Which arabica variety suits your cup?

Arabica is one of the three main coffee species, not a single variety. It carries the most flavor among the three and a caffeine content of roughly 0.8% to 1.5%, accounting for about 75% of global coffee production. The plants are delicate: they need high altitude, tolerate low temperatures but not frost, resist drought poorly, and fall victim to leaf rust easily.

Common names in shops, such as Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai, are subspecies derived from the Arabica variety rather than separate species. Robusta makes up around 20% of world production and Liberica only about 2%. Beans labeled 100% pure Arabica are considered high quality and are often treated as a synonym for specialty coffee.

Many people drink Arabica every day, yet may not truly understand it. Arabica is not a single variety, but one of the three major coffee species, with the best flavor and a caffeine content of only 0.8%-1.5%, while accounting for about 75% of global production. But it is inherently delicate, able to grow only at high altitudes, afraid of frost and drought, and susceptible to leaf rust. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article sorts out the origin of the name Arabica and its spread, and introduces one by one the characteristics and representative beans of common derivative varieties such as Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai, helping coffee lovers more accurately choose the cup that suits them.

Arabica, that is, Arabica, refers to a coffee variety. According to Front Street Coffee, coffee worldwide is mainly divided into three major varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Among them, Arabica has the most outstanding flavor performance, so it is often used to make specialty coffee, and its caffeine content is about 0.8%-1.5%. It is also the most widely planted coffee bean variety in the world today, with Arabica coffee beans produced in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and other regions.

Because it has the best flavor among the three major varieties, Arabica accounts for about 75% of the world's total coffee production; Robusta accounts for about 20% of total production, while Liberica accounts for only 2%.

However, although Arabica seems full of advantages, it is actually quite delicate. It is only suitable for growing at high altitudes, can tolerate low temperatures but cannot withstand frost, has weak drought resistance, and is also prone to pests and diseases—for example, coffee tree "leaf rust" once caused countless coffee farmers immense suffering. For this reason, hybrid varieties of Arabica and Robusta later emerged. In addition, Arabica is only a general term for a species; for example, the common coffee varieties in Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores are actually subspecies derived from Arabica, such as Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and others, all of which are pure Arabica variety coffee beans.

So-called 100% pure Arabica coffee beans refer to high-quality coffee beans and are also synonymous with specialty coffee. This is because only coffee varieties derived from Arabica can score 80 points or above in cupping, while the flavor of Robusta variety coffee beans is far from reaching this level.

So how did the name Arabica coffee bean come about?

The name Arabica originated in the Arab world. Enthusiasts familiar with coffee history know that coffee originated in Africa. Local tribes first chewed coffee leaves to refresh themselves, and later, after research by Arab scholars, they changed to roasting the seeds to make a beverage. For religious reasons, coffee once replaced alcohol, which was prohibited, and thus became widely popular in the Arab world. This is precisely the source of the name "Arabica."

Later, coffee spread from the Arab world through the Ottoman Empire to Europe, and then to the New World of the Americas, spreading along the routes of trade and colonial expansion. Therefore, Western countries all called this coffee beans from the Arab world, and over time it evolved into the name Arabica coffee beans.

The above is the relevant knowledge about Arabica coffee beans compiled by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). So what are the common Arabica derivative varieties on the market today? And which coffee beans among them are the more famous ones? Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will answer for everyone the most common Arabica variety coffee beans on the market.

Typica

According to Front Street, Typica is the oldest variety in the Arabica branch and also the oldest native variety in Ethiopia. Today, almost all coffee bean varieties belonging to Arabica are derived from Typica. Typica has an elegant flavor, but its constitution is weak, its disease resistance is low, and it is susceptible to leaf rust, so its yield is low and it is difficult to meet economic benefits. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has gradually been replaced by Caturra and Catuai, so Typica is becoming increasingly rare. To taste the elegant flavor of Typica, Front Street Yunnan Small-Bean Typica, Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain, and Front Street Bird of Paradise are recommended.

Representative Typica coffee variety---Front Street Bird of Paradise Coffee Beans

Country: Papua New Guinea

Region: Sigri Estate Altitude: 1600~1800m Variety: Typica Processing method: Washed Flavor: Nuts, dark cocoa, cream, citrus, balanced

Bourbon

Bourbon is a subspecies produced by a mutation of Typica. It was discovered on Bourbon Island, so it is called Bourbon coffee, and together with Typica it is one of the oldest existing coffee varieties. When the green fruit matures, it turns bright red. Compared with Typica, Bourbon has broader leaves and denser growth. Although its yield is higher than Typica, its harvest period is also 2 years. It is also considered a low-yield variety, yet it has a high-quality taste, with an acidity resembling red wine and a sweet aftertaste.

Representative Bourbon variety coffee beans---Front Street Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans

Country: Brazil Region: São Paulo State (Queen's Estate) Altitude: 1400-1950m Variety: Yellow Bourbon Processing method: Semi-dry/Natural Flavor: Nuts, cream, peanut, fermented fruit, sucrose

Caturra

Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon. It was discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its productivity and disease resistance are both better than Bourbon, and the tree is shorter, making harvesting easier. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it has the periodic problem of fluctuating production every two years. However, its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon beans. More importantly, its adaptability is extremely strong. It does not need shade trees and can thrive even when directly exposed to strong sunlight. It is commonly known as sun-grown coffee. It can adapt to high-density planting, but requires more fertilizer, increasing costs, so early coffee farmers did not accept it very well.

Representative Caturra coffee variety---Front Street Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Coffee Beans

Country: Panama Region: Boquete Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda Altitude: 1400-1700m Variety: Catuai, Caturra Processing method: Natural process Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, fermented notes, cocoa

Catuai

Catuai is a hybrid Arabica variety, a cross between Mundo Novo (New World) and Caturra. It has relatively good resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. It inherits the advantage of Caturra's low tree height and changes the shortcomings of Mundo Novo; another advantage is that the fruit is firm and not easy to fall off when blown by strong winds, making up for the weakness of Arabica fruit being fragile. However, its overall flavor performance is more monotonous than Caturra, and also more monotonous than Mundo Novo and lacking in body, which is the greatest regret. In addition, its fruit growth and harvest life span is only about ten years, and too short a life span is also one of its weaknesses.

Representative Catuai coffee variety---Front Street Costa Rica Beethoven Coffee Beans

Country: Costa Rica Region: Tarrazu Region (Canet Estate) Altitude: 1900m Variety: Catuai Processing method: Washed process Flavor: Citrus, berries, floral fragrance, light fermented wine aroma

The above are some of the Arabica bean varieties commonly seen on the market. We hope this can help coffee fans understand what Arabica variety coffee beans are, so they can choose coffee beans that suit their own taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.