Coffee Beans Variety

An Ultimate Guide to the 4 Major Coffee Variety

1

Arabica

Arabica is by far the most popular type of coffee beans making up 60% of the world’s coffee. It originated from the highlands of Ethiopia but first cultivated in Yemen the southern most part of the Arabian peninsula and is known as the “Arabian Coffee”, hence the name “Arabica” was given to it.

Arabica coffee differs in taste depending on the region where it is cultivated. Arabica can be sweet to the taste with fruity notes, others have cereal or nutty flavors. Arabica tends to have higher acidity than other varieties which give them a winey or liquory tone.

2

robusta

Robusta coffee is made from beans of Coffea canephora plant making up 35-38% of the world’s coffee. Robusta has its origin in the central and western sub-Saharan Africa.

It has almost double the amount of caffeine and more antioxidants than Arabica. Roasted robusta beans produce a strong, full-bodied coffee with a distinctive earthy flavor, but usually with more bitterness than arabica because of it pyrazine content.

3

Liberica

While most coffee lovers are familiar with Arabica and Robusta, there is another variety that is not as well-known but very special and highly popular in tropical countries of Asia. Liberica originated from western and central African region (Liberia, Uganda and Angola) but has become naturalized in the Philippines, Indonesia, Seychelles, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Malaysia.

Due to its rarity and limited supply on a global level, Liberia command a higher price than Arabica and Robusta. Additionally it has the lowest caffeine concentration among the three varieties.

Medium-roasted Liberica coffee beans has a strong unique flavor which are smoky, cholatey taste accompanied by floral and spicy undertones. The Batangeneos (folks from the Province of Batangas in the Philippines), add seeds and few slices of the jackfruit to give it a fruity aromatic flavor.

4

Excelsa

Though it was once considered a different coffee species until it was identified by scientist to be a variant of Liberica coffee that grow almost entirely in Southeast Asia. They thrive at medium altitudes.

Excelsa beans are pretty unique in flavor. It taste like a combination of tart notes and fruity flavors that are more reminiscent of dark roasts, but lighter on aroma and caffeine that the rest of the other varieties while it maintains an unusual depth in flavor. Normally added to other roasted beans to give more complexity to the the blend.