What makes the Arabica coffee bean family so varied?

Arabica coffee accounts for roughly 70 to 80 percent of world production and supplies most specialty coffee, which is why variety differences show up so clearly in the cup. Named cultivars such as Typica, Bourbon, SL28, Geisha, Caturra, Pacas, Maragogype, Timor and Catimor each carry their own flavor traits, and growers pick them for altitude, yield and disease resistance rather than flavor alone.

The species originated in Ethiopia and spread to South America, Central America, East Africa, Yemen, India and parts of Papua New Guinea. Arabica trees grow slowly, resist pests and disease poorly, and yield less each year, so they suit high-altitude volcanic slopes and plateaus. That fragility, combined with local terroir and processing, is what separates one arabica coffee from another.

The flavors of coffee are endlessly varied, and the root cause often lies in differences between varieties. Among the two main bean species, Arabica and Robusta, Arabica has become the primary source of specialty coffee thanks to its delicate and elegant flavor expression. Starting from botanical classification, this article sorts out Arabica's origin, growing conditions, and appearance characteristics, and systematically introduces the background and flavor traits of common varieties such as Typica, Bourbon, SL28, Geisha, Caturra, Pacas, Maragogype, Timor, and Catimor. It also retains the producing regions, processing methods, and flavor descriptions of several Front Street Coffee single-origin beans, helping coffee lovers build a complete framework for understanding varieties.

Whether a cup of coffee tastes good is often determined in part by variety. Globally, Arabica and Robusta are the two most widely traded bean species, and the former is widely recognized as better in quality and more delicate in flavor. Most specialty coffees come from Arabica. Blue Mountain coffee, Hawaiian Kona, and Front Street 2013 sun-dried Typica all belong to the broader Arabica family. Below, we start with varieties to explain this clearly.

Coffee has long been part of daily life, but not many people truly understand it. Front Street has always felt that coffee is a deep field of study, and to understand coffee, you must first start with coffee beans. There are about more than one hundred coffee species worldwide, broadly grouped into three native species: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. The two most common on the market are Arabica and Robusta. More than three-quarters of global coffee sales come from Arabica, with most of the rest being Robusta.

Arabica

Arabica, also called small-bean coffee, originated in Ethiopia. Its main growing regions include South America (except Argentina and parts of Brazil), Central America, Africa (mostly East African countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia), as well as Yemen, India, and parts of Papua New Guinea in Asia.

Arabica coffee refers to the Arabica coffee tree species and accounts for about 70% to 80% of world coffee production. It has relatively weak resistance to pests and diseases, grows slowly, and has low annual yields, so it is better suited to high-altitude cultivation. It is mostly grown on volcanic slopes or plateaus at elevations of 500 to 1,500 meters and above, with beans produced above 1,500 meters usually being of better quality. High altitude allows coffee fruit to mature more slowly, and slow maturation means denser beans and more intense flavor, so Arabica is naturally regarded as the highest-grade coffee bean. Through repeated mutations and crossbreeding, an endless stream of varieties has emerged, and it is said that there are more than seventy varieties under Arabica alone.

Arabica can be further divided into two thousand to three thousand varieties. Most of them derive from mutations of Ethiopia's oldest native varieties, Typica and Bourbon, after being planted in South America or Asia. They are mainly grown in Brazil, Colombia, and other parts of Central and South America, as well as Central America, Sidamo, Sumatra Typica in Indonesia, and Jamaica Blue Mountain.

In appearance, Arabica beans are longer and flatter, with a central line shaped like an S curve; Robusta beans are sturdier and rounder, with a central line that is nearly straight. Even the same Arabica tree, planted in different places, will have completely different flavors under the influence of climate and soil. For example, Geisha grown in Ethiopia and in Panama tastes like two entirely different things.

The belt suitable for growing coffee lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and is called the "Coffee Zone." It includes Central and South America, Arabia, East Africa, southern Asia, and Oceania. Countries with high mountain terrain are more likely to produce good coffee, because coffee is suitable for planting on slopes at about 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level and needs sufficient rainfall but not excessive humidity. The ideal environment is one with mild sunlight during the day, drifting clouds in the evening, and nighttime temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius without being too low.

Robusta

Robusta ranks second in world production. It is both cold-tolerant and immune to many diseases. It grows best in hot climates with irregular rainfall and can adapt to a wide range of altitudes. Compared with Arabica, Robusta has twice the caffeine content and a particularly strong stimulating effect. Front Street believes that friends sensitive to caffeine can avoid it, but it tastes very good when used for espresso.

