In the world of coffee, Arabica and Robusta are the two most frequently mentioned varieties, and the former almost represents the mainstream direction of specialty coffee. This article starts from plant taxonomy, sorts out Arabica's varietal characteristics, flavor advantages, and disease resistance weaknesses, and introduces one by one the cultivation varieties, processing methods, and grading standards of representative origins such as Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Indonesia. The article also combines Front Street Coffee's store selection and recommended bean list to help readers build a complete cognitive framework from variety to origin.

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In plant taxonomy, coffee belongs to the genus Coffea in the family Rubiaceae. This genus includes at least over a hundred species, and about eighty coffee tree varieties have been confirmed so far. Among them, there are mainly three cultivated varieties specifically used for beverage production: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

Generally speaking, Arabica is mostly used for single-origin or specialty coffee, while Robusta is often processed into instant coffee. However, directly defining Arabica as premium and Robusta as inferior is not entirely accurate. A more reasonable way is to judge based on personally preferred flavors. From the perspective of taste preferences, consumers in the United States and Japan more often drink the light and elegant coffee brewed from Arabica, while Europeans prefer espresso made from a blend of Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica Advantages: High-quality coffee beans with outstanding flavor and aroma

Arabica originated in Ethiopia and is a representative variety of that country. It is also grown in southern Africa, other African countries, and Asia, accounting for about 70% to 75% of global coffee production. Because Arabica has relatively weak resistance to pests and diseases, it is more suitable for cultivation at high altitudes, especially Arabica coffee beans produced above 1,500 meters, which are of better quality.

Only after such careful cultivation can the resulting good quality, with balanced flavor, mouthfeel, and aroma, be recognized as premium coffee beans, mainly used for single-origin coffee or specialty coffee. The three famous coffee beans — Hawaiian Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Yemeni Mocha — all belong to the Arabica variety. Arabica green beans appear dark, narrow, and elongated. They are regarded as the highest-quality highland Arabica variety, and their characteristic lies in combining sweetness, acidity, and aroma with rich layers.

In terms of flavor performance, Arabica coffee beans are recognized as the best coffee beans. Since the rise of the specialty coffee concept, they have consistently occupied the specialty coffee consumer market. Taking the Arabica sub-variety Typica as an example, it has excellent acidity and a very high cupping score. As the oldest coffee variety, it possesses a very outstanding genetic foundation. And the Geisha coffee variety, now widely known in the specialty coffee market, has conquered the taste buds of many coffee lovers with its fresh floral aroma and pleasant acidity.

The Shortcomings of Arabica

Arabica accounts for 70% of total coffee production, but its resistance to pests and diseases is relatively weak, so many varieties with stronger disease resistance were later cultivated. In addition, Arabica also has many sub-varieties formed through mutation or hybridization, such as Typica, Bourbon, and Geisha. At Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores, Arabica sub-variety coffee beans are not uncommon. For single-origin and specialty coffee, more than 50 kinds of coffee beans from different origins are listed, which can satisfy different taste needs. In addition, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores also have more bean categories not yet listed for tasting.

Famous Arabica Origin Coffees

The emergence of specialty coffee has not only drawn attention to coffee's individuality, but also made people more interested in the cultivation or processing conditions of origins. Next, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce the current situation of these origins that have attracted worldwide attention.

Brazil

Brazil is the world's largest coffee country in terms of planted area and production. In recent years, Brazil's domestic coffee consumption has also gradually increased, making it the world's second-largest consumer after the United States. Brazil began producing coffee in 1727. Because the climate is suitable for growing coffee trees and there is vast fertile soil, the main producing areas are in the southeastern states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Paraná. However, in recent years, the southern region has suffered frost damage, and the cultivated area has gradually shifted northward. At present, large estates in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais are actively introducing irrigation facilities and mechanized equipment. Coffee trees are also grown in diversified ways. In addition to Arabica varieties such as Bourbon, Conillon varieties resistant to pests and diseases are also planted.

Brazilian coffee mostly has low acidity. Combined with the coffee's bittersweetness, it is extremely smooth on the palate, and also carries a faint grassy aroma. It is lightly fragrant with slight bitterness, sweet and smooth, and the aftertaste is refreshing and pleasant. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) selected a Bourbon coffee from Queen's Estate as the representative of Brazil. This coffee has obvious nutty and chocolate flavors, medium caramel sweetness, a smooth mouthfeel, and overall balance.

Cultivated Varieties

Arabica varieties such as Bourbon, Mundo Novo, and Catuai, as well as Conillon.

Processing

Mainly natural process, with some coffee beans using honey process.

