The kind of coffee

As far as the flavor of coffee is concerned, the difference in producing areas certainly has a greater impact on the flavor of coffee. When it comes to different varieties of beans produced in the same place, the differences between varieties become a very interesting topic. We try our best to discuss this topic in an agricultural academic way, and integrate the information in a commercial sense.

[classification]:

Let's first explain some common nouns.

Species (species): the most basic taxonomic classification. Just like people and monkeys are different kinds of meaning.

Variety (varieties): under the species, these varieties can be mated with each other to form mixed varieties.

Hybrids: a variety derived from a mixture of different varieties.

Cultivated species (cultivars): a term that includes varieties and hybrids and is directly used in agriculture.

Varieties and hybrids make a meaningful distinction in the application of agricultural breeding and academic discussion, but for farmers and businessmen, cultivating seeds is what they care about. After all, which kinds of coffee can resist insect pests, have a high yield and have a good flavor are the important places for practical application.

Coffee belongs to the genus genus Coffea of family Rubiaceae, which has more than 50 species (species). Among them, Elaraby (Coffea arabica), Coffea canephora; (Coffea canephora; is often commercially known as robusta), Coffea liberica and Coffea excelsa are the main species cultivated in agriculture. Now the two most common species on the market are Arabica and Canifra. In the early days, there was a better flavor than arabica-stenophylla, a stenophylla species that originated in West Africa and was later introduced into British colonies. Rust spot (rust disease) was prevalent in Southeast Asia from 1895 to 1896, and two kinds of coffee trees, stenophylla and arabica, were badly damaged. It takes nine years to grow stenophylla to mature, and arabica and robusta are the main coffee trees in terms of economic benefits.

Coffea canephora:

Canephora, which originated in Africa, is planted at an altitude of 300-1000 meters. The tree is about 3-8 meters high, with bright green leaves and bright red fruit. Compared with arabica, the yield is higher and the beans are smaller. At present, there are two common varieties: Kouillou and Robusta.

Kouillou:

The name Kouillou comes from the Kouillou River in Gabon, a West African country, and is mainly grown in Madagascar, Uganda and other countries. Beans are small and irregular, and the flowers are white or light pink.

Robusta:

The name Robusta comes from the word Robust (meaning strong, mellow). The tree is about 2-5 meters high, the fruit is smaller and the beans are round. Robusta was mainly planted near Lake Victoria in Uganda. The tree species of Robusta were relatively resistant to diseases and insect pests and were planted in Southeast Asia after the epidemic of rust spot at the end of the 19th century. At present, Robusta is mainly grown in central and western Africa, Southeast Asia and Conilon, Brazil, with a temperature of 24-29 ℃ in the warm equatorial region. Robusta has this mellow taste, and the price is not high. Mixed beans are often used to replenish alcohol and are the main ingredient of instant coffee. The caffeine content of Robusta is higher than that of arabica and the aroma of ripe bean is thinner.

Coffea liberica:

Liberica was discovered in Liberia, West Africa in 1843. This tree can be up to 20 meters tall with large leaves and fruit twice as large as arabica. Liberica can be planted in high altitude areas, with drought resistance, disease resistance and long life. But the flavor is not good enough, so it is slowly replaced by other tree species. The main varieties are Worensis and Grandifolia.

Coffea excelsa:

Excel has an outstanding meaning, Excelsa originated from Congo was discovered in 1904, excelsa this variety has a very good disease resistance. The flavor is similar to that of arabica and is rich with perfume. Have a good ability to adapt, but the output is low.

Coffea arabica:

Arabic means Arabic, so arabica is also translated into Arabic. Arabica is native to Ethiopia and has been planted in alpine areas ever since. It was found as Arabica species in the Middle East in the 15th century and was widely cultivated later. Arabic can grow to 500m-2000m (because different latitudes have different vertical climate types, usually up to below the frost line), precipitation between 150m and 200cm, and seasonal climate of 15-24 ℃. It usually blossoms during the rainy season, but the fruit takes nine months to ripen. The flowers are white, usually 8-15 flowers gather in a cluster with a faint fragrance of jasmine. The leaves of Arabic are oval green and the fruit is oval. The tree is 3-5 meters high and can grow to 10 meters high. Due to the good flavor of arabica, 3-5 tree species can be produced as adults, so it is the most widely planted coffee tree species. Bourbon and Typica are the original varieties with good taste but are still common today. Due to the spread and development of coffee, different varieties (such as Blue Mountain) or hybrids with good flavor and resistance to diseases and insect pests (such as Caturra, Columbiana) have been developed. Arabica is widely cultivated, so there are many kinds of cultivation.