Robusta beans are oval but somewhat short and small, with a heavier bitterness and less aroma than Arabica, so they are mostly used as commercial beans.

Next, Front Street will introduce some of the main members of the Arabica varieties.

Common types of Arabica coffee beans

Arabica is the earliest discovered coffee variety and is considered the best among all varieties. Its overall flavor is also superior, and it is the main source of specialty coffee, but it has weak disease resistance and can only be grown at high altitudes. Humans have cultivated Arabica coffee trees for more than seven hundred years and have developed many varieties. Currently common Arabica types include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Pacas, Villa Sarchi, Maragogype, Pacamara, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Geisha, Timor, and Catimor. Arabica mostly appears in the form of specialty coffee.

Bourbon and Typica form the world's most culturally and genetically important C. arabica coffee group. Historical records show that coffee seeds were brought from the coffee forests of southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, where they were grown as a crop. Genetic testing in recent years has confirmed that Bourbon and Typica were precisely the main seeds transported from Ethiopia to Yemen. Their descendants spread from Yemen around the world and laid the foundation for modern Arabica coffee cultivation.

Ancient native varieties

Typica: Ethiopia's oldest native variety, with elegant flavor, but far less widespread than Bourbon. Like all Arabica, the Typica group should have originated in southwestern Ethiopia. At some point in the 15th or 16th century, it was brought to Yemen. By 1700, seeds from Yemen were already being grown in India.

In 1696 and 1699, coffee seeds were sent from India's Malabar Coast to the island of Batavia (present-day Java). These few seeds gave rise to the distinct Typica variety we know later. Its derived varieties include Mandheling, Blue Mountain, Yunnan small-bean, and Geisha. Typica beans are relatively large, pointed-oval or slender-pointed, unlike the round beans of Bourbon. Blue Mountain coffee has outstanding flavor not only because of its growing environment, but also because of the ancient Typica variety.

Front Street Coffee — Yunnan sun-dried Typica coffee beans

Region: Lincang, Yunnan

Estate: Front Street Coffee Estate

Altitude: 1300m

Processing method: sun-dried processing

Variety: Typica

Flavor: berries, brown sugar, nuts, tea-like

Bourbon: an ancient superior variety on par with Typica.

The French attempted three times, in 1708, 1715, and 1718, to introduce this coffee from Yemen to Bourbon Island (present-day Reunion Island), and recent genetic research has confirmed this. Only a few plants from the second introduction and some from the third survived successfully. It was not until the mid-19th century that Bourbon coffee left the island, spread to Africa by French missionaries known as the Spiritans.

Front Street Coffee — Brazil Cerrado coffee beans

Region: Cerrado, Brazil

Altitude: 1100m

Processing method: semi-washed processing

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor: nuts, chocolate, cream, peanut, caramel

Bourbon is vigorous and has outstanding flavor, often winning in cupping competitions. Apart from the pointed-bean mutation, Bourbon is almost entirely round beans, slightly smaller than Typica, and matures later, but its yield is about thirty percent higher than Typica. The drawback is that after producing fruit for one year, it needs to rest for a year.

Genetic mutations

SL28 & SL34: Between 1935 and 1939, all coffee varieties selected and bred by Scott Laboratories used the prefix SL. The laboratory selected 42 varieties from different origins and studied their yield, quality, drought resistance, and disease resistance. After numbering and screening them one by one, SL-28 and SL-34 were finally obtained.

SL28 comes from the Bourbon genetic group, with short round beans and a dense body, bright acidity, and obvious sweetness. SL34 comes from the Typica genetic group, with oval beans that look flatter from the side than Typica. Its flavor is balanced and full with sweetness and acidity, and it has a caramel finish.

Front Street Coffee — Kenya Asalia coffee beans

Region: Thika, Kenya

Altitude: 1550-1750m

Processing method: 72-hour washed processing

Flavor: snow pear, smoked plum, yellow sugar, cherry tomato, plum

Geisha: a late-blooming variety.

It defeated frequent winners such as Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica, taking the championship in the Best of Panama cupping competition for 2005, 2006, and 2007 in one go. In 2007, it sold at auction for 130 US dollars per pound, setting the highest price record for competition beans before 2007. Today, 80% of participants in major coffee competitions choose Geisha as their competition bean. The most famous is the Geisha coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Front Street Coffee - Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha coffee beans

Region: Boquete, Panama

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Plot: Mario

Altitude: 1700m+

Variety: Geisha

Processing method: sun-dried processing

Flavor: rose, strawberry, citrus, black tea, honey

Front Street Coffee — Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha

Region: Boquete

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Altitude: 1600-1800m

Variety: Geisha

Processing method: washed processing

Flavor: jasmine, ginger flower, citrus, Tieguanyin tea, honey

Yellow Bourbon: a yellow-skinned Bourbon mutation unique to Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

Generally, coffee cherries turn red when ripe, but Yellow Bourbon does not turn red after ripening; instead, it becomes orange-yellow, hence the name. Front Street's Queen Estate coffee is the Yellow Bourbon variety.

