Coffee botany knowledge

Coffee classification

There are more than 60 kinds of coffee, but there are roughly two varieties of coffee grown commercially on a large scale, one is Arabica, accounting for about 70 percent of the world's coffee planting area, and the other is Robasta, accounting for about 30 percent of the world's coffee planting area.

According to our national standards, the classification of coffee is mainly divided into the following five varieties.

1. Small seed coffee, that is, Arabian species. It is native to Ethiopia and is the main cultivated species in the world. China is mainly distributed in Yunnan and Zhanjiang, Guangdong. This kind is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, mellow smell and good drinking quality, but it is easy to be infected with leaf rust.

2. Medium seed coffee, that is, Robasta species. It is commonly said to be native to the rainforest region of the Congo in Africa. The cultivated area is second only to the small seed species, and it is mainly cultivated in Hainan Province in China. This species is not resistant to strong light, wind and drought, and is weak in cold resistance. But it has strong disease resistance and is not easy to be infected with leaf rust. The product has strong drinking flavor and strong irritation.

3. Large seed coffee, that is, Liberian species. Originated in Liberia, Africa. The cultivated area is small, and there is also a small amount of planting in Hainan Province, which is suitable for growing in areas with low altitude and high temperature.

4. Esselsa. Native to the Charlie River Basin in West Africa, it has not been cultivated in China.

5. Alabata species. It is a new species cultivated by the French Coffee and Cocoa Institute in 1962, which was crossbred between tetraploid coffee and small seed coffee treated with colchicine in C ô te d'Ivoire, Africa.

The most suitable variety for cultivation in Yunnan Province of China is Arabian species (commonly known as small seed species).