What are the varieties of Arabica coffee beans? What are the derivative types and characteristics of Arabica coffee beans?

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What are the varieties of Arabica coffee beans? What are the derivative types and characteristics of Arabica coffee beans?

From the point of view of appearance, Arabica bean is long and flat, the central line is S-curve, Robbosa bean is strong, the shape is more round, and the central line is closer to a straight line.

If you want to understand coffee, you must start with coffee beans. There are more than 100 kinds of coffee in the world, which can be roughly divided into three native species: Arabica, Robusta and Liberia. Among them, the two main types of coffee beans on the market are "Arabica" and "Robusta". More than 3/4 of the coffee sold worldwide are Arabica beans, and most of the rest are Robusta beans.

Arabica Arabica

Arabica varieties originated in Yemen and have been cultivated in the Arab region for more than a thousand years. The coffee beans here are known as the highest quality coffee beans with more subtle flavor and more pleasant aroma than their distant relative Robusta.

Arabica grows only at high altitudes, which has a significant impact on its flavor. The high altitude environment makes the coffee beans grown here ripen more slowly, which means the beans will be stronger and stronger, so Arabica naturally stands out as the highest grade coffee beans.

Arabica (Arabica) is the most traditional Arabica coffee variety. Originally from East Africa, coffee was monopolized by the Arab world for a long time before the 15th century, so it was called "Arabian coffee" by Europeans. In the primitive time, all the commercial coffee in the world was Arabica coffee, but at the end of the 19th century, there was a large-scale disease, and growers began to look for other disease-resistant varieties. Arabica coffee is still the main coffee variety, accounting for about 3% of the world's total coffee output. It is mainly grown in Latin American countries, but also partly in Indonesia and the Pacific islands. At present, the geographical and climatic conditions of Brazil, the largest coffee producer in the world, are very suitable for the growth of Arabica coffee, and the main coffee varieties planted are also small fruit coffee. Brazil's coffee production accounts for more than 1 / 3 of the world's total output.

Arabica species are relatively proud, and their planting conditions are relatively harsh. Most of them are planted in mountains above 600 meters, and the higher the flavor, the better. Because they bear fruit in the mountains for a long time, the fruits contain more sweetness and acidity, and they are mostly picked by hand. They have relatively high economic value in the market, and they can be found in the high altitude areas of tropical air damage. The flavor is better, the caffeine content is low, the taste is mild, and the flavor varies obviously from region to region, which makes it have high added value, mainly in the form of boutique beans, manor beans, competition beans and so on.

Robusta Robusta

Robusta, also known as medium fruit coffee (Coffee Canephora), is slightly lower than Arabica and is traditionally grown at lower altitudes. It is easier to grow, has better resistance to disease and is more productive, making it a more reliable choice for farmers who value yield over quality. They have a more bitter flavor and are generally thought to be less interesting than Arabica.

At the same time, Robusta contains almost twice as much caffeine as Arabica and is most often used with Arabica to add a strong taste of espresso and coffee fat (crema), or to give instant coffee a thick feel. Of course, the flavor of Robusta can not be compared with Arabica, the top Arabica with aggressive and strong taste on the market is still a favorite of coffee fans.

(medium fruit coffee) Robusta is the second largest variety of coffee in the world, accounting for about 20% of the world's coffee production. The berries of Robusta coffee are larger than Arabica fruit coffee but smaller than Libyan fruit coffee, and it has strong disease resistance. It is suitable for growing in a tropical climate with an altitude of 200-300 meters. It contains a high caffeine concentration of about 2% Lou 4%, but its taste is sour and astringent. It is mainly grown in some tropical countries such as Indonesia, India and Uganda, and most of it is used as instant coffee.

