It is said that good coffee cannot be separated from its variety, and the most common ones currently are,Arabica coffee beansand robusta coffee beans are the two most common bean types. The Arabica variety is considered the best of all varieties. Most of them appear in specialty coffees and have a better overall flavor. Our famous Blue Mountain Coffee, Hawaiian Kona Coffee, and Front Street 2013 Sun-Dried Typica are all Arabica varieties. Let’s take a look.
Although coffee has become a part of everyone's life, there may still be many friends who don't know about coffee. Why do you say this? Front Street believes that coffee itself is a profound knowledge. To understand coffee, you must first start with coffee beans. There are about 100 kinds of coffee in the world, which can be roughly divided into three major native species: Arabica, Robusta and Liberia. The two main types of coffee beans on the market are "Arabica" and "Robusta". More than three-quarters of the total coffee sold in the world is made ofarabicabeans, and the rest are mostly robusta beans.
Arabica
Arabica, also known as arabica coffee beans, is native to Ethiopia. Its main planting areas include South America (except Argentina and parts of Brazil), Central America, Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and other places, mainly East African countries), and Asia (Yemen, India, and parts of Papua New Guinea).
Arabica coffee refers to the Arabica coffee tree species, accounting for about 70% to 80% of the world's coffee production. Due to its weak resistance to pests and diseases, slow growth, and low annual output, high-altitude areas are more suitable for cultivation. Most are planted on volcanic slopes or plateaus above 500 to 1,500 meters above sea level. In particular, the quality of Arabica coffee beans produced in highlands above 1,500 meters is relatively good. The high-altitude environment causes the coffee beans grown here to mature more slowly. Slow maturation means the beans will be stronger and richer, so Arabica naturally stands out as the highest-grade coffee bean. After repeated mutations or breeding, many varieties have been derived. Today, it is said that there are more than 70 varieties of Arabica coffee alone.
Arabica can be divided into 2,000 to 3,000 varieties, all of which are derived from the oldest native species of Ethiopia, Typica and Bourbon, after being planted in South America or Asia. They are mainly planted in Central and South America such as Brazil and Colombia; Central America's Tico and Sidamo; Indonesia's Sumatra Typica and Jamaica's Blue Mountains.
In terms of appearance, Arabica beans are long and flat, with an S-curved central line. Robusta beans are strong and round in shape, with a central line closer to a straight line. Although it is the same kind of Arabica coffee tree, but it is planted in different places, it will produce completely different flavors due to the influence of weather, soil, etc. Just like:GeshaPlanted in Ethiopia and grown in Panama, the taste is completely different.
The suitable area for coffee beans to grow is in the countries between the Tropic of Cancer and the South, known as the "Coffee Zone". Central and South America, Arabia, East Africa, southern Asia, Oceania, etc. are all in this area, and countries with high mountain terrain are more likely to produce good coffee, because coffee is suitable for planting on hillside areas with an altitude of about 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Sufficient rainfall is required, but it should not be too humid. It is best to have an environment with mild sunshine during the day, drifting clouds and fog in the evening, and a temperature of about 10 degrees Celsius but not too low at night.
Robusta
Robusta is the second most produced coffee bean in the world. Robusta coffee beans are both cold-tolerant and immune to many diseases. This type of coffee bean grows best in hot climates with erratic rainfall and can also be grown at many altitudes. Compared to Arabica coffee beans, Robusta has twice the caffeine, which means they're a great choice for a real pick-me-up. Front Street thinks that those who are sensitive to caffeine can avoid it, but if it is made into espresso coffee, it tastes great!
Robusta coffee beans are oval in shape but relatively short, with enhanced bitterness and less aroma than Arabica coffee beans. Therefore, commercial beans are mostly used.
Today Front Street takes us to learn about some of the main varieties of Arabica varieties.
Common types of Arabica coffee beans
Arabica is the earliest coffee variety discovered. It is considered the best of all varieties and has a better overall flavor. It is the main source of specialty coffee. However, it has weak disease resistance and can only be grown in high altitude areas. Humans have been cultivating Arabica coffee trees for more than 700 years, and have developed many varieties. At present, common coffee bean types of Arabica coffee beans include Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Pacas, Vera Sachi, Malago Yapi, Pacamara, New World, Kaduai, Geisha, Tim, Katim, etc. And Arabica appears as specialty coffee.
