So many brands, so many options, but where is your coffee actually from?
You may have seen some coffee brands brag about their 100% Arabica coffee, and you’re curious about what this actually means? There are only two types of raw coffee beans Arabica and Robusta.
What is Arabica Coffee?
Arabica coffee is the more popular bean and makes up close to 70% of worldwide consumption. Arabica coffee beans are grown at high altitudes, a minimum of 2,400 feet above sea level, and has a smooth, slightly acidic taste. It is generally grown in eastern Africa and Central and South America.
What is Robusta Coffee?
Robusta coffee beans are grown in lower altitudes and have a more forceful, slightly bitter taste. It can be found in Southeast Asia, central Africa, and Latin America.
What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta?
Taste
So there’s strong coffee and then there’s bitter coffee, Robusta has a higher caffeine content vs Arabica, thus giving most Robusta coffees a bitter taste. There are some bitter Arabica coffee, but for the most part, Arabica has more varying tastes which are more enjoyable.
Price
Robusta coffee is cheaper, the Robusta plant is more resilient than the delicate Arabica, it can be grown in more places and is less affected by climate, thus making it cheaper.
There are more differences between the two, but the most meaningful is taste, most coffee drinkers prefer the taste of Arabica coffee, if you’d like to know more about the origins and processing of coffee beans, read this blog post.
