The two most important coffee varieties in the world

1. Arabica coffee beans

The plant shape of Arabica coffee is a relatively slender shrub with oval and green leaves. The height of natural growth can reach 5-6 meters. When planting, it is necessary to control its height at about 3 meters to facilitate future picking. Arabica coffee trees generally have a life span of 20-30 years, and mature coffee trees are harvested every 3-4 years. The number of coffee beans produced by each coffee tree is low.

Arabica coffee beans are abundant in the tropics and subtropics and are mostly grown in plateau areas at an altitude of 600-1700 meters. These areas have plenty of sunshine and fertile soil, with annual rainfall of 1500-2000 mm and annual average temperature of 15-25 degrees, which is very suitable for the growth of Arabica coffee trees. But excessive sunlight can also cause damage to the fruits of coffee trees. Therefore, in artificial planting, people always take the way of interplanting with other tall plants (such as bananas, mangoes, etc.) to regulate the exposure of sunlight to coffee trees.

Arabica coffee trees have been planted artificially for a long time, so the requirements of planting conditions and artificial care are higher. After long-term artificial cultivation, Arabica coffee trees have also appeared a number of different varieties, and can adapt to different planting environments. The coffee beans produced also have their own taste. Arabica coffee beans account for 75 per cent of the trade in coffee for commercial purposes.

2. Robsusta coffee beans

The Robsusta coffee tree should belong to the Canephora plant strain. Because the Robsusta coffee tree occupies an important position in this strain, Robsusta has become synonymous with Canephora.

Robsusta coffee tree belongs to the shrub with sturdy plant morphology. It is suitable for planting and growing in tropical and subtropical areas between 200 and 800 meters above sea level. The root system of this kind of coffee tree is shallow, but the tree height can reach more than 10 meters, most of them are wild, the vitality is tenacious, the requirement to the growth environment is not high, the planting cost is low.

Robsusta coffee tree has almost the same growth life and picking cycle as Arabica. Despite its bitter taste and light aroma, Robsusta coffee produces more than twice as many beans per tree as Arabica, and contains twice as much caffeine as Arabica.

Comparing Arabica coffee beans with Robsusta coffee beans, it is not difficult to find that Arabica coffee beans are easy to be accepted, such as "rich aroma and pure taste", while Robsusta coffee gives people a "more bitter taste", which may be the source of people's impression that coffee is bitter.

But in Italy, some traditional coffee companies have unique insights and superb production skills in blending espresso with Robsusta beans. They believe that espresso made from Robsusta beans can also have a mellow taste and a strong aroma, as long as it is properly prepared.