What are Robusta coffee beans? What's the difference between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee?

Coffee friends may not pay attention to coffee varieties, but friends who are familiar with coffee will pay attention to coffee varieties, because they know that different coffee varieties have different flavors. There are many varieties of coffee in the world, but all of them are derived from these three varieties. The three original species of coffee in the world: Arabica, Robusta and Liberica, the production of which is very small. Arabica Coffee (arabica) and Robusta Coffee (robusta hereinafter referred to as Luodou) are the two most widely used coffees on the market.

It is said that boutique coffee is Arabica coffee, while Robusta coffee is mostly made with beans. This is all because the flavor of the original variety of coffee has become dominant. As for which grade Arabica coffee or Robusta coffee is higher, in fact, Qianjie believes that each type of coffee has its own personality and flavor, which does not mean that the most expensive coffee is the highest grade, and the best coffee is the one that suits you.

The flavor of Arabica coffee is mainly floral, fruit or sour notes of nuts and charred candy, which on the whole is better than Robusta's, and it is easier for people to accept, and it is mainly a single boutique coffee, while the overall flavor of Robusta coffee is relatively single, bitterness is strong, and it is not palatable and difficult to accept, so it is mainly espresso and instant coffee.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica is the earliest coffee variety found, which is considered to be one of the best quality coffee bean varieties, and it is also the most important coffee bean variety in the world. Arabica is produced in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and so on. Arabica varieties come from Ethiopia, and to this day, there are many unknown coffee species in the primeval forests of Ethiopia. On the other hand, the Robusta coffee variety originated in the Congo in West Africa. Robusta actually belongs to the Canefra species, also known as the Congolese species, but unfortunately, only one variety called Robusta in the Canefa species can be commercialized and well known. so that now Robusta has almost replaced Canefra as a synonym for the species.

Arabica coffee beans have high requirements for the growing environment, and the appropriate temperature and high altitude are the most basic requirements for planting Arabica varieties. The flavor performance of Arabica varieties will be very different according to different altitude, temperature, microclimate, humidity, soil, etc. Because of the high altitude and the large temperature difference between day and night, the growth time of coffee trees will be prolonged and the formation of flavor will be more abundant. For example, the rosy summer coffee of the Emerald Manor in Panama is not as good as that grown in Panama, because Arabica is very picky about the growing environment, and the worse the environment, the better the flavor of the coffee.

Elaraby grows in an area with an altitude of 600-2200m, a temperature of 15 °- 24 °C and an annual rainfall of 1200-2200mm. From flowering to fruit ripening for about 7-9 months, its bean shape is long and has a strong and round wet aroma. The coffee made from Arabica coffee has strong complex flavors such as flowers, fruit, chocolate and caramel. The bitter taste and sour taste of the coffee are well balanced. Its caffeine content is less than 1.5%. Arabica beans are rich in aroma and taste, and taste softer and palatable. Therefore, it occupies a major position in the market.

Arabica species usually grow between 2.5 and 4.5 meters, tolerate low temperatures but do not frost, do not have strong drought capacity, large particles, clean flavor, mellow taste and low caffeine. Arabica also has many subspecies, all of which are derived from the oldest Tibika (Typica) in Ethiopia and Bourbon (Bourbon) in Yemen after transplanting to Central and South America or Asia. Such as: Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, Qianjie 2013 Iron pickup Coffee, Panamanian Rose Summer Coffee and so on.

"ancient native species"

"Typica": the oldest native variety in Ethiopia, all Arabica are derived from iron pickups. The top leaf of the iron pickup is bronzed, and the bean body is oval or thin in shape; the flavor is elegant, but the physique is weak, the disease resistance is poor, and the fruit yield is low. Excellent manor beans such as the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Mantenin of Sumatra and Kona of Hawaii all belong to iron pickups. One of the characteristics is that the top leaf of Tibica is bronzed.

"Bourbon":

After the early (prehistoric coffee) iron pickup was transplanted to Yemen, the bean shape changed from thin and pointed to round. It was named bourbon in 1715 after France transplanted round beans from Yemeni mocha to the island of Bourbon on the east coast of Africa (renamed Reunion after the French Revolution). Bourbon beans spread to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727, and the British transplanted Yemeni mochas to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later imprisoned) in 1732. Bourbon is the winner of the American boutique coffee cup test.

Rose summer (Geisha):

A derivative of the Tippika family, it was exported from the Geisha Mountains of southern Ethiopia in 1931 (Geisha is synonymous with Japanese geisha). After being unknown in many countries, it was transplanted to Panama in the 1960s and did not begin to win cup tests until 2005.

At present, the best-known origin of Rosa Rosa is in the Pokuit region of Panama, a small city at the eastern foot of Mount Baru. The most famous rosy summer coffee plantations in Poquet are the famous Emerald Manor (La Esmeralda), Arida Manor Elida Estate and Panamanian NPGE Manor. Although Rosa Coffee is grown all over the world, even in Taiwan, the flavor is not as amazing as that of Panama.

Robusta variety of coffee

The growth conditions of Robusta are not as harsh as those of Arabica. Robusta can grow at lower elevations and higher temperatures. It grows faster than Arabica and is more tolerant to extreme weather conditions. Robusta is widely planted in Vietnam, Brazil, India and other countries. Among them, China's Hainan also grows Robusta.

