Arabica Coffee Coffee Arabica

Many people have seen roasted coffee beans, but unless you have lived or traveled to coffee producing areas, you may not know coffee trees. The saplings are short-trimmed, but when they mature, they are 30 feet tall and covered with waxy leaves that grow symmetrically in dark green. The coffee fruit grows along the branches. After the white flowers are in full bloom and pollinated, the fruit takes a year to ripen. Fruiting is a continuous cycle, so flowers are not uncommon, green and ripe fruit hang together. Coffee trees usually live for 20-30 years and survive in many climates without sudden changes in temperature. If they have a choice, they are more suitable for growing in fertile soil, soft temperature, abundant Rain Water and covered sunlight.

Botanical classification

Coffee is biologically classified as a coffee plant. Among them, there are more than 6000 families and various tropical trees and shrubs. Coffee plants were first described by Swedish botanist CAROLUS LINNEAUS in the 18th century, and ARABICA coffee plants were described in his book Plant Classification in 1753. Botanists are still arguing about the exact classification. Considering that coffee plants range from small shrubs to tall trees. The leaf size varies from 1 to 40 centimeters, and the color changes from purple to yellow to dark green. It is estimated that there are 25 to 100 species of coffee plants on the planet, and there is a reason for debate.

Complete coffee classification:

Kingdom Vegetable

Sub-kingdom Angiospermae

Class Dicotyledoneae

Sub-class Sympetalae

Order Rubiales

Family Rubiaceae

Genus Coffea coffee

Sub-genus Eucoffea

Species C. Arabica

C. Canephora

In today's commercial coffee industry, the two important types of coffee are ARABICA and CANEPHORA (more often called ROBUSTA).

Arabica coffee ARABICA mainly includes: BOURBON Bourbon, TYPICA Iron pickup, CATURRA Kaddura, MUNDO NOVO New World, TICO,SAN RAMON,JAMAICAN BLUE MOUNTAIN

The ARABICA species comes from the most primitive coffee tree found in Ethiopia. This coffee tree produces excellent, soft, well-scented coffee beans, accounting for about 70% of the world's total output. This kind of coffee bean is the most expensive in the world market. A good ARABICA grows between 2000 and 6000 feet above sea level-the ideal height varies with distance from the equator. The most important factor is that the temperature must be kept soft, neither too hot nor too cold, preferably between 59 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and about 60 inches of annual rainfall. ARABICA has strong vitality, but a sudden strong frost can kill it. It is worth farming because the wild ones are difficult to harvest on steep slopes. And, need extra care, because ARABICA is more likely to infect more diseases than ROBUSTA. ARABICA self-pollination. Beans are flatter than ROBUSTA, slender and contain less caffeine.

Robusta ROBUSTA Coffee

The vast majority of ROBUSTA in the world is grown in central and western Africa, and can also be found in Brazil, Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Vietnam. Although it accounts for only 30% of the world's total, its cultivation is expanding. Because from a genetic point of view, ROBUSTA coffee has fewer chromosomes than ARABICA, and coffee beans are more round and smaller in shape. Tree species are more resilient and more resistant to viruses and parasites. The above reasons make planting easier and cheaper. It also allows it to adapt to higher temperatures. It is suitable for growing in temperatures of 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit, much lower than ARABICA, and 60 inches of annual rainfall. Like ARABICA, it can't resist frost. Compared with ARABICA coffee beans, ROBUSTA beans taste much worse and contain 50-60% more caffeine. Initially, it was only used for blending and instant coffee.

Dissect the coffee fruit

At the bottom of the outer pericarp of the coffee fruit is a thin jam-like mesocarp pulp. The inner fruit (coffee beans) is wrapped in a sheath like a parchment bag, and inside the sheath are two coffee beans separated by thin films. Biologists call this film SPERMODERM, but it is more commonly called the "silver sheath" in the coffee trade.

From: NCA translator: Peter Mett

Arabica coffee (what is Arabica?) What are Arabica coffee beans?

Arabica bean

Scientific name coffea arabica (Arabica bean)

Family and genus: coffee genus of Rubiaceae

Coffee trees can be divided into two main varieties: Arabica (coffea arabica) and Robusta (coffea robusta/coffea canephora) (rare on the market).

Arabica (Coffea 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.

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 small fruit coffee, and the main coffee varieties planted are also small grain coffee. Brazil's coffee production accounts for more than 1 inch of the world's total output.

The fruit of small-grain coffee is smaller than that of medium-grain coffee and large-grain coffee. The berries are oval and generally contain two seeds, the so-called "coffee beans".

