Introduction to Coffee Bean Varieties and Flavor Characteristics - A Comparison of Arabica Specialty Coffee Bean Varieties and Tastes

Introduction to Coffee Bean Varieties

With the growing popularity of coffee culture, coffee has gradually integrated into people's daily lives. More and more people enjoy the taste of black coffee, while others prefer Italian-style coffee with sugar and milk. Different types of coffee beans produce different flavors - some have rich fruit notes, some are quite acidic, and others have a slightly bitter taste. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to the varieties of coffee beans.

Although there are numerous coffee bean varieties, they can be divided into three main categories by species: Arabica, Robusta, and the less common Liberica. Coffee shops like FrontStreet Coffee and other independent cafés typically use Arabica beans, while Robusta is commonly used for instant coffee.

If we classify coffee beans by region, there are many more categories, such as Jamaican coffee, Ethiopian coffee, Indonesian coffee, Tanzanian coffee, and so on. Coffee beans from different producing countries offer vastly different taste profiles, something FrontStreet Coffee has deeply experienced.

Coffee Growing Regions and Their Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee has sampled many types of coffee beans from over 50 different coffee-growing regions, each with its own unique flavor profile. FrontStreet Coffee would like to share some of the most memorable coffee regions.

Among these, Costa Rican coffee beans stand out as one example. During cupping sessions with Costa Rican coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee found that Costa Rican beans demonstrate excellent balance and richness, with vibrant acidity and fruity aromas. The sweet aftertaste lingers in the mouth for a long time. However, not all Costa Rican beans are exceptional - some ordinary beans lack distinctive characteristics, so you need to try many varieties to find your preferred flavor.

When mentioning Costa Rican coffee beans, the most famous are honey-processed beans. FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rican single-origin coffees use more than two types of honey processing methods, such as the honey-processed Frontsteet Canet Estate Musician Series coffees - Frontsteet Bach and Frontsteet Mozart coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee has discovered that honey-processed coffee beans offer a sweeter taste compared to other processing methods. Taking Frontsteet Bach coffee beans as an example, they use raisin honey processing to treat the coffee fruit. After flotation sorting, only mature coffee cherries are selected. The pulp and skin are removed, but the mucilage layer is not washed away through water fermentation. Instead, the mucilage is retained for sun-drying. Based on the amount of mucilage retained, this process is divided into yellow honey (40% mucilage), red honey (25% mucilage), and black honey (almost all mucilage retained).

Ethiopian Coffee Beans

Coffee beans processed with the honey method offer a sweeter taste than other processing methods. Other coffee bean varieties processed differently also have their own unique characteristics, such as Ethiopian coffee beans. Ethiopia offers numerous coffee varieties. Due to economic conditions and protective policies, Ethiopian coffee beans are considered local native varieties. This is why when purchasing Ethiopian coffee beans, you'll notice significant variations in bean size.

Among Ethiopian coffees, the most famous regions are Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, which became independent from Sidamo due to its unique coffee flavor. Both washed and natural-processed beans from the Yirgacheffe region are renowned. If you frequently visit FrontStreet Coffee, you'll find many green bean and roasted bean samples in the shop. Generally, washed green beans are bluish-green, while natural-processed green beans are yellowish-green.

The differences between these processing methods are significant. You'll find that washed-processed coffee beans have more silver skin, while natural-processed beans have relatively less silver skin compared to washed ones. Of course, the roasting level also affects silver skin - the darker the roast, the more completely the silver skin comes off. Ethiopian coffee processing traditionally uses natural methods for Yirgacheffe coffee, but to ensure consistent high-quality production, washing methods are also employed. Frontsteet Yirgacheffe Gotiti, for example, is washed-processed, offering citrus and black tea notes upon tasting.

Panamanian Coffee Varieties

Panamanian coffee beans are also exceptional, with Geisha being the most famous variety. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped both Panamanian La Esmeralda and Ethiopian Geisha coffee beans. When cupping Frontsteet Ethiopian Geisha Village Geisha, Frontsteet selected the cost-effective Frontsteet Panamanian La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha coffee available at the shop. Its dry aroma features prominent berry notes. After adding hot water, as the coffee grounds gradually moisten, mature fruit aromas become more apparent. When Frontsteet began tasting this Frontsteet Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, beyond the intense berry sweetness, it also revealed cherry and honey flavors with a fermented aftertaste characteristic of natural processing. As the coffee cooled, Frontsteet detected more berry and caramel flavors, with noticeable sweetness and a long-lasting aftertaste.

Besides Geisha coffee, Panamanian coffee varieties include Caturra and Catuai. La Esmeralda Estate strictly classifies their Geisha coffee and has also divided Caturra and Catuai varieties into Diamond Mountain and Palmilla brands.

FrontStreet Coffee recently acquired Frontsteet Panamanian Diamond Mountain coffee beans. Even though these Panamanian beans are grown on the same estate as Geisha coffee, their flavor profiles differ significantly. For example, Frontsteet Panamanian Diamond Mountain coffee beans don't have the intense floral and fruity aromas characteristic of Geisha coffee. Instead, they offer more chocolate flavors with very prominent spice notes and considerable sweetness.

Conclusion

Beyond the coffee varieties mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee has many more coffee stories to share. If you're interested, please follow FrontStreet Coffee's official account.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473