Front Street Coffee — Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans

Region: Mogiana region, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Estate: Queen Estate

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Processing method: semi-washed processing

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Flavor: nuts, peanut butter, cane sugar, fermented fruit

Caturra: a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in the 1950s. Its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon, but unfortunately, like Bourbon, it has a biennial harvest cycle. More importantly, it is extremely adaptable and does not need shade trees; it can thrive even under direct sunlight.

Pacas: a Bourbon mutation discovered in El Salvador. Currently in El Salvador, 68% is Bourbon variety, 29% is Pacas, and 3% is Catuai, Caturra, and the noble Pacamara.

Villa Sarchi: a Bourbon mutation first discovered in Costa Rica in the 1960s.

Maragogype: its bean size is three times larger than Arabica, the largest in the world, hence the name. It is the most famous mutated bean of Typica and was first discovered in 1870 in the Maragogipe coffee-producing area of Bahia in northeastern Brazil.

Kent: a Typica hybrid variety discovered in India, with high yield.

Timor: a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta, a cross between Arabica and robusta beans discovered in East Timor. It is close to Arabica, with 44 chromosomes like Arabica rather than 22 like robusta. Its flavor has low acidity and lacks distinctiveness, and it is often used as a low-cost blend bean. However, East Timor also has high-altitude pure Typica that is washed. When buying, you must distinguish whether it is a hybrid or pure washed Typica. The quality of the two differs greatly: the former is bland and unremarkable, while the latter can reach specialty-grade quality.

Catimor: the most widely used among commercial beans. In 1959, Portugal moved the Brazilian Bourbon mutation Caturra to East Timor and crossed it with Timor, which carries robusta genes, successfully breeding Catimor, but its flavor is somewhat inferior and its virus resistance is relatively strong. Most places in Yunnan currently grow Catimor variety coffee, while Front Street Coffee Estate grows the Typica variety.

Front Street Coffee — Yunnan Catimor coffee beans

Region: Lujiangba, Baoshan, Yunnan

Altitude: 1450-1550m

Processing method: red cherry sun-dried

Variety: Catimor

Flavor: nuts, chocolate, spices, caramel, red berries

Variedad Colombia

Colombia is the world's largest Arabica exporter. Variedad Colombia was developed by crossing Catimor and Caturra. It has strong disease resistance, tolerates direct sunlight, and can be harvested in a short period. Colombia began widespread planting in the 1980s, replacing the former established variety Typica as the mainstay. Generally speaking, Arabica coffee trees represented by Typica must have shade trees, but Variedad Colombia, with one-quarter Robusta ancestry, does not need shade trees and can produce and be harvested year-round. However, in recent years, possibly due to the influence of pesticides or fertilizers, the coffee beans may give off a phenolic acidity (Phenol, similar to an iodine-like off-odor).

Front Street Coffee brewing suggestions

There are many coffee varieties with different flavors, but to brew a good cup of coffee, freshness is an unavoidable factor. Front Street believes that the freshness of coffee beans is a very important part of brewing. The coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee are all within 5 days after roasting, because Front Street deeply understands how much freshness affects flavor. Front Street's roasting principle is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives coffee in the freshest condition. Coffee's resting period is about 4 to 7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

Of course, some customers need Front Street to help grind the coffee, and that is no problem either, but Front Street must remind them: once coffee beans are ground in advance, they no longer need to rest, because during transportation the pressure from carbon dioxide inside the package can also make the coffee flavor rounder, so once you receive ground coffee, you can immediately brew a cup. However, ground coffee should be brewed as soon as possible, because after contact with air it oxidizes faster, its flavor dissipates more quickly, and the mouthfeel becomes less good. Therefore, Front Street recommends buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing, so you can better taste the coffee's flavor.

Front Street Coffee has many single-origin coffee beans of different varieties, such as: Yunnan Catimor, Yunnan Front Street 213 sun-dried Typica, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee; Panama Geisha coffee; Colombia Caturra and Catuai coffee, and so on. Coffee varieties from different producing regions are waiting for you to taste.

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