Accounts for about 30% of the world's coffee bean production, mainly concentrated in Southeast Asia, about 200 meters-600 meters low-altitude mountain planting, known as the coffee bean world of King Kong Barbie, its not afraid of insect bites, the sun, there is the title of "lost can live", suitable for planting in flat land, low-altitude areas, the results are fast, more, and the tree body is larger, a variety of factors make its price lower in the market. It has a bitter flavor and a strong taste, and its caffeine content is more than twice that of Arabica, so it is often used in blended beans to increase the refreshing effect and lower the cost. It can often be found in instant coffee and commercial beans.

(big fruit coffee) Liberian species (Liberica)

Is a pest-resistant, suitable for high-temperature and humid climate of the variety, its berries and seeds are nearly twice as large as Arabica fruit coffee, rich flavor, but light flavor, the general Nordic prefer this kind of coffee. Mainly grown in Liberia, C ô te d'Ivoire and Madagascar in Africa.

Arabica coffee is generally thought to be native to the Abyssinia Plateau of Ethiopia and widely distributed in the tropics. Many varieties have been derived from repeated mutations or mating. Now, it is said that there are more than 70 varieties of Arabica coffee alone.

The so-called "planting" rice is the difference between the long rice of Induca and the short rice of Japonica, that is, the difference between Thai rice and Japanese rice. This may be easier to understand. Then look at the 'subspecies, varieties, varieties' derived from the 'species'; the variety here refers to Yueguang rice. There are many kinds of coffee, just like rice.

Of course, in terms of variety improvement, coffee is the same as rice, which constantly seeks to improve disease resistance, production and environmental adaptability. in addition, rice also pursues variety improvement in taste. On the contrary, coffee not only pays less attention to this point, but also has the suspicion of 'changing evil'. In order to pursue production efficiency, the improvement of the quality of coffee taste has become a secondary consideration.

This tendency can be seen from the recent trends in the world coffee market. The market has paid more attention to high-quality coffee, that is, high-quality coffee, and coffee producers and consumers are eager to introduce new evaluation criteria. Coffee is highly rated and can be bought and sold at a high price, most of which are inherent varieties of Arabica species (or 'old trees'), such as Tibica, bourbon, Kaddura (mutants of bourbon), etc.

Among the varieties produced today, the traditional varieties have the lowest yield and disease resistance, but their rich flavor is irreplaceable.

I am by no means a believer in Tibica or bourbon coffee, nor am I a variety supremacist, but there is no denying that variety is an important factor in the taste of coffee, and more and more people are paying attention to it.

Next, I would like to introduce the main varieties of coffee in Arabica and their characteristics.

Tibica (Typica)

This is the closest variety of Arabica species to the original species, and almost all Arabica species originated here. Used to be widely cultivated in Central and South America, the bean shape is long and has excellent aroma and sour taste, but it is not resistant to leaf rust and requires a considerable number of shading trees, resulting in low production (the same as Bourbon, which can only be harvested every two years). Originally, all varieties of Tibica were grown in Colombia until 1967, but now 80-90% of them have switched to Kaddura (Caturrra), which is highly productive and resistant to direct sunlight, or a variety of Colombia (Variedad Colombia). At present, there are very few pure Tibica on the Colombian market.

Bourbon (Bourbon)

Tibica is the best secondary species closest to the original species of Arabica, while bourbon is the second species caused by Tibica mutation. These two are the oldest varieties of coffee in existence. Bourbon was transplanted from Yemen to the eastern part of Madagascar in East Africa, to the island of Bourbon in the Indian Ocean (now known as Reunion), and then to Brazil with the French colonists. It is characterized by small and round beans, mostly dense and gregarious, so the central line is S-shaped.

The harvest is 20-30% more than Tibica, but it is still too small compared with other high-yield varieties, and it is only harvested once every two years, so it is gradually replaced by other varieties. The mating species and mutants of bourbon, such as Mundo Novo and Catuai, are of high quality in aroma and alcohol thickness, and all have the characteristics of Tibica.

