Coffee review

Why is the coffee bean flavor of Arabica better than that of Robusta?

Published: 2025-08-21 Author: World Gafei
Last Updated: 2025/08/21, For information, please follow the coffee workshop (official Wechat account cafe_style) and the two important reactions are caramelization (caramelization, oxidation and browning of sugars) and Mena (Maillard reaction, reaction of amino acids with sugars). Both reactions require the participation of sugars, and the rich sucrose in raw beans provides these two reactions.

For information, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

The two most important reactions are caramelization (caramelization, oxidation and browning of sugars) and Mena (Maillard reaction, reaction of amino acids with sugars). Both reactions require the participation of sugars, and the rich sucrose in raw beans provides the materials needed for these two reactions. Previous studies also found that there was a positive correlation between sucrose content and coffee bean flavor. From the table below, it can be seen that the content of sucrose (Sucrose) in Arabica is twice as much as that in Robusta, which also explains why the flavor of Arabica coffee beans is better than that of Robsta.

Caramelization reaction

After drinking coffee, the dry coffee stains at the bottom of the cup were arranged into interesting patterns, and suddenly the sweet smell of caramel flashed for a moment, and then smell it carefully, the sweet smell of caramel came from the bottom of the cup, why is there the sweetness of caramel? Later, I found that the black coffee itself is really sweet, especially the sweetness of caramel! But the sweetness of each kind of coffee varies depending on the variety of beans and the way it is roasted.

The sugar in coffee beans is caramelized at about 170 ℃, which is exactly the melting point of sucrose (185 ℃) and the temperature of the explosion stage when coffee beans are roasted. The product of caramelization is divided into two parts:

The dehydration product of sugar is caramel or sauce.

The pyrolysis products are mainly volatile aldehydes and ketones.

Generally speaking, fire-roasted aroma, caramel and color are produced in the caramelization reaction, as well as other aromatic substances such as maltol, Cyclotene, furan and so on. These compounds can also be found in red wine, fruit juices, cream and other foods.

However, if caramel is too much in the baking process is not a good thing, but will cause carbonization, making the coffee dry and choking. If the caramel is not enough, it will make the aroma monotonous and lack of layers.

The sugar in coffee beans is caramelized at about 170 ℃, which is exactly the melting point of sucrose (185 ℃) and the temperature of the explosion stage when coffee beans are roasted. The product of caramelization is divided into two parts:

The dehydration product of sugar is caramel or sauce.

The pyrolysis products are mainly volatile aldehydes and ketones.

Generally speaking, fire-roasted aroma, caramel and color are produced in the caramelization reaction, as well as other aromatic substances such as maltol, Cyclotene, furan and so on. These compounds can also be found in red wine, fruit juices, cream and other foods.

However, if caramel is too much in the baking process is not a good thing, but will cause carbonization, making the coffee dry and choking. If the caramel is not enough, it will make the aroma monotonous and lack of layers.

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