Types of Coffee Beans

Published on: Feb 19 2011 by Shenron

Although, the coffee beans are not actually the form of beans, these are the seeds of the coffee plant which have semblance with beans. Coffee trees are normally cultivated in the sub-tropical climatic conditions which are about six thousand feet from the sea level. Growing a coffee is very demanding and exhaustive job as you have to collect the coffee beans with your hands once it is matured.

A single coffee tree can produce about two thousand coffee fruits from which you can collect around four thousands coffee beans. The collected beans tend to generate about two pounds of roasted coffee each year. Collecting the beans from coffee fruit involve two processes, i.e. wet process and dry process.

In wet process, the coffee fruits are soaked as result of which the coffee beans come out of the fruit. After the coffee beans come out of the fruits, the beans need to be dried. Once the coffee beans are dried out, these are categorized by grade and size and that too by hand.

In dry process, the coffee fruits are spread in direct sunlight to dry. Thereafter the fruits are stripped off with the help of machines, eventually giving you the coffee beans. These are then sorted out depending upon their size and grade.

Once the sorting is done by either of the process, the coffee beans are transferred to roasters in order to get roasted. It is important to preserve the freshness and greenness of the coffee beans till the time they get roasted as the only vital characteristic of coffee is its freshness.

There are several different types and varieties of coffee available in the market and it is difficult to distinguish between the different types until you are not aware of their features. Most of the people who are fond of coffee can have the instinct to distinct between different varieties but not all the people have this ability.

Different Types of Coffee Beans

You maybe surprised to know that there are over six thousand varieties of coffee beans found across the world out of which only 25 are taken as major coffee beans types. Although, 25 are considered the major types, yet there are only three of them which are widely used by the people. The three popular coffee beans types are given below:

Kona

Although, this is known as the smaller type if judged against the Robusta and Arabica, yet it is the expensive than both. It is grown excessively in Hawaii. Despite of having very less support from the common people, its demand is still high across the world. The reason behind this high demand is its strong aroma. This strong aroma and tang force the people to use it without blending with any other drink.

Robusta

Robusta coffee beans are also known as Canephora which shares 40% of the total coffee production all over the world. Unlike Arabica, Robusta has strong resistance against the different weather conditions as well as diseases. Robusta coffee beans are not as expensive as of Arabica and Kona. It is assumed to be originated from the Democratic Republic of Congo where it was discovered as a naturally growing plant. It is grown in lower elevations and hence is considered as the low grade coffee beans. It has strong flavor with high amount of caffeine. Robusta is often used with other coffees types as its powerful taste boasts the flavors of other coffees. It is also important to mention here that it doesn’t have variation in flavor as that of Arabica.

Arabica

Arabica is a type of coffee beans that holds the 60% of the total coffee production all across the world. Unlike Robusta, Arabica is more susceptible to frost, pests and diseases. It is for this reason, coffee beans are quite pricey. It has a soft, tender taste which makes it versatile for a reason that you can use it its own form or you can blend it with other coffee drinks such as a base with Robusta.

The features and characteristics of Arabica coffee beans are not same as they differ from region to region. For instance, in South and Central America, the Arabica coffee beans produced are moderate in flavor and texture and are used on breakfast tables in blended form with other coffees. The coffee beans produced in these regions are of superior grade and given the name of gourmet coffee. It is highly aromatic and tasteful variety of the Arabic coffee beans. Having a wide range of varieties, Arabica coffee beans have been able to achieve a part of the standard set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

There are a number of different variations found for the Arabica coffee beans which are often given the name after the region or place where they produce excessively. For instance, in Ethiopia alone, there are found several different expensive varieties of Arabica coffee beans that grow in different parts of the country.

Similarly, Africa is another country where we can have a lot of different varieties of Arabica coffee beans. The three most popular varieties of Arabica coffee beans are native to Africa. The three variations are Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harrar. Africa is known as the first country that worth coffee drinking.

Kenya is the next in the list that is known for valued coffee drinking. In Kenya, the Arabica coffee beans are referred to as Kenyan. Some of the other major countries known for the production of the Arabica coffee beans are Uganda, Indonesia and Tanzania. Uganda is also known for the production of Robusta coffee beans. In Indonesia, the popular variety of Arabica coffee beans is known as Java. It has got his name from the region in Java in Indonesia.

Apart from these, Hawaii is also known for producing some quality variations of Arabica coffee beans. The Mountain Hualalai’s slope is a region known for producing a popular variety called Hawaiian Kona.

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