Grading Method

Grades are distinguished from "No. 2" to "No. 6" according to screen size and number of defects. Screen sizes are S17 (6.75mm) to S18 (7mm). In a 300-gram sample, those with a defect score lower than 11 points from mixed defective beans are rated as the highest grade "No. 2" (also called Type 2).

Colombia

On the steep slopes at about 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level at the foot of the Andes, whose average altitude exceeds 4,000 meters, are small estates that make up Colombia's coffee origins. Colombia is currently the world's third-largest coffee-producing country, after Brazil and Vietnam. Supporting Colombia's coffee industry is the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, which manages everything from coffee production to circulation and distribution, and actively promotes specialty coffee. They choose to plant shade trees, hand-pick coffee cherries, introduce the latest equipment suitable for small estates in order to reduce water usage, and differ from neighboring Brazil by producing distinctive high-quality coffee beans in a different way. Located on the equator, the country is characterized by two harvest periods each year.

Specialty-grade Colombian coffee (washed process) mostly carries citrus notes, nuts, and dark cocoa. It is overall smooth and rich, with dark cocoa as one of its major characteristics. At the same time, it has the delicate acidity bestowed by high altitude, making it a rare high-quality coffee-producing country, perhaps the coffee-producing country with the most distinctive Latin American character.

Cultivated Varieties

Caturra, Castillo, Colombia Typica.

Processing

It can be harvested twice a year, from October to January and from April to June. Mainly washed process.

Grading Method

Grades are distinguished by screen size. Coffee beans with a screen size of S17 (6.75mm) or above are "Supremo"; coffee beans from S14 (5.5mm) to S16 (6.5mm) are rated "Excelso".

Panama

Panama can be said to be the most popular specialty coffee-producing country today, with estates standing everywhere in the country, including the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, Finca Deborah, and Ninety Plus estates. The coffee varieties grown in Panama include Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, but the variety most characteristic of Panama is mainly Geisha. Among the many estates, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that the Geisha coffee produced by Hacienda La Esmeralda is the most representative.

Cultivated Varieties

Mostly Caturra and Catuai, and the planted quantity of Geisha also continues to increase. In addition, Typica, rare in Central America and not improved through variety breeding, is cultivated using traditional farming methods.

Processing

The harvest period is from September to March. Mainly washed process, with sun-drying or mechanical drying.

Grading Method

Graded by origin altitude. From high to low altitude, they are rated "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB) and "Hard Bean" (HB).

Guatemala

Guatemala is a very typical volcanic country. Its famous Antigua region is surrounded by three volcanoes, and the volcanic ash soil provides sufficient nutrients for coffee trees to grow. Including Antigua, Guatemala has multiple coffee-producing regions. Different regions have different growing environments and cultivation conditions, which form the taste of different origins. But Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that the most representative region of Guatemala may be Antigua.

Among the many coffee beans in the Antigua region, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) selected a La Flor del Cafe bean. La Flor del Cafe is a coffee bean under La Minita. La Minita is famous for excellent cultivation and processing techniques and extremely strict quality control. With such standards, they commissioned Las Pastores, the largest washing station in Antigua, to process the green beans, and named the coffee bean La Flor del Cafe. In addition to retaining the original origin flavor, the dry aroma carries a strong floral and tea fragrance. After entering the mouth, there is the acidity of lime and berry flavors, which then turns into a honey finish. Excellent cleanliness and rich layers are the characteristics of this La Flor del Cafe.

Cultivated Varieties

Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, etc.

Processing

The harvest period is from September to April. Mainly washed process, with sun-drying or mechanical drying.

Grading Method

Although graded by origin altitude, in many cases the grade is also determined by flavor. Origins above 1,300 meters are rated "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB); 1,200 to 1,300 meters are rated "Hard Bean" (HB); 900 to 1,050 meters are rated "Extra Prime Washed" (EPW).

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has been growing coffee for more than two hundred years. Its coffee industry is very mature, and it is one of the few countries in the world that prohibits the cultivation of Robusta coffee beans (even Catimor is not allowed). It can be said to be a country that places great emphasis on coffee quality. The characteristics of Costa Rican coffee beans come from its unique honey process — retaining part of the mucilage during drying, which gives Costa Rica the cleanliness of washed coffee while also carrying a slight sweetness of natural coffee. Nuts form the main基调, mixed with refreshing acidity, and it is full-bodied while carrying a sugar-like sweetness.

Cultivated Varieties

Caturra, Catuai, etc. Costa Rican law prohibits the cultivation of Robusta.

Processing

The harvest period is from November to March. Mainly honey process, using a method in which the pulp is removed together with the parchment.

Grading Method

Graded by origin altitude. From high to low altitude, they are rated "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), "Good Hard Bean" (GHB), and "Hard Bean" (HB).

