Coffee beans are mainly divided into three major varieties: small-grain Arabica coffee, medium-grain Robusta coffee, and large-grain Liberica coffee. However, the most common types of coffee are Arabica and Robusta.
The Arabica variety of coffee is mostly specialty coffee and is picky about the growing environment. For example, it needs shade trees at high altitudes, but has poor disease resistance and relatively low yields. The Robusta variety of coffee has relatively low requirements for the growing environment and has a strong disease resistance. We all know that high-altitude coffee beans naturally have a better flavor. For example, there is a big difference in the flavor of Gesha coffee from Emerald Manor in Panama and Gesha coffee from Ethiopia. The coffee of the Robusta variety is at a lower altitude, and the flavor is naturally not as good as the Cola Bica. Therefore, more often than not, the coffee of the Robusta variety appears as commercial blended bean espresso or instant coffee.
arabicaThe plant shape of the coffee tree is a relatively clear shrub with oval green leaves. The height of its natural growth can reach 5 to 6 meters.arabica coffeeThe tree's life span is 20 to 30 years, but the yield of each Arabica coffee tree is low. It produces about 75\% of the world's coffee beans. Robusta coffee beans and Robusta coffee trees are relatively sturdy shrubs, suitable for planting in tropical or subtropical areas at an altitude of 200 to 800 meters. They have strong vitality, low requirements for the growth environment, strong adaptability, low planting costs, and high yields.
arabica
Small-grain Arabica coffee originates from the Ethiopian plateau. Due to its excellent flavor and quality, it is currently widely planted. Its coffee production accounts for 70% of global coffee production. Typica, Bourbon, Gesha, etc. that we usually hear all belong to the Arabica coffee species.
The Arabica species is very sensitive to the requirements of the growing environment, so areas suitable for the growth of Arabica coffee trees are mostly located in the coffee belt with high mountain terrain between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cancer. Arabica requires a growing altitude of 800-2000 meters. The higher the altitude, the better the quality of the coffee. Arabica coffee is currently the most widely distributed coffee variety. Arabica coffee is grown in Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. Countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil are all famous Arabica coffee producing countries.
Robusta
The medium-grained Robusta coffee species should actually be called Canebra species strictly. Robusta is a subgenus of Canebra species that is widely cultivated. Therefore, Robusta has almost replaced Canebra as the synonym for this species. Robusta originated in the Congo (Basin) area of West Africa and is widely cultivated because of its low growth altitude, high yield, and ease of cultivation. Its coffee production accounts for 20%-30% of global coffee production.
Robusta coffee bean appearance
Robusta coffee beans are one fruit and one bean. The shape of Robusta is round and C-shaped; the middle line is in the shape of a "1", and the color of the green beans is yellow-brown.
Because Robusta has strong adaptability to the environment, it can grow luxuriantly at an altitude of 0-800 meters. The chlorogenic acid content of Robusta is relatively high, about 7% to 10%, and it is not easily affected by pests and climate. It is generally planted at a lower altitude and produces more fruits quickly. At present, the main coffee producing areas are Vietnam, Hainan and Indonesia.
Liberica
The large-grained variety of Liberica coffee originally grows in the low-altitude forests of Liberia on the coast of West Africa, hence the name Liberica coffee. Because of its poor flavor and difficulty in harvesting due to the height of the tree, the scale of cultivation is currently small, accounting for 2%-5% of global production.
Liberica coffee trees are much taller than Arabica or Robusta, reaching a tree height of 6-20 meters, and the coffee cherries produced by Liberica are larger than those of the other two coffee species, so Liberica is also called a large-grained species. Currently, cultivation is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, and the Philippines is currently the largest producer of Liberica coffee.
Is Robusta coffee a specialty coffee?
Due to its high caffeine content and rich oil content, Robusta was often used in the formulation of Italian coffee beans during the period when Italian coffee was popular around the world. At that time, a large part of the reason why people loved drinking coffee was to obtain caffeine. Its caffeine content is much higher than that of Arabica, about 3.2%.
But then the concept of specialty coffee was proposed, and people began to pay attention to the flavor of the place of origin. Robusta itself has a bitter taste, as well as the flavors of walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, and smoke. These flavors are not very good in coffee. The most important thing is that after sorting out the origin of its counterpart Arabica, its flavor performance is far behind Robusta. This is probably a congenital problem. The flavor performance of Robusta is far less pleasant than Arabica. This is why people tend to choose 100% Arabica. We recommend the Front Street Black Cocoa Basic Blend and the Front Street Premium Blend. This Italian coffee bean uses 100% Arabica. It is concentrated and has a rich nutty aroma without losing slight acidity to maintain a balanced taste.
However, some Arabica species have low caffeine yield and balanced flavor, but are very expensive. Some Arabica species have high yield, average flavor and moderate price. Although Arabica is superior, not all Arabica is a high-end variety. Therefore, you can add a small amount of Robusta to the Arabica to achieve a perfect combination of aroma, taste, cost performance, and oil. Then launch two "grease bombs": Front Street Classic Blend and Front Street Commercial Blend.
If you are looking for rich oils, buy Front Street Classic Blend and Front Street Commercial Blend. Both Italian beans contain a small amount of Robusta varieties. Front Street Classic Blend combines Brazilian, Mandheling and Robusta, and is roasted medium to dark. It emits obvious aromas of butter, toast, and caramel biscuits during extraction. It has a strong flavor, solid taste, and delicate oil. The extraction is very stable, making it a must-have home coffee for beginners.
Therefore, most of the coffee on the market is of the Arabica variety, especially specialty coffee, which is almost always of the Arabica variety. Although Arabica coffee has a good flavor, to brew a cup of delicious coffee, you still need to pay attention to the freshness of the coffee beans. Front Street has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans has a great relationship with the flavor of coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by Front Street are all roasted within 5 days. The purpose of Front Street Roasting is "freshly roasted and good coffee", so that every customer who orders receives the freshest coffee. The bean-growing period of coffee is about 4-7 days, so the flavor is at its best when customers get it.
For those who need to grind the coffee beans, Front Street would like to remind you that if the coffee beans are ground in advance, there is no need to raise the beans. Because during the transportation process, the pressure generated by the carbon dioxide in the packaging can also make the coffee flavor mellower, so you can make a cup of coffee immediately after receiving the coffee powder. But the coffee powder needs to be brewed in time, because the coffee powder oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, which means that the flavor of the coffee will dissipate relatively quickly, and the flavor of the coffee will not be so good. Therefore, Front Street recommends buying whole beans and grinding them freshly, so that you can better taste the flavor of the coffee.
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
