabica is demanding about where it grows: it needs an annual average of about 21°C to thrive, along with humidity, a balance of sun and shade, and high altitude. Not many countries can offer that landscape and climate.

Robusta: The Hardier, More Resistant Coffee Bean

Robusta also originated in Ethiopia, but it was not recognized as a distinct species until roughly 100 years after Arabica came into being. Its name reflects its strong resistance to pests and disease, which allows it to produce a larger crop each year than Arabica.

The trade-off is flavor. Robusta simply tastes harsher, which does not work for many drinkers. People often compare it to burnt tires and dirt, though roasting plays a part in that impression. Consider that Robusta has less than half the sugar and fat content of Arabica but twice the caffeine at 2.7%, and you understand why it is not the general public's favorite.

For espresso, however, Robusta has real advantages. Its chemical composition helps it produce a large amount of coffee oil, which is precisely what espresso relies on.

Because its flavor is so assertive, Robusta is also a sensible choice for iced lattes: the coffee note stands out clearly, and the brewed result is by default stronger than Arabica.

Coffee Blends

A blend combines Arabica and Robusta. The point is to balance flavor against caffeine content, since Arabica on its own brings less caffeine.

Commercial Coffee Subspecies

Both Arabica and Robusta have quite a few subspecies, yet they are rarely called that - partly because each has its own name, and partly because most people simply do not know the difference. You might, for example, find a "100% Arabica" bag beside an "Arabica and Blue Mountain blend" and reasonably conclude that Blue Mountain is a different type of coffee from Arabica. It is not.

Liberica

When coffee rust disease wiped out Arabica crops, Liberica was brought to the Philippines. It has a woodier taste with a touch of smoke, and some floral notes, but it is a challenging coffee to enjoy.

Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain grows only in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. It is not very bitter and leans sweet. It is a variety of ordinary Arabica.

Bourbon

Bourbon is a subspecies of Arabica, grown mainly on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. It mutated and developed its own flavor, and was later introduced to East Africa in 1897, where it became known as French Missionary because French missionaries brought it to the region. In Rwanda, Bourbon is called Mayagurez.

Catimor

Catimor is a hybrid of the Caturra and Timor subspecies, both of which are themselves Bourbon subspecies. This is common in the coffee lineage: many strains differ only slightly from the original beans yet carry a name of their own.

Why the Coffee Industry Is So Diverse

Why would anyone collect such a range of coffee beans, and if Robusta was not that good to begin with, how did it rise to prominence? Start with the fact that Arabica is a very sensitive plant - mainly to pests and disease, but also to sunlight, sun and shade balance, and general growing conditions.

It is also labor-intensive. It flowers only a few years after first planting (3-5 years), and when it does flower and produce coffee cherries, it does not produce many of them. Arabica yields far less than Robusta, which means many more plants are needed for the same volume.

Then came a fateful day in 1867, when coffee rust disease became well known in Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon (hence Ceylon tea, by the way). The fungus originally came from Ethiopia, and how it traveled all the way to Sri Lanka is still unknown. The key point is that large coffee farms became useless, because Arabica is so easily infected and there is to this day no known cure.

So Robusta began to be planted where Arabica had been infected, in the hope of driving the fungus away. It worked, and most of Asia's Robusta crop can be traced to that event. This is not the only reason Robusta grows there, but it is a significant one. Liberica was also called upon in some places where the fungus spread, and it too can resist it and grow successfully.

Since then, the industry has planted more and more coffee subspecies, with hybrids promising both flavor and disease resistance, some cultivated for particular aromas, and so on.

The Origins of These Coffee Beans

Coffee beans have specific needs that must be met. They require a good deal of rainfall, so fresh water nearby, and the air should not be very dry (although one subspecies does grow in the African desert). Altitude must be at least 1200 meters (0.74 miles and above).

The soil must be fertile and nutrient-rich, because coffee is a hungry plant. It consumes the nutrients in the soil quickly, so it needs a particular type of soil.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Once you understand the varieties, the clearest way to taste the difference is to compare Arabica lots from a single origin. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the natural starting point: it is the classic entry-level Ethiopian cup, with jasmine florals and a bright citrus acidity that is easy to enjoy even if you are new to lighter roasts.

For a more concentrated version of the same character, look at FrontStreet Coffee's Gutiti Cooperative lot from the Woka area southeast of Yirgacheffe. Gutiti was originally part of the Woka cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union, and in 2012 it became an independent cooperative with roughly 300 member farmers, which makes its lots traceable to a single village. The washed process keeps the cup clean, with citrus and lemon notes and an elegant white floral finish.

If you would rather explore the naturally processed side of Arabica, FrontStreet Coffee's naturally processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry lot is described as honey peach, cocoa, honey and lemon. Natural processing lets the fruit sugars develop in the bean before the dried husk is removed, so expect a fuller, sweeter cup than the washed lots.

Whichever type you choose, buy a smaller bag and drink it within the first few weeks after roast. That is the single easiest way to taste what a given variety actually offers.