The three native species of coffee

Three native species of coffee

There are three main varieties of coffee: Arabica Arabica, Robusta Robusta, and Liberia Liberica. The first two are relatively long-term, while the latter is hardly in circulation on the market and is only traded within parts of West African countries.

Arabica is mainly produced in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico and other American countries, Costa Rica in the Caribbean, Ethiopia and other countries.

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It is difficult to grow, they prefer mild days and cooler nights, grow luxuriantly in highlands (1800 m), and require special climatic conditions-a year-round temperature of about 38 degrees and abundant precipitation. A tropical mountain climate that does not defrost. Only more than 50 countries in the world have such conditions, all of which are about 160 kilometers north and south of the equator.

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However, due to the excellent aroma, balanced taste and low caffeine content of Arabica, the actual planting amount accounts for 70-80% of the total coffee planting. The familiar Santos of Brazil, Manning of Sumatra, Moka of Yemen and Blue Mountain of Jamaica all belong to the high-quality coffee beans of Arabica.

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Robusta is mainly produced in Uganda, Ivory Coast, Congo, Angola and other countries. Coffee beans are small and of different shapes, but Robusta coffee trees are resistant to high temperature, cold, humidity, drought and even bacterial invasion; they are so adaptable that they can grow well on flat land and do not need to be harvested manually.

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However, Robusta has poor aroma, strong bitterness, insufficient acidity and high caffeine content, so it is usually used for blending or instant coffee.

Liberica is native to West Africa and has strong adaptability to various environments, but it is not resistant to leaf scab and its flavor is worse than that of Arabica.