lunes, 14 de mayo de 2018

Coffee 101: Arabica and Robusta

Arabica and Robusta are the two main branches of the coffee family tree.

There are more than 500 genera and about 6000 different species in the Rubiaceae plant family all around the globe; one of these is the Coffea species. Although botanists regard all seed-bearing plants that are part of the Rubiaceae family as what we know as coffee trees, the coffee trade is composed by just two species.

These coffee species of utmost importance are the Coffea arabica and the Coffea canephora. Let us explain, the coffee that we consume is divided into two main types, Arabica and Robusta; but speaking in botanical terms, Arabica has two main varieties on its own, Typica and Bourbon, and the most common form of Canephora is the variety Robusta.

When coffee shopping, you may have noticed that some coffee bag labels brag about the fact that their coffee beans are “100% Arabica”, for example. These taglines refer to the type of coffee species that the beans belong to.

Dear That Coffee Roasters: what’s the difference between Arabica and Robusta?

Dear reader, this is, no doubt, one of the most common questions when talking about coffee. Let’s divide the differences into areas for you.

Taste: Robusta coffee is described as having a more raw, unrefined taste than Arabica coffee, which is more delicate to the palate.

One reason that the Robusta taste isn't as good as Arabica’s, is that it has more caffeine compared to the later. Robusta bean has 2.7% caffeine content, almost double the 1.5% of Arabica. Thus making Robusta capable of giving you an extra buzz of energy but also bringing that extra bitter flavor to it.

Lipid and/or sugar content: in chemical terms, Arabica contains almost 60% more lipids and twice the concentration of sugar that Robusta has. This factor also probably has a big impact on why we prefer the taste of Arabica, due to the fact that we tend to crave sweeter flavors.

Shape: Robusta coffee beans are much more circular in their shape, whereas Arabica is more oval.

Plant height: Arabica coffee trees usually grow between 2.5 and 4.5 meters compared to the 4.5 to 6-meter height of the Robusta species.

Economics: from a price/costs perspective, the green beans of the Robusta variant are about half the price of Arabica green beans on the commodity market, making it more affordable for the masses.

Also, Robusta is easier to tend and grow, because it has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects, in fact, the extra caffeine of this species is a chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic to bugs.

Nowadays, the Robusta variant is not the most common in your coffee shops brews. It can be found on instant coffee, but a mixed batch is what you can taste in your morning espresso. Robusta is still most often used as part of espresso blends, Italian style blends for the most part since it’s said to help to improve the Crema.

It’s fair to note that despite the popular association with Arabica being of a higher quality, and Robusta having the fame of being inferior in quality, it’s not always the case.

Specialty Robusta (Like South American) coffee will usually taste as good as or better than a low-end Arabica. However, a high-end Robusta batch isn’t often easy to find. Robusta is usually used as a filler or cost reducer for a bigger bag then being sold as a batch of its own.

Voilá! Who would have known that the world of coffee could be so interesting? That’s why That Coffee Roasters brings a different perspective to our dear coffee lovers. Did you enjoy our article? Do you have any questions about it? Then follow us on our social networks and leave your comments and questions in the section below.