4 Kinds Of Coffee Beans: The Ultimate Comprehensive Guide
Ever wondered how many kinds of coffee beans we have in the market as you walk along the coffee aisle section in a shopping mall?
Just simply walking into a chain like Starbucks. I’m sure you would have noticed the types of Starbucks coffee beans they have on display like Arabica, Robusta, Liberica with roast profiles ranging from light roast, medium roast to dark roast on coffee products?
In fact, these words actually give you some hints about the expected flavor profile that you will get from the coffee. However, without prior knowledge about any of these words, none of the information is conveyed properly to you, the potential buyer!
Therefore, in this blog post, we’ll break down these terms so that you can tell the difference and a more informed choice when buying your next coffee!
Before we jump in, there are four major kinds of coffee beans and we will cover these in this post, namely; Arabica, Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa.
Disclosure
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At a glance: 4 Kinds Of Coffee Beans: A Comprehensive Guide
1. Arabica Coffee Bean
First of the 4 kinds of coffee beans is the Arabica coffee bean.
Where Are Arabica Coffee Cultivated?
The plant species Coffea Arabica produces Arabica coffee. Arabica coffee beans are the most common which contributes close to 60% to 70% of the coffee produced globally and marketed as the premium compared to its peers.
This is why you see the word Arabica being smacked on to almost every single coffee related product in the market!
The first sightings of the Arabica coffee can be traced back to Ethiopia and today it is being cultivated in regions of higher altitudes with decent rainfall. The Arabica coffee are often from:
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Ethiopia
- Mexico
- Costa Rica
- Rwanda
- India
- Columbia
- Ecuador
- Guatamala
- Columbia
What does Arabica Coffee Beans Taste Like?
The Arabica coffee beans carry sweeter and fruity notes, delicate flavor, lower acidity and overall a more complex flavor profile. Combined with the fact that this species is more prone to disease and requires more delicate care from the farmers, this contributes to the hefty price tag pegged to the Arabica coffee beans.
In exchange for a more pleasant drinking experience, coffee drinkers across the world are happy to pay for the premium. Marketers know this and this is why we often see words like “100% Arabica” being printed on coffee beans packaging.
But to be fair, most of the best types of coffee beans are of Arabica varietals.
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2. Robusta Coffee Bean
Moving on to the next in line of the kinds of coffee beans we have in the market; Robusta coffee bean.
Where Are Robusta Coffee Cultivated?
In terms of cultivation and farming, the Robusta grows well at various altitudes and is less affected which makes the Robusta coffee species extremely robust. Unlike the Arabica coffee bean, you are more likely to find Robusta coffee from Africa and the South East Asia region.
This species, compared to the Arabica species, has higher resistance towards diseases and pests because of its significantly higher caffeine content (almost double of the Arabica).
Despite having these characteristics, the Robusta species is the second most produced coffee; amounting up to 30% of the coffee production globally. These factors contribute to the lower price tag compared to the Arabica coffee species.
What does Robusta Coffee Beans Taste Like?
The Robusta coffee beans are often known as the inferior species compared to the Arabica coffee beans. This is because the Robusta beans flavor profiles are usually heavier and harsher; leaning towards the burnt and bitter side.
However, there are quality Robusta that exhibits smooth velvety texture with nutty and chocolaty tasting notes. And you’ve guessed it, these flavor notes pair extremely well with milk and sugar as the added creaminess and sweetness balances the deep full-bodied Robusta coffee extract.
Besides that, instant coffee manufacturers often use Robusta as part of their blend to give it the deep coffee flavor without being suppressed by other added ingredients.
3. Liberica Coffee Bean
Moving on to the third type of coffee beans to be discussed here; the Liberica coffee bean.
Where Are Liberica Coffee Cultivated?
The Liberica coffee is of the lesser known coffee species and this species accounts to only about 1% of the global coffee produced. The major source of the Liberica coffee are from Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
What does Liberica Coffee Beans Taste Like?
