08/04/2022
What exactly is a coffee bean?
Good question! A coffee bean is a seed found inside the fruit (called the cherry) of a coffee plant. The coffee cherry is unusual in that we don’t eat the fruity outer part. Instead, we take the pit out and roast it.
Arabica Coffee Beans (Coffea arabica)
Arabica beans are by far the most popular type of coffee beans, making up about 60% of the world’s coffee. These tasty beans originated many centuries ago in the highlands of Ethiopia, and may even be the first coffee beans ever consumed! The name Arabica likely comes from the beans’ popularity in 7th-century Arabia (present-day Yemen).
Robusta Coffee Beans (Coffea caniphora)
Robusta beans are larger and more rounded than the other bean varieties. These plants typically grow much larger than Arabica plants, measuring between 15 and 20 feet. Robusta beans are typically considered to be hardier because they can grow at lower altitudes and resist diseases. But recent research suggests that they don’t handle heat as well as was previously thought.
Liberica Coffee Beans (Coffea liberica)
Native to central and western Africa – specifically Liberia, hence its name – Coffea liberica is prized for its piquant floral aroma and bold, smoky flavor profile. This hardy species is frequently mixed with other varieties to add body and complexity, but rarely receives any credit. Unheard of in Western civilization before the late 1800s, Liberica gained a foothold with Southeast Asian coffee producers after a fungal disease (“coffee rust”) wiped out much of the region’s Arabica crops.
Excelsa Coffee Beans (Coffea excelsa)
The fourth major type of coffee bean is called Excelsa. Though it was once considered a separate coffee species, scientists recently reclassified it as a Liberica variant.
Excelsa beans grow almost entirely in Southeast Asia, and they’re shaped somewhat like Liberica beans — elongated ovals. These beans grow on large 20 to 30-foot coffee plants at medium altitudes.
Not all coffee beans are the same, but we can explain them to you! The 4 different types of coffee beans are Arabica, Robusta...