Many coffee products will be advertised as "100% Arabica" to emphasize that they use high-quality coffee beans, which also means better flavor. In fact, most of the coffee we drink daily today, such as Pour over(V60) black coffee, Americano, latte and other popular drinks, use Arabica beans. That is of course because Arabica tastes better~
Arabica is a coffee variety
Coffee is a crop that bears cherry-like fruits after flowering. Therefore, coffee cherries are also called "coffee cherries." What we call coffee beans are the seeds that come out of the pulp. Coffee is native to Ethiopia and was originally used as medicine. Later, people developed the habit of roasting and drinking it. In the 16th century, it was spread to all over the world by Arabs through trade, and it gradually developed into the popular drink it is today.
There are two varieties of coffee currently grown commercially: Arabica and Robusta. The planting areas are generally distributed in the coffee belt between the Tropic of Cancer and the South. Both Robusta and Arabica coffee are suitable for planting in the coffee belt.
As a tropical crop, coffee requires relatively high and stable temperatures, abundant annual rainfall and sunshine, and well-drained fertile soil, all of which are suitable conditions for growing coffee trees. The coffee belt covers more than 70 countries and regions in the world, of which more than 50 countries and regions have climate and other conditions that meet the needs of coffee bean growth, and have become coffee-producing countries. Yunnan and Hainan in China are also in the coffee belt, so they are very suitable for the growth of coffee trees.
As the main variety of coffee beans in the world, Arabica species needs to be grown at high altitudes between 800 and 2,200 meters without frost. The higher the altitude, the larger the temperature difference will be, which delays the maturity of coffee fruits and is more conducive to the accumulation of flavor substances in coffee and the development of aroma. Each coffee production area has a unique microclimate, which provides Arabica with diverse growing conditions and develops the unique regional flavor of the production area.
Why choose Arabica?
The reason why everyone emphasizes the Arabica variety is because there is another coffee variety that does not taste as good-Robusta.
Robusta, to be precise, is the Canevra variety, which is a medium-grained coffee. Nowadays, humans have only discovered that only one variety of Caneira species called Robusta is suitable for commercial cultivation. Later, this medium-grained coffee was also directly called Robusta.
The caffeine content of Arabica is low, about 0.9% to 1.2%, the fat content is 60% more than Robusta coffee, and the sugar content is twice as much. Therefore, the taste of Arabica is sweeter, softer, with a bit of fruity sourness. The taste of Robusta is not as pleasant as Arabica. Its taste is relatively bitter and strong, with some woody and barley tea flavors. The only advantage in the senses is that it has a thick and textured taste. However, when it is darkly roasted, it will release an extremely rich golden oil. It is a must-have when paired with milk latte art.
Robusta currently accounts for 25% of global coffee production. Most of these coffee beans are used as raw materials for instant coffee, and a small part appear as coffee blend beans or specialty coffee beans. Front Street Classic Blend and Front Street Commercial Blend add a small amount of Robusta to highlight the flavors of butter, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel. They are suitable for use in home offices and have become the first choice for opening coffee shops because of their delicious taste and high cost performance.
Most of the coffee we usually drink in the store is made from Arabica coffee beans. Because of its rich aroma and diverse taste, it is used in various extraction methods of Italian coffee, Pour over(V60) coffee, and cold brew coffee.
Arabica coffee beans recommendations
The bean rack on Qian Street has a cost-effective series of grain beans, which selects 7 excellent classic coffee production areas, covering many representative production areas, varieties, and natural processing methods. The so-called ration beans, as the name suggests, are varieties that are easy to drink on a daily basis, and the price and flavor are very close to the people. Front Street has selected a number of "facade representatives" so that everyone can identify the basic flavors of each major production area.
To experience the charm of specialty coffee for the first time, I recommend Front Street Yirgacheffe. The washing process gives the coffee a wonderful white floral aroma, citrus citric acid, green tea, and the elegant flavor of honey, and the taste is not bitter at all;
If you like a strong coffee aroma, buy Front Street Colombian Cymbidium and Front Street Brazilian Cerato. As the two largest Arabica coffee producing countries in the world, Brazil and Colombia must be among the best in reputation. Front Street Cymbidium has a sweet aroma like liquid chocolate, and Front Street Cerato has the unique flavor of buttery peanuts;
Panama is famous for its Gesha. Front Street Poquet Gesha is produced in the volcanic area. It not only has the sweet aroma of jasmine and honey, but also has unique flavors such as caramel, melon, and citrus. Costa Rica’s specialty coffee production area is Tara Beads. Front Street Tara Beads show the soft tones of nuts, sweet orange, and chocolate;
As a representative of Asian specialty coffee, Front Street wet-planed Mandheling has special aromas of spices, herbs, and sandalwood. It is very suitable for medium-to-dark roasting, allowing the flavor substances to further participate in the caramelization reaction. Therefore, it is suitable for hand brewing, moka pots, home coffee machines and other brewing methods, allowing everyone to drink the flavors of caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted bread.
Yunnan is one of the few Arabica specialty coffee producing areas in China. Front Street Yunnan coffee beans are selected from Baoshan, which has a long history of planting. The variety is Catim, which is common in the local area. Because it is roasted to a medium temperature, it exhibits a soft flavor of brown sugar, nuts, and chocolate.
Each type of ration beans is suitable for extraction by hand brewing, cold brewing, French press, etc. If you want to taste the original aroma of coffee, Front Street recommends black coffee as the best form. No matter which extraction method is used, Front Street believes that the freshness of coffee beans is very important. The aroma of coffee roasted for more than two months is likely to have been lost. Even with the best extraction techniques, it is difficult to restore the aroma in the cup. In order to let everyone experience the best tasting stage of coffee, Front Street only ships freshly roasted beans within 5 days. When you receive them, you can almost start brewing them.
Good coffee should also be consumed in moderation.
For many office workers, a cup of coffee is essential every morning. The right amount of caffeine can quickly refresh us and sometimes help eliminate body edema. Because the calories are very low, it can improve the body's metabolism. Drinking it one hour before exercise can also help burn fat, so it is one of the drinks recommended by many fitness people. However, Front Street still needs to remind everyone that only pure black coffee has certain effects. Adding syrup, condensed milk, and creamer as excipients can easily bring extra calories, and long-term drinking is not good for our health.
Whether coffee is healthy is a long-standing global topic, but the current consensus in the medical community is that drinking coffee in moderation has no adverse effects on health, does not increase the risk of some cancers, and is even beneficial to the body. Front Street recommends that no more than 3 cups of coffee a day is healthy and harmless to the body, but it must be based on each person's physical constitution. When we are prone to insomnia and gastrointestinal discomfort after drinking coffee, we should not consume too much caffeine.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