In the past, Liberica coffee was seen as the inferior species and the locals usually dark roast these beans with added sugar and margarine to conceal any unpleasant taste of the beans for local consumption. As such, quality of the cultivation was not a priority.
Despite the challenges, MyLiberica, a coffee company in Malaysia has taken up the challenge and has been spearheading the Liberica coffee production in recent years.
According to Asser Christensen experience, the Liberica coffee is also able to exhibit complex flavors exceeding expectations in terms of sweetness and acidity. Notably, a decent cup of Liberica coffee is expected to have fruity flavor notes along with nutty characteristics and ending with a long clean aftertaste.
MyLiberica is upping their game and effort to introduce Liberica into the specialty coffee world through their very own cafes in Malaysia.
So, if you are interested about their journey you can read more about them here!
4. Excelsa Coffee Bean
The final kind of coffee beans you should know about is the Excelsa coffee bean.
Now, that’s the kind of coffee beans rarely heard off in the market.
Turns out, the Excelsa species was reclassified as a subvariety of the Liberica species in the year 2006! This is why there isn’t much information and exposure on the Excelsa. Perhaps the post should be retitled 3 types of coffee beans instead of 4 kinds of coffee beans.
Furthermore, it doesn’t help that the demand for Excelsa coffee beans is pretty low in the market. For this reason, most farms that produce Excelsa coffee beans are usually just consumed by themselves locally.
Shape wise, the Excelsa coffee beans are rounder and relatively small in size.
Unlike the Arabica and Robusta plants, the Excelsa plants are almost tree-like and can grow up to 15 meters tall! With this height, harvesting will be even more laborious and we can see why the Excelsa isn’t so popular among the farmers.
In terms of flavor profile, the Excelsa fairs quite well in this section. Excelsa coffee beans do have the berry-like flavor and tartness. Or even unique flavor profiles like jackfruit. However, not everyone enjoys that taste of jackfruit and may sadly find it unpleasant.
Coffee Blends
Other than the common types of coffee discussed above, you will also often see blends of coffee beans in the market; a blessing and a curse. Blends are a mix of coffee beans of different ratio from two or three coffee beans from different regions; usually a Arabica-Robusta blend and most commonly used for espresso.
But why blend coffee?
Well, from the discussion above we know that different kinds of coffee beans feature different flavor profiles.
When done right, this offers the best of both worlds and suits the wider audience where the Arabica coffee offers complex flavors while the Robusta coffee adds intensity, crema, body and the extra caffeine kick.
However, do watch out for marketing ploys where blends have extremely low ratios of Arabica to Robusta coffee. With the word Arabica, it gives marketers an opportunity to mark up prices to fool ignorant buyers.
Arabica vs Robusta: A Comparison
So we’ve laid out the description on the types of coffee beans in the world. Now, to summarize the distinct differences between the two dominating coffee species: Arabica and Robusta.
Picking out the two types of coffee beans that dominate the global coffee market; let’s look at the top 12 distinctive differences between the Arabica and Robusta coffee species!
1. Caffeine Content
The Robusta is the winner here as its packs almost double the caffeine content compared to the Arabica coffee. On average the Robusta has caffeine content up to 2.5% while the Arabica typically caps at 1.7%.
2. Coffee Cultivation
Robusta species is more resistant towards diseases and requires less delicate care compared to the Arabica due to its higher caffeine content and Chlorogenic Acid (CGA).
Both caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) are bitter in nature and naturally the bitterness is more evident in the Robusta.
Fun fact! Research has shown that Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) may help reduce abdominal fat. That said, moderation is key!
3. Plant Pollination
Robusta coffee plants rely on cross pollination (with the help of wind and bees) to start blossoming. Arabica on the other hand can do so via self-pollination but bees do enhance the overall yield of coffee.
4. Corp Yield
Since Arabica plants are more susceptible to diseases and insect attacks, Robusta coffee plants yield more crops compared to the Arabica annually.
Furthermore, we already know that the demand for Arabica beans is larger; this contributes to the higher price tag on Arabica coffee!
