Flavor Characteristics and Differences of the Three Main Coffee Varieties - Major Producing Countries Introduction

There are three major native coffee varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Arabica ranks first in production, accounting for approximately 75% of the world's coffee total, with subvarieties such as Bourbon and Typica. Robusta accounts for about 20% of the world's total coffee production. Liberica only accounts for 2% of the total and is primarily cultivated in the Asia-Pacific region.

Arabica

Arabica, also known as small-grained coffee beans, originates from Ethiopia. It was the first discovered coffee variety and is considered the highest quality among coffee bean varieties. Currently, it is the world's primary coffee bean variety, cultivated in various countries in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. Arabica has many subvarieties, all derived from mutations after the transplantation of Ethiopia's oldest Typica and Yemen's Bourbon to Central and South America or Asia; the varieties are too numerous to list. However, specialty coffee mainly refers to high-altitude Arabica cultivated with care, and there are not too many varieties in this category.

Arabica coffee is mainly produced in Brazil and Colombia in South America, various countries in Central America, Costa Rica in the Caribbean Sea, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Ethiopia, and other countries. Generally, familiar coffee beans such as FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Santos, Sumatra Mandheling, Yemen Mocha, Jamaica Blue Mountain, and FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Natural Typica, all belong to high-quality Arabica coffee beans.

Arabica typically grows between 2.5 to 4.5 meters, tolerates low temperatures but cannot withstand frost, has weak drought resistance, features larger beans, clean flavor, mellow taste, and low caffeine content. The suitable growing temperature is 15-24°C; it requires high humidity with annual rainfall of no less than 1500ml, and has higher requirements for cultivation techniques.

The Arabica coffee tree belongs to larger shrubs, with oval-shaped, dark green leaves. The fruits are also oval-shaped, typically containing two slightly flattened beans. The front side shows a long oval shape with narrow, curved S-shaped cracks in the middle, while the back side has a relatively flat arc. The caffeine content is approximately 0.8%-1.5%. Appearance: smaller bean shape, with a long oval front side, narrow and tortuous cracks in the middle, relatively flat arc on the back, consistent size, and uniform glossy color.

Arabica also has many subvarieties, all derived from mutations after the transplantation of Ethiopia's oldest Typica and Yemen's Bourbon to Central and South America or Asia, with numerous varieties. In the third wave of specialty coffee trends, specialty coffee refers to four evaluation aspects: variety, altitude, processing method, and cupping score. Among these, coffee bean varieties are mainly Arabica.

The excellent flavor and aroma of Arabica coffee make it the only coffee among these native varieties that can be consumed directly and individually. Coffees like FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain, Indonesian Mandheling, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Brazilian coffee all belong to single-origin coffees. However, it has weak resistance to drought, frost damage, and pests, particularly being vulnerable to coffee's greatest enemy - leaf rust disease. Therefore, all producing countries are committed to improving varieties.

Arabica coffee produced in different regions, at different altitudes, and in different climatic origins has its own characteristics, displaying distinctly different personality flavors. When unroasted, it smells like fresh grass. After proper roasting, it reveals "fruity aroma" (light to medium roast) and "caramel flavor" (dark roast). It is suitable for single-origin and various blend beans, and can be brewed using various extraction techniques.

Of course, the now popular SOE (Single Origin Espresso) is made from single-origin specialty coffee.

Typica

Typica is Ethiopia's oldest native variety. The top leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, and the beans are oval or slender-pointed in shape. It has an elegant flavor but is physically weak, with poor disease resistance and low fruit yield. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, Sumatra Lintong Mandheling, and Hawaiian Kona all belong to the Typica variety.

Bourbon

Bourbon is a variant of early Typica after transplantation to Yemen, with the bean shape changing from slender-pointed to round. In 1715, after France transplanted the round Yemen Mocha beans to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Réunion Island after the French Revolution), it was named Bourbon. The round Bourbon beans were辗转传 to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727. In 1732, Britain also transplanted Yemen Mocha to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later imprisoned), which were also round Bourbon beans. Bourbon is the perennial champion in American specialty coffee cupping.

Bourbon coffee beans are divided into Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon based on their different mature colors. Among them, Red Bourbon is the most common, and when people generally refer to Bourbon variety, they default to Red Bourbon. Red Bourbon typically has better aroma and brighter acidity, with even a fermented mellow flavor similar to red wine. The FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Cerrado coffee beans in the FrontStreet Coffee's daily brew series are Red Bourbon.

Robusta

Robusta, also known as medium-grained coffee beans, originates from the Congo in Africa. Robusta coffee trees are mostly cultivated in lowlands at altitudes of 200-800 meters, preferring warm climates with temperature requirements of 24-29°C. The requirements for rainfall are not high. However, this variety relies on insects or wind for pollination, so the time from pollination to fruiting is 9-11 months, relatively longer than Arabica.