Jamaica

For many years, Blue Mountain coffee has been subject to strict export controls, and only washed Typica has been exported to countries such as Japan. But until last year, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) also began to taste natural Typica in addition to washed Typica, and even Geisha produced in Blue Mountain. However, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has always believed that the taste of Blue Mountain coffee is still represented by washed Typica. Washed Blue Mountain coffee has citrus acidity, but the overall balance is strong. The middle section has nuts and dark cocoa, the finish is long-lasting, and the mouthfeel is mellow.

Cultivated Varieties

Although on the surrounding islands the production of Caturra is gradually increasing, in Jamaica the vast majority is Typica.

Processing

The harvest period begins in October, mainly washed process.

Grading Method

Blue Mountain has its own grading standard, distinguishing grades by screen size and number of defects. According to bean size, they are divided in order into "No.1", "No.2", and "No.3". Other coffee beans are graded by altitude or screen size, etc.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia can be said to be one of the most popular coffee-producing countries. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has an enormous number of coffee varieties and can be described as a treasure trove of coffee varieties. However, variety identification is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and most are grown by smallholders. After harvest, mixed processing makes it difficult to subdivide varieties, so Ethiopia's exported coffee beans are mostly collectively called "heirloom varieties."

The most representative Ethiopian coffee bean is none other than the washed coffee bean produced in Yirgacheffe. Ethiopia mainly uses natural processing, but the common natural processing method is often rough and crude and mostly carries defective flavors. Therefore, in the last century, the Yirgacheffe region introduced washed processing from the Americas, which made the coffee produced in the Yirgacheffe region famous.

There are indeed quite a few Ethiopian coffees on Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) bean list, such as Red Cherry Coffee, Huakui Coffee, Kochere, and many other recommended coffees. These coffees carry Yirgacheffe's classic citrus-lemon acidity, gentle white floral aroma, and fruity and tea-like finish.

Mainly Typica is grown, and there are also many unique Ethiopian varieties.

Processing

Although traditional natural processing is mostly used, the proportion of washed processing is also gradually increasing.

Grading Method

Grades are distinguished by the number of defects. From few to many defects, there are eight grades in order from "Grade1" to "Grade8". It is stipulated that only Grade1 to Grade5 may be exported.

Kenya

Kenya is another of Africa's most representative coffee-producing countries, with a highly recognizable berry note reminiscent of fruits such as grapefruit, blackberry, and sour plum. Its extremely high acidity makes Kenyan coffee one of the most popular iced coffees in summer. Kenya's flavor base mostly comes from its SL28 & SL34 varieties and mature washed processing techniques.

Cultivated Varieties

Mainly SL28 and SL34, selected and bred varieties of Bourbon. SL is the abbreviation of "Scott Laboratory," a coffee research institution located in Nairobi.

Processing

It can be harvested twice a year, from September to December and from May to July. Mainly washed process.

Grading Method

Grades are distinguished by screen size. Coffee beans with a screen size of S18 (7mm) or above are rated "AA"; S15 (6mm) to S17 (6.75mm) are rated "AB". Peaberry is rated "PB".

Indonesia

Composed of about 17,000 islands large and small, Java is the main coffee-producing region. Indonesia has a long history of coffee cultivation, but in the 1980s an outbreak of coffee leaf disease almost destroyed Arabica varieties. After that, cultivation shifted to Robusta of the Conillon variety, which can resist pests and diseases. It has now become the world's fourth-largest coffee-producing country.

Mandheling can be said to be synonymous with Indonesian coffee. It is mainly grown in the Aceh Special Region of Sumatra. Generally, Arabica from Sumatra is called Mandheling, and it is also well received in the specialty coffee world. Others, such as Toraja from Sulawesi, are also loved by many people. In addition, Indonesia has a unique production and processing method called the Sumatra semi-washed method, characterized by drying in the green bean state.

On Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) bean list, a Golden Mandheling is recommended. Compared with ordinary Mandheling, Golden Mandheling undergoes multiple hand-sorting, reducing many defective beans and poorly appearing beans. Therefore, Golden Mandheling coffee, in addition to the classic herbal spice flavor, tastes cleaner and has a very smooth mouthfeel.

Catimor, Typica, Robusta, etc.

Processing

The harvest period can be divided into two times, namely April to September and November to March. Although natural processing is mainly used, some coffee beans are still processed by the washed method.

Grading Method

Grades are distinguished by screen size and number of defects. According to bean size, they are divided into "Large" and "Small". In addition, according to the number of defective beans, they are divided into five grades, rated in order from few to many as "Grade1" to "Grade5".

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