Learn about the three native species of coffee

There are about 40 species of coffee plants, but the only ones that can produce coffee beans of commercial value are Arabica, Robusta and Liberian. these three species are called the "three native species of coffee".

1. Arabica species (scientific name CoffeE arabica)

The origin of Arabica species is Ethiopia's Abyssinia Plateau (present-day Ethiopian plateau). In the early days, it was mainly eaten as medicine (Islamic couples used it as a secret medicine or temporarily used to wake up the brain). It developed the habit of baking and drinking in the 13th century and was introduced to Europe through South Arabia in the 16th century. it has become a favorite drink all over the world.

Arabica coffee accounts for 75%-80% of all coffee, and its excellent flavor and aroma make it the only coffee that can be drunk directly among these native species. However, its resistance to dryness, frost, diseases and insect pests is too low, especially the natural enemy of coffee-leaf rust, so the producing countries are committed to variety improvement. Sri Lanka is an example. Sri Lanka used to be a well-known coffee producer, but coffee farms were not spared by leaf rust at the end of the 19th century. Since then, Sri Lanka has turned to develop the black tea industry and rank in the same black tea kingdom as India.

Arabica coffee beans are mainly grown in South America (except parts of Argentina and Brazil), Central America, Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and other places, mainly East African countries), Asia (including parts of Yemen, India and Papua New Guinea).

2. Robusta species (scientific name CoffeE robusta Linden)

The leaf rust-resistant varieties found in Congo in Africa have stronger disease resistance than Arabica. People like to compare the robusta species to the Arabica coffee species. In fact, the robusta species was originally a mutant of the Congolese species (scientific name CoffeE canephora), so it is the Congolese species that should be compared with the Atopika species. To this day, however, the name of the Robusta species is commonly used by the public, and it is regarded as the same species as the Congolese species.

Arabica coffee beans grow at colder tropical high elevations, and the hot and humid zone that is not suitable for Arabica coffee is where robusta coffee grows. Robusta has a unique aroma (called "Rob smell", which some people think is moldy) and bitterness, accounting for only 2% of mixed coffee. 3%, the whole cup of coffee becomes Robusta flavor. Its flavor is so bright and strong that if you want to taste it directly, you have to consider it. It is generally used in instant coffee (which extracts about twice as much liquid coffee as Arabica), canned coffee, liquid coffee and other industrial coffee. The content of caffeine is about 3.2%, much higher than 1.5% of Arabica species.

The main producing countries are Indonesia, Vietnam and West African countries centered on C ô te d'Ivoire, Algeria and Angola. In recent years, Viet Nam is more committed to becoming one of the major coffee producing countries. Coffee production is also included in the national policy (Vietnam also produces some Atobika coffee).

3. Liberian species (scientific name CoffeE liberica)

West Africa, the origin of coffee grown in Liberia, has a strong adaptability to all kinds of environments, such as high or low temperature, humidity or dryness, except that it is not resistant to leaf rust and its flavor is worse than that of Arabica, so it is only traded or planted in some West African countries (Libya, C ô te d'Ivoire, etc.).

About 65% of the coffee in circulation in the world market is Arabica.

According to the statistics of ICO (International Coffee Organization), excluding the domestic transactions of coffee-producing countries, about 65% of the coffee in circulation in the world market is Arabica and 35% is robusta. Arabica species are characterized by slender and flat grains, while robusta coffee beans are more round and can be easily distinguished by their shape.

But if you add in the hybrid of Arabica and robusta (for example, the mutant Columbia (Variedad Colombia), which is the main variety of Colombian coffee, has a pedigree of 1 and 4 robusta, so it is resistant to leaf rust and has high yield) and its mutant, the classification is more complicated. Some Arabica coffee beans are quite close to the native species, while others are quite similar to the Robusta species. Even if the name of the coffee is the same (because it is named from the name of origin), the flavor will be different with different cultivated varieties.