If you’re anything like me, you love coffee! The smell of freshly brewed beans is enough to get me going in the morning and set my day off on the right foot. But how do we know what type of coffee beans to buy?
Coffee beans come in many different varieties, with each type of bean resulting in a unique flavour. The main types of coffee beans are Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica.
Each variety has its own benefits for home coffee baristas, so it’s important to know what you’re looking for before making your purchase!
Once you’ve decided which is the best coffee bean to use, the next step is to choose the type of coffee drink you are going to make, and of course, what coffee maker you will use – you’ll be ready for a coffee after all this thinking!
Unless you are using a bean to cup coffee machine, before you can begin using the coffee beans you will need to grind them, with a coffee grinder.
Coffee Bean Varieties Explained
Arabica
Arabica coffee beans are one of the two main most popular coffee beans – robusta is the other. Arabica is lighter and has a more floral taste than robusta, which is darker with a heavier, more earthy flavour. The majority of the world’s arabica production originates from Latin America, mainly in Brazil, Columbia, and Nicaragua.
One thing they all have in common is that they grow at higher altitudes than other coffees because of their hardy nature. This means you’ll find them growing at elevations of 2000-3000 feet above sea level where it’s cooler and there’s more rain for irrigation purposes. These regions also provide an environment with less pests which can damage crops so arabicas need less pesticides to thrive!
Robusta
Robusta is the other main coffee bean produced in the world, second only to arabica.
But what’s the difference between these two types of beans? According to a report by the International Coffee Organization, “Robusta coffee is more acidic with a strong, pungent aroma and flavor.” This is due to its higher caffeine content.
So if you’re looking for an intense or dark-roasted coffee experience, try adding some Robusta beans into your next batch!
Robusta is also cheaper than Arabica because it takes less time to grow. Robusta coffee beans are grown in many different parts of the world. They thrive in a tropical climate which is often found at lower altitudes and near water sources. The most popular region to grow robusta coffee beans is Vietnam.
Excelsa
The Excelsa coffee bean is a dark, dense type of coffee that is grown in Southeast Asia, in particular Vietnam.
The Excelsa coffee bean has less caffeine than Robusta with the taste being more fruity and less bitter. This makes it perfect for those who enjoy sweet flavours without too much caffeine content.
Excelsa coffee beans make up only a small amount of the world’s coffee production and so it is harder to find than Arabica and Robusta.
Although Excelsa was once it’s own type of coffee, it was in 2006 reclassified as a type of Liberica species.
Liberica
Liberica coffee beans originated in Liberia (hence the name) with the largest producer of this coffee type now being the Phillippines, although Liberica does not make up a large proportion of the world’s coffee production.
They have a smoky and fruity taste with a lower concentration of caffeine than other coffee bean types.