arabica ArabicaIt refers to a type of coffee. According to Front Street Coffee, there are currently three major coffee varieties in the world, namely Arabica, Robusta and Liberica. Among them, Arabica coffee beans have the best flavor and are therefore used to make specialty coffee. At the same time, its caffeine content only accounts for 0.8%-1.5%. It is also the most important coffee bean variety in the world. Arabica coffee beans are produced in countries in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, etc.
It is precisely because its flavor is the best among the three major coffee varieties that its total production accounts for 75% of the world's coffee, followed by Robusta, which accounts for about 20% of the world's total coffee production. Liberica only accounts for 2% of the total.
In addition, although Arabica coffee beans seem to have advantages in every aspect, in fact they are very delicate and can only be planted in high-altitude areas. Although they can withstand low temperatures, they cannot tolerate frost. They are not strong in drought resistance and are easily eroded by diseases and insect pests. For example, the "rust disease" of coffee trees has caused misery to coffee farmers. Therefore, hybrids of Arabica and Robusta were later developed. And Arabica is just a general term for a variety. For example, the common coffee varieties in FrontStreet Coffee stores are actually sub-species derived from Arabica. For example, Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, etc. are all pure Arabica varieties of coffee beans.
The 100% pure Arabica coffee beans refer to high-quality coffee beans and are also synonymous with specialty coffee, because only coffee bean varieties derived from Arabica can obtain high scores of 80 and above in cupping tests, and the flavor of Robusta coffee beans is far less than that.
So where did the name Arabica coffee beans come from?
The name of Arabica coffee beans originated from the Arab world. Coffee lovers who are familiar with the history of coffee know that coffee originates from Africa. The local tribes first chewed coffee leaves to refresh themselves. Later, after research by Arab scholars, they roasted the seeds and made drinks. For religious reasons, coffee once replaced the banned alcohol, so it was widely popular in the Arab world, which is where the name "Arabica" comes from.
Later, coffee was introduced from the Arab world to Europe through the Ottoman Empire, and then to the New World of America. Along with the routes of trade and colonial expansion, coffee spread all the way, so in Western countries, coffee is called coffee beans from the Arab world, so over time it became Arabica coffee beans.
The above is the relevant knowledge about Arabica coffee beans compiled by FrontStreet Coffee. What are the common Arabica-derived coffee varieties currently on the market? Which coffee bean brands are the more famous? Below, FrontStreet Coffee will explain some of the most common Arabica coffee beans on the market.
Typica
According to Front Street, Typica is the oldest variety in the Arabica branch, and it is also the oldest native variety in Ethiopia. Almost all Arabica coffee bean varieties today are derived from Typica. Typica has an elegant flavor, but has a weak constitution and low disease resistance, making it susceptible to leaf rust. Therefore, the output of coffee beans is small and cannot be economically beneficial. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has been gradually replaced by Caturra and Caduai. Therefore, Typica is becoming increasingly rare. To taste the elegant flavor of Typica, we recommend Front Street Yunnan Small Grain Typica, Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain, and Front Street Bird of Paradise.
Representative of Typica coffee varieties---Front Street Bird of Paradise coffee beans
Country: Papua New Guinea
Production area: Sigli Manor
Altitude: 1600~1800m
Variety: Typica
Treatment method: washed
Flavor: Nuts, dark cocoa, cream, citrus, balance
Bourbon
Bourbon is a subspecies resulting from the mutation of Typica. It was discovered on Bourbon Island, so it is called Bourbon coffee. It is the oldest existing coffee variety together with Typica. The green fruits will appear bright red when ripe. Compared with Typica, the leaves of Bourbon are wider and the growth is denser. Although the fruit yield is higher than Typica, the harvest period is also 2 years. It is also a low-yielding variety, but it has a high-quality taste, like the sourness of red wine, with a sweet aftertaste.
Representative of bourbon variety coffee beans---Front Street Brazilian Queen Manor yellow bourbon coffee beans
Country: Brazil
Origin: Sao Paulo State (Queen’s Estate)
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Treatment method: Semi-sun/sun exposure
Flavor: Nuts, Cream, Peanuts, Fermented Fruit, Cane Sugar
kadura
Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon that was discovered in Brazil in 1937. It has better productivity and disease resistance than Bourbon, and its trees are shorter, making it easier to harvest. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from the cycle of fluctuations in productivity every two years. However, its flavor is comparable to or slightly worse than that of bourbon beans. More importantly, it is extremely adaptable. It does not require shade trees and can flourish under direct exposure to the sun. It is commonly known as sun-exposed coffee. It can adapt to high-density planting, but requires more fertilization and increases costs. Therefore, it is not well accepted by coffee farmers in the early stage.
Representative of Caturra coffee varieties---Front Street Panama Emerald Estate Diamond Mountain coffee beans
Country: Panama
Origin: Poquet
Manor: Emerald Manor
Altitude: 1400-1700m
Variety: Kaduai, Kaduura
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Flavor: citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, fermentation, cocoa
kaduai
Carduai is a hybrid Arabica variety, a hybrid variety between Mondonovo (New World) and Caturra. It has relatively good resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain resistance. It inherits the advantage of the Caturra tree's low height, and changes the characteristics of Mondonovo. Disadvantages; Another advantage is that the fruit is solid and does not fall off easily when exposed to strong winds, which makes up for the weakness of Arabica fruit. However, the overall flavor is more monotonous than Caturra, and it is also monotonous than Mondonovo and lacks mellowness, which is the biggest regret. In addition, its fruit growth and harvest life is only about ten years, and its short lifespan is also one of its weaknesses.
Representative of Carduai coffee varieties---Front Street Costa Rica Beethoven coffee beans
Country: Costa Rica
Production area: Tarazhu production area (Canet Manor)
Altitude: 1900m
Variety: Kaduai
Treatment method: washing treatment method
Flavor: citrus, berry, floral, light fermented wine aroma
The above are some common types of Arabica beans on the market. I hope it can help coffee fans understand what Arabica coffee beans are and choose coffee beans that suit their own taste.
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