Robusta grows in an area with an altitude of 0800 meters, a temperature of 1836 ℃ and an annual precipitation of 2200-3000 mm. From flowering to fruit ripening for about 7-9 months, its bean line is round, with weak wet aroma (aroma) and woody (woody). The coffee produced has a strong bitter taste and low sour taste. Its caffeine content is 1.8 ~ 3.5%. Robota beans have a single taste, bitter, and do not taste good enough. They are generally used in instant coffee, canned coffee, liquid coffee and other industrial production coffee, and a small part of them are used to prepare Italian concentrated mixed beans. It can improve the mellowness of espresso. The commercial match on the front street takes 10% of Robusta's Luodou to match.

Robusta is mostly grown at low elevations and grows faster and less flavor is formed. In addition, the Robusta coffee tree itself has a high content of chlorogenic acid (bitterness is the source of the substance), so the coffee has a mellow, lower taste, as well as walnut, peanut, hazelnut, wheat, grain and other flavors, and even a pungent earthy taste.

The Robusta variety is a fruit and a bean, which means that there is only one coffee bean in a Robusta coffee fruit. Robusta coffee beans are round and C-shaped, while the midline is in the shape of "1".

The Arabica coffee fruit has two coffee beans (of course, occasionally there is only one coffee bean, which is called round beans / beads because of its three-dimensional oval shape). Arabica's beans are oval in shape, slender and flat, and the center line is in the shape of "Chip S".

Elaraby coffee trees reproduce through self-pollination, while Robusta multiplies through cross-pollination, which involves genetic inheritance. The offspring produced by cross-pollination have the genetic traits of two parent plants, which are likely to produce new characteristics, helping it survive in a changing environment. So Arabica, which is self-pollinated, is very fragile, and its genes become more and more single in the process of reproduction, just like biological inbreeding. When there are diseases that threaten coffee trees, such as leaf rust, it is possible to destroy all Arabica coffee trees with the same gene. On the other hand, Robusta varieties can adapt to the environment by constantly changing their genes.

Robusta has higher caffeine content, lower fat and sugar content, so it tastes more bitter and stronger. Caffeine is the best "natural pesticide" against insect pests.

Although the flavor of Robusta is not good, it has a very high alcohol thickness and rich oil. Most of the instant coffee on the market is made of Robusta coffee, and then add a lot of saccharin, cream, coffee can also drink a mellow feeling. The commercial mix of front street coffee is blended with 90% Arabica: 10% robusta. In terms of the flavor of individual beans, the taste of coffee obtained from commercial beans is much lower than that of high-quality coffee beans. Generally, commercial beans are chosen to be used for blending. After mixing the beans, you can also make coffee with a good export flavor, which can be used to make lattes. Cabo and other espresso. And Qianjie coffee commercial mix to make Espresso, because there are Robota beans, oil will be richer, taste classic, caramel sweet, nut and cocoa, dark chocolate flavor, sweet and sour balance, a little bittersweet, long-lasting.

Qianjie believes that the quality of coffee depends not only on the chemical properties of coffee beans, but also on a series of choices. The delicious Arabica coffee we drink today is not only a gift from nature, but also the result of centuries of emphasis on quality-related factors. Then people make the choice of production, post-processing, roasting and brewing, each of which further affects the sensory quality of the coffee. In the whole supply chain, people put more resources and time into Arabica coffee than Robusta, which has a great impact on the flavor of the final cup.

Qianjie Coffee believes that Robusta's cup test scores are usually not high, because the flavor quality is often not very good, which is directly related to the method of treatment. Robusta usually trades directly with a large number of defective beans, and cup testing is not a top priority for farmers. But what if it is handled properly? It may affect not only the production of farmers, but also other parts of the supply chain.

Although Robusta's reputation is usually not very good, Qianjie believes that the beans themselves are not entirely to blame. Robusta usually harvests by machine, which means the coffee will contain rotten and immature beans, as well as insects and branches and other sundries, this combination is guaranteed to produce a bad cup of coffee.

Generally speaking, the fine coffee we drink is basically made of Arabica coffee beans. Arabica coffee beans have a lower caffeine wall, but it has a better flavor, and it has less fat than Robusta, but it tastes cleaner. Arabiya will also be more expensive because of its low production.

Suggestions for making coffee in front of the street:

No matter what kind of coffee it is, you still need to pay attention to the freshness of coffee beans in order to brew a good cup of coffee. Qianjie has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans has a great relationship with the flavor of coffee, so the coffee beans shipped in Qianjie coffee are roasted within 5 days. The purpose of Qianjie roasting is "freshly roasted coffee", so that every guest who places an order is the freshest coffee when he receives it. The bean cultivation period of coffee is about 4-7 days, so when the guest gets it, it is the time when the flavor is the best.

For those who need to be ground, Qianjie warmly reminds you that if the coffee beans are ground in advance, there is no need to raise the beans, because in the process of transportation, the pressure caused by carbon dioxide in the package can also make the coffee flavor round. so you can drink a cup of coffee as soon as you receive the coffee powder. But the coffee powder needs to be brewed in time, because the coffee powder oxidizes more quickly after contact with the air, that is to say, the flavor of the coffee will dissipate more quickly, and the flavor of the coffee is not so good. Therefore, Qianjie suggests buying whole beans, grinding and flushing now, so that we can better taste the flavor of coffee.

Professional coffee knowledge exchange more coffee bean information please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

For more boutique coffee beans, please add private Qianjie coffee on Wechat. WeChat account: qjcoffeex