Types Of Coffee Beans

You can see zillions of youngsters hanging out in cafes, such as ‘Cafe Coffee Day’, in our metro cities. It proves right in front of your eyes that coffee has a lot of fans everywhere and you may think of knowing more about your favorite drink. Let us start with the fact that the seed of coffee plant is called a 'coffee bean'. The coffee cherries, coffee fruits or coffee berries, as they are called, usually contain two stones, with their flat sides coming together. The cultivation of coffee bean originated in Ethiopia centuries ago. The origin of the name ‘coffee’ belongs to the Ethiopian word 'Kaffa'. Indians used to call the coffee bean as the 'seed of life'. Just like the variety in prepared coffee, there are many species of coffee plants in the world as well. The main variety is Coffea Arabica, which is the item behind 75 percent of the world's coffee trade. The next mightiest coffee bean is Robusta, which is also called “Coffea Canephora”, and comprises 20 percent of world's coffee industry. The two main classifications of Coffee beans Arabica and Robusta are sub categorized by location. In case you want to know more about the various types of coffee beans, read on.

 

 

Coffea Arabica plant is very difficult to cultivate, as it is vulnerable to diseases and requires specific growing conditions. It is generally considered as a superior brand in coffee. It is mainly produced in Central America, Central Africa and South America, because these places provide the altitude and warm temperature that the plant requires for survival. It cost so much to harvest and transport the Coffea Arabica plant that it proves to be worthwhile when the elegant coffee is produced out of it.

Robusta is the next most popular coffee, after Coffea Arabica, which is enjoyed all over the world. This coffee plant is easier to cultivate and thus, is the choice of many. These coffee beans have double the amount of caffeine and thus, the bitterness, as compared to Coffea Arabica. The plant is grown at low altitudes, in humid weather, as in West Africa and nations such as Brazil. Kopi Luwak is one expensive and sought-after variety of Robusta coffee, which comes from Indonesia.

Arabica and Robusta have sub classifications, which depend on the places where they are grown. For example, Java comes from Indonesia, while Mocha comes from Yemen. Then, you have Harrar, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe beans from Ethipia; Tanzanian Peaberry from Tanzania; Kenyan coffee beans from Kenya; and Arabica coffee, of the Bugishu varietal, from Uganda The same coffee plant can produce different tastes in different locations. The reasons for this are many, including factors like the soil to the way the beans are processed.

 

 

Roasting is the processing that brings out the flavor and aroma of the coffee beans. The roasting method affects the flavor in a big way. French roast coffee has a deep rich flavor, while standard American roast produces an average flavor coffee. The most popular espresso is the darkest roast, with beans roasted to the brink of burning.

 

Coffee beans from different areas are blended together to make more complex cups of coffee. A traditional blend using the Arabica Coffee beans is Mocha Java, which is a combo of mocha and java beans. Mocha beans have a chocolate quality, which inspired the whole concept of today’s ‘mocha coffee drinks’ that are flavored with chocolate. Coffee houses always create new ‘house blends’ to make their signature coffee. It also used for cutting the cost.