Coffee bean

Talk about the difference between Arabica and Robusta in detail:

Origin

Arabica

South America (excluding parts of Argentina and Brazil), Central American countries, Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and other places, mainly East Africa), Asia (including parts of Yemen, India, Papua New Guinea), China’s Yunnan, A small amount of Arabica coffee beans are also grown in Hainan and Taiwan.

Robusta

Indonesia, Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, and Angola are the countries of West Africa (Vietnam also produces some Arabica coffee).

Bean-Shaped

Arabica

The bean shape of the coffee bean is small, the front side is long and oval, the middle crack is narrow and tortuous, and the arc shape on the back of the bean is relatively flat.

Robusta

Coffee beans have a larger bean shape, gradually rounding on the front, and convex on the back with straight cracks.

Species

Arabica

It is a larger shrub with oval and dark green leaves and oval fruits. Generally, there are two slightly flat beans. The beans are small and round, and the front is oblong, with narrow cracks in the middle and curved in an S shape. The arc on the back of the beans is relatively flat. The caffeine content is about 1%-1.7%.

Robusta

The leaf rust-resistant varieties found in the Congo, Africa have stronger disease resistance than the Arabica species. In the general coffee market, many people like to compare Robusta coffee beans with Arabica coffee beans. This is incorrect. In fact, Robusta was originally a mutant of Congo (Canephora), and it should be Congo on the same level as Arabica. However, to this day, Robusta species is commonly used by ordinary people, and it is not known that it is actually a variant of Congolese species. Robusta coffee tree is a tree species between shrubs and tall trees. It has longer leaves and bright green color. The tree can reach up to 10 meters in height, but the roots are very shallow, and the fruit is slightly smaller than that of Arabica coffee. It is round and slightly smaller, with an oblate body and straight pits in the middle.

Planting Conditions

Arabica

Growing coffee beans grows in colder high-altitude areas in tropical areas (at an altitude of 600 to 2000 meters), and is more cold-resistant, with a suitable growth temperature of 15-24°C; relatively high humidity is required, and the annual rainfall is not less than 1500 ml , With proper sunshine conditions and shade, the "Arabica" coffee tree species has poor resistance to pests and diseases and is prone to damage. In addition, the annual output of coffee trees per unit area is also low.
At present, "Arabica" coffee accounts for 75% of the world's coffee production. Of these "Arabica" coffee production, only 10% of the quality of Arabica coffee can be classified as "Specialty Coffee".

Robusta

It is mostly planted in lowlands with an altitude of 200 to 800 meters. It likes a warm climate, requires a temperature of 24 to 29 ℃, does not require high rainfall, has strong resistance to diseases and insect pests, and is not vulnerable to agricultural damage, because the species depends on insects. Or the wind can transmit pollen. Therefore, it takes 9-11 months from pollination to fruiting for coffee, which is longer than Arabica. However, the annual output of coffee trees per unit area is relatively high, and they are harvested in large quantities by machines. Generally speaking, the production cost is much lower than that of Arabica coffee.

Taste and Aroma

Arabica

Coffee has a wide variety of potential flavors. Arabica coffee produced in different regions, different altitudes, and different climates usually has its own characteristics and can show completely different individual flavors. "Arabica" coffee smells like green grass when it is not roasted. After proper roasting, it shows "fruity" (medium light roast) and "caramel sweet" (deep roast). In general, it has a better aroma and flavor than Robusta beans. Among the coffee beans in the world, Arabica coffee accounts for about 65%-80%. Her excellent flavor and aroma make her the only coffee of these native species that can be drunk directly and alone.

Robusta

It has a unique aroma (called "Robu taste", some people mainly think it is a musty smell) and bitterness. If you mix it with other coffees at a ratio of 2-3%, the whole cup of coffee will become a Robus taste. (Therefore, Robusta coffee beans cannot be consumed as single-origin coffee beans). Its flavor is as bright and strong, but if you want to taste it directly, you must be mentally prepared. In general, Robusta coffee is used in industrial coffees such as instant coffee (the extracted coffee liquid is about twice that of Arabica), canned coffee, and liquid coffee. Its caffeine content is much higher than that of Arabica, about 3.2%.