5. Bean Shape
There are many ways to tell a Robusta coffee bean apart from an Arabica coffee bean; the shape of the bean is notably the simplest way of comparison.
In general, the Arabica coffee bean is oval in shape compared to the Robusta coffee bean which is mostly found to be rounder or circular.
6. Flavor Profile
The two kinds of coffee beans; particularly Arabica and Robusta are most distinct in terms of flavor profile.
The Arabica coffee tends to carry more complex flavor notes (floral, herbaceous, fruity) while the Robusta brings you burnt, nutty and chocolate notes. However certain varietals of these coffee species exhibit flavor from each of these species as well.
7. Acidity
The acidity levels in Arabica coffee is much more apparent compared to the Robusta. This is why you do taste fruity flavor profiles when tasting Arabica coffee because the acidic compounds present here are the same in citrus fruits!
8. Sugar and Lipids Content
The Arabica coffee compared to Robusta, has close to double the sugar content and approximately 60% more lipids.
Also, did you know that the human palate naturally prefers sugar, salt and fat?
Hence, this explains why Arabica coffee on its own is more pleasant to drink.
9. Aroma
Before roasting Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, there is one distinct aroma that you can pick up from the green coffee beans. The Robusta has a notably nutty-like aroma while the Arabica typically has a berry-like aroma.
10. Price
In terms of pricing range, Arabica coffee is usually priced on the higher end when compared to the Robusta coffee.
While most Robusta coffee beans are regarded as second-tier in terms of flavor, there are in fact high-quality Robusta in the market too! A decent Robusta may taste more superior than a low-grade Arabica.
11. Source
Although coffee can be grown anywhere along the Coffee Belt, different species strive for different environmental conditions. Generally, Arabica coffee are from South America and Africa while the Robusta is generally from certain regions of Africa and Asia.
12. Popularity
Without a doubt, Arabica is still the crowd’s favorite due to its complex flavors! With the growing coffee culture all over the world, the demand for Arabica will only go up!
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FAQ on Kinds Of Coffee Beans
What Are The 4 Types Of Coffee Beans?
The four main coffee types are Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica and all four of them have radically different taste profiles.
- Arabica
- Robusta
- Liberica
- Excelsa
How Many Kinds Of Coffee Beans Are There?
There are over 100 kinds of coffee beans cultivated around the world. The dominant parent species that are grown and produced commercially are the Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Within the coffee family tree, the Arabica and Robusta can be further divided into sub-varieties.
What Is The Most Common Kind Of Coffee Bean?
The most common kind of coffee bean is the Arabica followed by Robusta. Arabica coffee bean is more sought after because it is known to be varietal with better qualities. Due to its high market demand, the Arabica coffee bean dominates 60% of the global coffee production.
What Are The 3 Varieties Of Coffee?
The 3 varieties of coffee beans which dominate the market are Robusta, Liberica and Arabica. The Arabica and Robusta are more commonly found in the market as they are cultivated in most regions along the Coffee Bean Belt. Liberica on other hand is cultivated mostly in the South East Asia zone.
What Type Of Coffee Beans Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks claims to use 100% arabica beans. However, the familiar flavor of Starbucks coffee and also consistent across all chains is often full bodied and bitter. Perhaps we could speculate that the roast degree is close to medium-dark or dark roast.
Final Thoughts On The Types Of Coffee Beans
And there we go, a full run-through of the major coffee species that we often see in the market. Perhaps the next time you visit the store, you might be able to pick your preferred coffee or even try out new ones too!
Before ending the post on the kinds of coffee beans, I would like to clarify a common misconception about Arabica coffee beans being superior to the Robusta and Liberica coffee beans. It is most likely due to farmers giving more care to the Arabica species as it demands it compared to the other species. In terms of flavor, quality beans from each coffee species will definitely have their audience.
With the right technical skills, you can brew great tasting coffee or craft any espresso drinks with any kind of coffee beans!
Now that we know the kinds of coffee beans there are in the market, in the next post, I’m going to describe how the roast helps feature the flavor of the coffee bean.
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