Subspecies:

The three early subspecies in the Arabica species (Coffea arabica) series are ∶ blue mountain subspecies (varietal Blue Mountain), Tibica subspecies (varietal Typica) and Bourbon subspecies (varietal Bourbon). Jamaica Blue Mountain is recognized as the best coffee in the world. Tibica coffee, which is native to Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan, is the most widely cultivated variety of coffee in the Western Hemisphere and has a higher yield in Hawaii. Hawaii Kona is on a par with Blue Mountain coffee, with a price difference of only $1 to $3. The bourbon subspecies was introduced to America by French immigrants in the 18th century from the island of Island of Bourbon (today's French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar). It is now widely cultivated in the Western Hemisphere, such as Brazil, and a small amount in Yunnan, China. The caffeine content of Bobang subspecies is 20% to 30% higher than that of Tibica subspecies, but less than most coffee subspecies. At first, the main branch and trunk grew upward at 45 degrees, and with the fruit load, the lateral branches were denser, the fruit was more, and the yield was higher. But the berries are smaller and ripen faster, so they are not resistant to strong winds and heavy rain. Bourbon coffee is a variety of small-grain coffee second only to Tibica. It has more fruit and higher yield, but smaller berries and slower ripening.

The small-grain coffee grown in Yunnan, China is mainly Tibika and Bobang subspecies. From the botanical point of view of coffee, Yunnan small-grain coffee is genetically close to the best blue mountains of Jamaica (Jamaica Blue Mountain) and Kona of Hawaii.

Arabica coffee tree

One of the most important coffee trees in the world.

Arabica species (scientific name Coffee Arabica). The origin of Arabica species is Ethiopia's Abyssinia Plateau (present-day Ethiopian Plateau). In the early days, it was mainly used as medicine, and in the 13th century it developed the habit of baking and drinking. It was introduced into Europe through the Arab world in the 16th century and further became a favorite drink all over the world.

Arabica coffee accounts for about 65% of the world's coffee beans, and its excellent flavor and aroma make it the only coffee among these native species that can be drunk directly and alone. However, its resistance to drying, frost, diseases and insect pests is low, especially to the biggest natural enemy of coffee-leaf rust, so all producing countries are committed to improving varieties. For example, Sri Lanka, as we all know, used to be one of the most famous coffee producers in the past, but coffee farms were not spared by leaf rust at the end of the 19th century. Since then, Sri Lanka has turned to black tea, which is also the kingdom of black tea in India.

Arabica is a large shrub with oval, dark green leaves and oval fruit. There are generally two slightly flattened beans with small and round beans, long oval on the front, narrow and S-shaped cracks in the middle, and smooth arcs on the back of the beans. Caffeine content is about 1% Muay 1.7%.

Arabica coffee trees grow between 900m and 2000 m above sea level; they are cold-resistant, and the suitable growth temperature is 15ml / 24m; they need more humidity, and the annual rainfall is not less than 1500 ml. At the same time, they also require higher cultivation techniques and conditions.

Arabica coffee beans are mainly grown in South America (except Argentina and parts of Brazil), Central American countries, Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, etc.), Asia (including parts of Yemen, India and Papua New Guinea), and a small amount of Arabica coffee beans are also grown in Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan in China.

Arabica coffee

Arabica coffee (Coffee.Arabica): also known as Arabica coffee, its taxonomic position was determined by Linnaeus in 1753. It can produce Arabica coffee (C.Arabica) beans, which can be called high-quality coffee beans in the world and the only coffee that can be drunk without any ingredients.

The two best varieties of Arabica coffee (C.Arabica) are C.Typica and C.Burbon, but other varieties have also developed well, including C.Caturra in Brazil and Colombia, C.Mundo in Brazil, C.Tico in Central America and the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee (Jumaican C. Blue Mountain).

Arabica coffee (C.Arabica) trees are suitable for growing in countries with alpine terrain between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cancer at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level. they grow on fertile hillsides with good drainage, requiring adequate sunshine and continuous rainy season and abundant rainfall, with a seasonal climate of 15 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius, mild but not very hot temperatures during the day, and less than two hours of direct sunshine. So farmers usually plant a lot of taller trees of similar varieties in coffee circles to shade. The temperature at night is about 15 degrees. If the temperature is too high, the coffee berries will grow too fast to produce small, strong, hard and high-quality Arabica coffee (C.Arabica). If it is too low and frost, it will freeze to death.

Arabica coffee (C.Arabica) trees are usually larger shrubs with green, oval leaves and poor resistance to rust. Its life span varies from 20 to 30 years (depending on production conditions and nursing), and then it needs to be replanted, usually harvested once every 3 to 4 years, with oval fruit and two flat coffee beans with zigzag grooves and a bit of peanuts. If there's only one, it's called peaberry pea-shaped coffee beans. It accounts for about 70% of the world's total coffee production.

Roberta Coffee Robusta

Roberta Coffee (Coffee. Robustra): more precisely, C. canephora Robustra (C. canephora var. robusta), which produces beans from C. robusta, contains 2 to 3 times more caffeine than C.Arabica because of its poor taste and is often used as a supplement to the production of instant coffee and Arabica coffee (C.Arabica) by the large coffee industry.

C. Robustra trees can grow in lower mountains and prefer warm equatorial climates, with temperatures stable in the range of 24 degrees to 29 degrees. It has strong resistance to rust and high yield. C. Robustra is a sturdy shrub or small tree, more than 10 meters tall, but with shallow roots. The mature period is as long as 11 months, and the shape of the beans of C. Robustra is more round, the middle side of the fissure is a little swollen, and the groove is very straight, much like half a soybean. It mainly occurs in central and western Africa, throughout Southeast Asia and in the C. Conilon region of Brazil.