Arabica is a well-known bean species in the coffee world, and most of the specialty coffee on the market comes from it. People who like to drink coffee have probably heard the names Typica and Bourbon, both of which belong to the Arabica family. If you understand the structure of this family, you will also understand the origin of the flavor in the cup.
Arabica is a large family with many varieties with different personalities. Typica is an older type, with a clean flavor and clear layers. Blue Mountain Coffee is a descendant of Typica. Bourbon tends to be round and sweet. Red bourbon often brings out the aroma of brown sugar and berries, and has a full taste. These two classics form the main lineup of many production areas.
Later, through natural hybridization and artificial breeding, new more adaptable varieties such as Kaduura and Kaduai appeared, each with its own flavor. Caturra is a dwarf variant of Bourbon, with a balance of sourness and sweetness; Caturra is a cross between Caturra and New World, with lively and sour fruit. Geisha, which has attracted much attention in recent years, was discovered from the native Ethiopian species. Its floral and fruity aroma are very recognizable.
Ethiopia is the native place of Arabica, where there are a large number of unclassified native species with ever-changing flavors. Front Street Oiran comes from the Ethiopian Guji production area, with aromas like passion fruit and black tea; Front Street Yirgacheffe is a representative of washed native species, with refreshing and bright citrus notes. In the same country, different processing methods can bring out completely different flavors.
When picking Arabica beans, use variety as a flavor clue. If you like something clean and refreshing, native varieties such as Typica and Yirgacheffe are suitable; if you like a round and sweet taste, the Bourbon variety is worth a try; if you want to taste something special, the floral aroma of Gesha is a rare flavor experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a budget, Caturra performs just as well as its native counterparts on a day-to-day basis.
If you understand a cup of coffee from the perspective of variety, you will find that the same processing method and the same degree of roasting will have a completely different flavor when changing to another variety. This is also the intriguing part of Arabica. Under one bean seed, there is a whole forest of flavors. Explore along the varieties and you will get a new experience with every cup.
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
