It’s Monday morning, you’re feeling groggy and not ready to start your day yet. Half asleep you make your way to the kitchen and brew yourself a bold cup of coffee to ease yourself into what you know will be a hectic day. This is a routine that you have been doing for most of your adult life. As you stare at your coffee maker waiting for it to beep to let you know it’s ready, have you ever wondered what coffee beans are used to brew your coffee? Well fret not, let us give you a quick crash course on two primary types of coffee beans: Robusta and Arabica beans.
What are Arabica Beans?
Arabica coffee beans are widely used coffee beans by coffee lovers around the world. It has been said that more than 75% of the world’s coffee production is from Arabica growers and with Brazil being the most notable Arabica producers. It is also known to be of better quality as compared to Robusta and tends to sell at a higher price.
Arabica coffee beans produce a sweet and smooth taste with flavor hints of chocolate and sometimes could have tones of berries. Its taste is usually preferred compared to Robusta beans. It also has a caffeine content of 1.5% and has a higher acidity content.
Arabica beans, are grown at a high elevation and takes longer to mature which adds to its full flavor. They also require a lot of soil, moisture, sunlight, and shade. The arabica coffee plant produces less per year than the robusta coffee plant which makes arabica more expensive to grow than it's opponent.
Arabica has two common varieties which are Typica and Bourbon. Typica is known for the high-quality taste that they produce and is even known to produce the best coffee in the world. Bourbon produces at least 20-30% more than Typica and is known for its deep, buttery, and chocolatey flavor.
What are Robusta beans?
Robusta coffee beans are widely used in espresso blends as they produce a finer crema. This is the bean type that is also mostly used in instant coffees or even as fillers in some coffee blends. It is also known as the inferior variety as compared to Arabica and has a lower price point. About 25% of the world’s coffee comes from Robusta coffee beans.
Robusta produces a bitter, rubbery, or grainy taste with hints of pea-nutty aftertaste. It also has a caffeine content of 2.7% which is almost twice higher than Arabica. It also has lesser sugar content.
The Robusta coffee plant is an easy plant to maintain. It is known to survive hot temperatures and requires a lot of water to stay hydrated. Although relatively new to the international coffee trade, Vietnam is the No. 1 producer of robusta coffee in the world, accounting for more than 40% of global output in the 2019–2020 marketing year.
Arabica vs. Robusta
Most of the differences between the two coffee beans fall on the quality, caffeine content, and the taste it produces. Arabica beans are more expensive, but they produce a cup of coffee with a high-quality taste and less caffeine. If you need more caffeine kick at an affordable price, then Robusta is a better choice.
Nevertheless, both coffee bean types are good options to start your morning with a cup of aromatic coffee to wake you up and go on with your day!