Kaddura (Caturra)

This is a bourbon mutant found in Brazil; the height of the tree is low, the bean has small grains, high yield and resistance to leaf rust. The disadvantage is that it only bears fruit every other year, that is, it can only be harvested once every two years. Although the quality is very high, the cost of care and fertilization is quite high. It is suitable for cultivation in the mid-highlands with an altitude of 450-1700 meters and an annual rainfall of 2500-3500 mm. It is characterized by sour taste and slightly stronger astringency.

Mondo Norwood (Mundo Novo)

Natural mating between bourbon species and Sumatra species found in Brazil. It is highly adaptable to the environment and resistant to diseases and insect pests. Although it belongs to a high-yield variety, its growth rate is slow and the bean grain is too large. The tree height of more than three meters is its disadvantage (this height has exceeded the height that the harvester can reach, so it is not suitable for planting in areas where coffee harvesting is mechanized), the top branches and leaves of coffee trees should be trimmed every year. It began to be planted in the whole region of Brazil around 1950 and is now the main variety in Brazil along with Kaddura and Catuai. Mondonovo had a good balance of sour and bitter taste, and his taste was close to the original variety, so the first question of the city was widely expected, and it was named 'Mundo Novo (meaning New World)'.

Kaduai (Catuai)

The mating species of Mundo Novo and Caturra. The yield is high and the environment is adaptable, and the tree is high and high (because the tree of Montanovu is too high, it is difficult to harvest, so it is mated with Kaddura of tree height). Unlike Kaddura, Kaddura bears fruit year after year. Although it must be fully fertilized, it is resistant to diseases and insect pests, and the fruit is not easy to fall in the face of strong wind and rain. Only the fruit growth and harvest life is only about ten years, the life span is too short is its weakness. It is mainly cultivated in the vast area from Colombia to Central America. The taste of Kaduai is more monotonous and less mellow than Montanovo.

Marago Gippe (Maragogype)

This is the Tibica mutant found in Brazil. Beans are large and need to be filtered with a sieve of more than 19 sizes. The taste is poor and the appearance is good, so it is favored by some markets. The height of the tree is high, so the yield is low.

Kent (Kent)

Indian breed. It has high yield and strong resistance to diseases, especially leaf rust. It is thought to be a hybrid of Tibica and other varieties.

Amaret O (Amareiio)

Generally speaking, the fruit of coffee appears red when it is ripe, but the fruit of this variety is just like its name (Amareiio comes from the modern Latin word Amareiius-, which means "yellow"), and the fruit is yellow when ripe. The yield is high because of the height of the tree.

Cartimo (Catimor)

Born in Portugal in 1959, the strong leaf rust species Timor (the mating of Arabica and Robusta) was mated with bourbon mutant Kaddura. Among the commercial varieties with high yield, it has the best growth length and the highest yield. The height of the tree is low, and the fruits and seeds of coffee (raw beans) are on the large side. There are quite a number of new varieties derived from Cartimo. Generally speaking, the varieties of the Cartimo series are strong, adaptable to the environment and high in yield. Only in terms of taste, the low-real estate Katimo is not far different from other commercial varieties, but the Katimo produced in the highlands above 1200 meters above sea level is obviously at a disadvantage compared with Bourbon, Kaddura, Kaduai, and so on.

Mutant Columbia (Variedad Colombia)

A variety with high disease resistance produced by mating between Cartimo and Kaddura. Resistant to direct sunlight, and can be harvested in a short time. Colombia began to grow widely in the 1980s, replacing the previous inherent variety Tibica as the main variety. Generally speaking, Arakabi coffee trees, represented by Tibica, must have shade trees for it, but the mutant Colombian coffee trees with 1/4 Robusta pedigree do not need shelter trees and can be produced and harvested throughout the year. It is just that in recent years, coffee beans may emit Phenol, which is similar to the smell of iodine, due to the influence of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The difference with the inherent variety Tibica can be seen at a glance through Deep City Bakery (Full-city roasting). Generally speaking, the sour taste of coffee becomes weaker and the bitter taste increases after roasting in deep cities, while the bitterness of the mutant Colombian coffee increases sharply after the second burst period.