Bourbon and Typica form the most culturally and genetically important C. arabica coffee group in the world. Historical records indicate that coffee seeds were brought from the coffee forests of southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, where they were grown as a crop. Recent genetic testing confirms that Bourbon and Typica are the main seeds shipped from Ethiopia to Yemen. Descendants of Bourbon and Typica spread from Yemen to around the world, forming the basis of modern Arabica coffee cultivation.
ancient native species
Typica: The oldest native variety in Ethiopia. It is an ancient coffee with elegant flavor, but it is far less popular than Bourbon. Like all Arabica coffees, Typica originates from southwestern Ethiopia. Sometime in the 15th or 16th century, it was brought to Yemen. By 1700, seeds from Yemen were being cultivated in India.
In 1696 and 1699, coffee seeds were sent from the Malabar coast of India to the island of Batavia (now known as Java). These seeds gave rise to the unique Typica variety we now know. Its derivatives include Mandheling, Blue Mountain, Yunnan Xiaoli, Geisha, etc., which are all derivatives of Typica. Typica beans are larger and have a pointed oval or thin pointed shape, which is different from the round-bodied Bourbon beans. So,blue mountain coffeeThe flavor is so good not only because of its growing environment, but also because of its ancient Typica variety.
FrontStreet Coffee - Yunnan sun-dried Typica coffee beans
Production area: Lincang, Yunnan
Manor: FrontStreet Coffee Manor
Altitude: 1300m
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Variety: Typica
Flavor: berry, brown sugar, nuts, tea flavor
Bourbon : An ancient and excellent variety alongside Typica.
The French attempted to introduce this coffee from Yemen to Bourbon (now Reunion Island) three times, in 1708, 1715 and 1718; recent genetic research confirms this. Only a few plants from the second introduction and some from the third introduction were successful. Bourbon coffee didn't leave the island until the mid-19th century, when French missionaries known as Spiritans spread it to Africa.
FrontStreet Coffee—Brazilian Cerado coffee beans
Origin: Brazilian Cerado
Altitude: 1100m
Treatment method: Semi-sun treatment
Variety: Red Bourbon
Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, cream, peanut, caramel
Bourbon has great vitality and outstanding flavor, and often wins in cup competitions. Except for the modified pointed bean, almost all Bourbon beans are round beans. The beans are smaller than Typica and mature later. However, the yield is 30% more than Typica. The disadvantage is that it takes a year off.
genetic mutants
SL28&SL34: Between 1935 and 1939, the coffee varieties selected and bred by Scott Laboratory were all prefixed with SL. The laboratory selected 42 varieties from different origins and conducted research on their yield, quality, drought resistance and disease resistance. After screening one by one, we finally got SL-28 and SL-34.
SL28 comes from the Bourbon genetic group. It has a short, round bean shape, a thick bean body, and a flavor characteristic of rising acidity and obvious sweetness. SL34 comes from the Typica genetic group and has an oval bean shape. When viewed from the side, it is not as plump as the Typica variety and looks flatter. It has a balanced and full flavor of sweet and sour, with a caramel aftertaste.
FrontStreet Coffee – Kenyan Azalea coffee beans
Origin: Thika, Kenya
Altitude: 1550-1750m
Treatment method: 72 hours water washing treatment
Flavor: Sydney, plum, brown sugar, cherry tomato, brin
Geisha:A late blooming variety.
Defeating the ever-victorious varieties such as Bourbon, Caturra, Carduai, and Typica, it won the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Panama National Bean Cup Cup Championships. In 2007, the bidding price was US$130 per pound, setting a record for the highest price for competition beans before 2007. Currently, 80% of the contestants in major coffee competitions use Geisha beans as their first choice. The most famous one is the Geisha coffee from Panama Jade Estate.