The Robusta coffee tree is a species between shrubs and tall trees, with longer leaves of bright green color. The tree can reach up to 10 meters in height, but its roots are very shallow. The fruit shape is fuller than Arabica beans, with the central line cracking vertically. From the side view, it is usually flat or raised in the middle, feeling harder than Arabica beans, like small stones. The Robusta variety accounts for approximately 20%-30% of the world's production.

Appearance: larger bean shape, with the front side gradually becoming round and the back showing a convex shape, with straight cracks. The origin of Robusta coffee trees is in central and western Africa and Madagascar Island in eastern Africa, as well as Indonesia in Asia. Its taste is more bitter and astringent than Arabica varieties, with higher caffeine content and significantly inferior quality, so it is mostly used to make instant coffee. Since its main producing region is in Africa, most Africans drink Robusta coffee.

The higher the caffeine content, the less rich the coffee flavor will be. Robusta has higher caffeine, amino acid, and chlorogenic acid content. Chlorogenic acid is the source of bitterness, so Robusta naturally lacks the unique elegant aroma of Arabica beans. Through cupping Robusta coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee found that its flavor is more mellow and has a lower body compared to Arabica coffee, with flavors of walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, wheat, grains, and even pungent earthy and rubber notes.

Although Robusta variety coffee is not as good as Arabica, Robusta, as a very important variety in the coffee world, has made indelible contributions in the commercial world. The value of Robusta is not to serve as a negative example to highlight how superior Arabica's flavor is; it has an unshakable position in espresso blends. Italian blends add a small amount of Robusta to increase the body of coffee, creating Espresso with richer crema.

When Espresso blends with milk, it presents a rich and full-bodied texture. Milk coffee becomes more intense and mellow due to the complementary nature of Robusta and Arabica, with Robusta compensating for Arabica's body.

It is mainly used in espresso blends to increase body and obtain rich crema. Although Robusta's flavor cannot compare with Arabica, it has its own value. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's commercial espresso blend coffee beans contain 10% Robusta beans, and the resulting espresso has more and thicker crema than specialty coffee, suitable for daily drink preparation in coffee shops.

Liberica

Liberica coffee variety might be relatively less heard of. Liberica, also known as large-grained coffee, originates from Liberia in Africa and a few other countries including Malaysia. Its cultivation history is slightly shorter than the other two coffee tree varieties. Liberica coffee trees are suitable for planting in lowlands. Their trunks are tall and strong, reaching 18 meters in height, with large and tough leaves, and both fruits and coffee beans are large. Its seed coat tightly adheres to the kernel, and when mature, it is vermilion in color.

It has strong flavor, moderate caffeine content, strong irritant properties, and poor quality. Due to its unique taste, low demand, and small cultivation area, its production volume is also small, accounting for less than 5% of the world's coffee production.

Liberica originally grew in the low-altitude forests of Liberia on the West African coast, and its name is derived from its place of origin, Liberia. Liberica coffee trees are much taller than Arabica or Robusta varieties, reaching 6-20 meters in height. The coffee fruits produced by Liberica are also larger than the other two coffee varieties, hence Liberica is also known as large-fruited variety. Its coffee flavor is famous for its intense woody and smoky notes. Liberica, Arabica, and Canephora (Robusta) are collectively known as the three major coffee varieties in the commercial coffee market. Liberica coffee accounts for 2% of world consumption, appearing insignificant compared to Arabica (about 75%) and Robusta (about 20%).

Liberica, also known as large-grained coffee beans, has extremely strong vitality, but simultaneously has weak flavor and leaf rust resistance. Its cultivation volume is less than 1%, and it has basically withdrawn from the commercial market, only preserved in scientific research.

Among all coffee varieties, Liberica has the lowest caffeine content. Robusta has the highest content, containing 2.26 grams of caffeine per 100 grams of beans. Arabica coffee follows with 1.61 grams of caffeine per 100 grams of beans. Liberica contains only 1.23 grams of caffeine per 100 grams of beans. Although Liberica's caffeine content is lower than Arabica and Robusta, its flavor is indeed less friendly. The main notes of Liberica coffee flavor are the richness of nuts and dark chocolate and smoky aroma. It has intense, strong flavors, even with earthy and woody notes. Compared to Arabica's cheerful and pleasant flavors, Liberica's flavor appears heavier and more melancholic.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions:

The above is an introduction to the three original coffee varieties. Regardless of what kind of coffee you brew, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it is at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for further resting, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide in the package can also help the coffee flavor become mellow, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because ground coffee oxidizes relatively quickly after contact with air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee flavor won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing whole beans and grinding them fresh before brewing to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the personal WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee (WeChat ID: qjcoffeex).

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