FrontStreet Coffee-Panama Emerald Estate Red Label Gesha Coffee Beans
Origin: Poquet, Panama
Manor: Emerald Manor
Lot:MarioMario
Altitude: 1700m+
Variety: Geisha
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Flavor: rose, strawberry, citrus, black tea, honey
FrontStreet Coffee – Panama Emerald Estate Green Label Gesha
Region: Bouquete
Manor: Emerald Manor
Altitude: 1600-1800m
Variety: Geisha
Treatment method: water washing method
Flavor: jasmine, ginger flower, citrus, Tianguanyin tea, honey
Yellow Bourbon (Bourhon Amarello): It is a variant of Bourbon with yellow rind unique to the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Generally, coffee berries will turn red when ripe, but yellow bourbon will not turn red when ripe, but will turn orange, hence its name. The Queen's Manor coffee on Front Street is the yellow bourbon variety.
FrontStreet Coffee—Brazilian Queen Manor coffee beans
Production area: Morgiana production area in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Manor: Queen's Manor
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Treatment method: Semi-sun treatment
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Flavor: Nuts, peanut butter, cane sugar, fermented fruit
Caturra: A single gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in the 1950s. The flavor is on par or slightly worse than that of bourbon beans, but unfortunately like bourbon, the harvesting period is only once every two years. What's more important is that it has strong adaptability. It does not need a shading tree and can flourish under direct exposure to the sun.
Pacas: Bourbon variant found in El Salvador. El Salvador currently has 68% Bourbon variety, 29% Pacas, and 3% Caduay, Caturra and the noble Pacamara.
Villa Sarchi: A Bourbon variant first discovered in Costa Rica in the 1960s.
Maragogype: The bean shape is three times larger than Arabica and is the largest in the world, hence the name. It is the most famous variant of Typica beans. It was first discovered in the Maragogipe bean-producing area of Paxi Asia in northeastern Brazil in 1870.
kent: Typica hybrid variety found in India with high yield.
Timor: A hybrid between Arabica and Robusta. The hybrid variety of Arabica and Stouta found in East Timor is close to Arabica because it has the 44 chromosomes of Arabica instead of the 22 of Sturdy. The flavor has low acidity and lacks characteristics, so it is often used as a low-cost recipe bean. However, Timor-Leste has high-altitude pure-bred Typica beans that have been washed. When purchasing, you must be clear whether they are mixed-breed or pure-bred Typica washed beans. The quality of the two is quite different. The former is mediocre, while the latter is high-quality beans.
Catimor: Commercial beans are used the most. In 1959, Portugal moved the Brazilian Bourbon mutant Catura to East Timor with a Stout Bean Timo hybrid, and successfully cultivated Catura, but the flavor was slightly worse, but its anti-viral ability was relatively strong. Most places in Yunnan currently produce Catim variety coffee. But FrontStreet Coffee Manor grows Typica variety coffee.
FrontStreet Coffee—Yunnan Katim coffee beans
Production area: Lujiangba, Baoshan, Yunnan
Altitude: 1450-1550m
Processing method: Sun-drying red cherries
Breed: Catim
Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, spice, caramel, red berries
Variedad Colombia
Colombia is the world's largest exporter of Arabica. A highly disease-resistant variety produced by crossing Catimo and Catura. It is resistant to direct sunlight and can be harvested in a short period of time. Colombia began to be widely planted in the 1980s, replacing the traditional variety Tibica as the main variety. Generally speaking, Aracabi coffee trees represented by Tibica must have shade trees to shade them, but the variant Colombian coffee tree with a quarter of the Robusta species does not require shade trees and can be harvested all year round. However, in recent years, coffee beans may emit carbolic acid (Phenol, an iodine-like odor) due to the influence of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions
There are many varieties of coffee with different flavors, but to brew a delicious cup of coffee, the freshness of the coffee is inevitable. Front Street believes that the freshness of coffee beans is a very important part of brewing. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet knows that the freshness of coffee beans has a great impact on the flavor. 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.
Of course, there are also some customers who need Front Street’s help in grinding the powder, which is okay, but Front Street needs to remind you: 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.
FrontStreet Coffee has many different varieties of single-origin coffee beans, such as: Yunnan Katim, Yunnan Front Street 213 Sun-dried Typica, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee; Panama Geisha coffee; Colombian Caturra Kaduai coffee, etc. Coffee varieties from different production areas are waiting for you to try!
Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style)
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex
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
