Coffee has a complex taste and aroma that can be compared to a bouquet of good wine. Under the general name “coffee” there is a huge variety of grain varieties and types of drinks. True gourmets and tasters can distinguish them by taste, but we suggest you get acquainted with the main varieties and types of this invigorating drink.
Types of coffee
The tart drink from roasted coffee beans began to be prepared only in the 13th century; before that, coffee berries were brewed raw. The Arabs have long added ginger and cinnamon to the drink, as well as milk, to soften the taste.
Coffee trees grew wild in Ethiopia and were brought to the Arabian Peninsula later. When coffee became popular in the Ottoman Empire, the drink was adopted by Europeans. They significantly expanded the number of coffee recipes and varieties, bringing trees to Java, India and America. It was the Europeans who invented such popular cocktails as cappuccino and latte.
Today there are about 40 types of coffee trees, which differ from each other even in height and trunk structure. But they are all divided into 4 large groups, which determine the main type of coffee:
- Arabica
- Robusta
- Liberica
- excelsa
Each type of coffee has its own taste and aroma characteristics, has a specific chemical composition. The caffeine content also varies. The chemical composition of the berries is affected by the place of growth, climate and soil characteristics. The main botanical varieties are Arabica and Robusta, they are the most common. Liberica and Excelsa are usually used only in mixtures to enrich the bouquet.
Monovarieties stand apart. This is coffee that is grown in special conditions in only one place, for example, on a certain mountain in Jamaica or in one region of Brazil. They have a bright, recognizable taste and aroma, and are highly valued by gourmets.
Arabica
Arabica beans are collected from small trees, which can nevertheless reach a height of 7 m. However, for the convenience of harvesting, the height of coffee trees on plantations is limited to 4 meters. Arabica fruits are convex and oblong, they contain little caffeine and other active components, so the drink based on them turns out soft, slightly sweet, with a pleasant tart aroma.
The cost of these coffee varieties is higher than robusta, which is directly related to the peculiarities of growing Arabica. Trees are sensitive to weather and soil, they grow only in regions where there are no frosts. In addition, Arabica is planted on mountain slopes, and it reproduces by seeds, which complicates cultivation. One tree produces up to 5 kilograms of beans per year, but in pure form, after processing, only a kilogram of berries remains. In addition, the harvest ripens unevenly.
Arabica accounts for up to 70% of the world coffee market. There are 45 varieties, the best of which include Bourbon Santos and Arabica Burundi. Maragogype, a coffee with unusually large beans, is also made from Guatemalan Arabica.
It is Arabica that gives a pleasant delicate sourness that gourmets like. Robusta does not have a slight sour taste, it is slightly bitter. However, the presence of this flavor is also affected by roasting: if you hold the beans over the fire for too long, they will turn black and the acid will disappear. Therefore, a slight sour shade in the drink indicates that it was roasted correctly.
Robusta
The homeland of these unpretentious coffee trees is Africa, the Congo River region. Robusta has a weak taste and aroma, but a high caffeine content. Therefore, this type of coffee is not grown as a mono-variety, and the share of Robusta on the world market is about 30%.
Robusta trees are not afraid of frosts and drought, they rarely get sick and give a rich harvest. Growing robusta is also made easier by the fact that it is propagated by cuttings. The beans need 11 months to fully ripen. The best part of the harvest is blended and mixed with Arabica, and small and unpresentable beans are used to make instant coffee.
Liberica and Excelsa
Liberica trees grow in Africa. They are unpretentious, but give a meager harvest, and this type of coffee is too bitter, so it is not brewed in its pure form, but only added to mixtures.
Excelsa is a kind of opposite of Liberica. This is the rarest and most expensive type. It is collected from trees up to 20 meters high and is considered the “ancestor” of the famous Mocha variety. Excelsa has a rich and deep taste, a subtle aroma that is highly valued by gourmets. Therefore, it is sold at auctions, where the price of Excelsa can reach astronomical amounts.
Coffee varieties
Experts cannot accurately calculate how many varieties of coffee exist. It is also impossible to say where exactly the best types of beans are grown – different continents and countries have their own “calling cards”. When determining the variety, not only the taste, aroma, chemical composition are taken into account, but also the shape and size of the beans. Since it is impossible to list all the varieties of coffee, we will name the most famous and popular:
- Bourbon Santos. Probably the most popular coffee variety in the world. It is equally popular with gourmets and people who prefer not to delve into the details, but simply enjoy its chocolate flavor and citrus acidity.
- Maragogype. This coffee is made using beans twice as big as usual. The drink is rich and aromatic, and Maragogype stands out among other types for its sweetness. Its largest plantations are located in Central and South America.
- Maracaibo. For this variety, beans grown on Venezuelan plantations are selected. They have a bouquet with wine shades and a pleasant acidity that is felt in the aftertaste. This is a fairly rare variety, so Maracaibo is sold at auctions, it is almost never found in stores.
- Medellin. The main country producing this type of coffee is Colombia. Smooth and large beans are selected for it. The grain raw material undergoes careful sorting, all unsuitable berries are rejected. The result is a drink with an unobtrusive caramel flavor.
- Oxaca. This is a Mexican variety with vanilla undertones. It has a recognizable light and pleasant bitterness. Brewed as an espresso or in Turkish, it smells deliciously of nuts.
- Ethiopia Mocha. One of the best varieties grown in Africa. Gourmets appreciate it for its wine and fruit overtones, as well as its distinct apple aftertaste.
Rare varieties
Elite coffee varieties are hard to find on supermarket shelves, and hard to get even in countries where beans are grown for them, because small harvests are exported. One of the most famous varieties is “Jemaica Blue Mountain”. Its homeland is the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. This is a single-variety Arabica, growing at an altitude of more than a thousand meters above sea level. It has a soft and rich bouquet, without the slightest hint of bitterness. The bulk of the harvest is delivered to Japan, where it is not only brewed into an invigorating drink, but also made into a special liqueur.
Another rare variety is Old Java, for which the coffee beans are aged by keeping them for several years. However, Indonesia offers several aged types of berries. The island of Java also produces one of the most expensive varieties of this invigorating drink – Kopi Luwak. It is made from beans that are swallowed without being digested by small exotic animals. The finished drink has a pleasant acidity, but it is produced in tiny quantities.
Another unusual variety is Galapagos San Cristobal. It is grown on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, it is a delicately roasted Arabica. The trees are watered with the purest water from several lagoons. The production of San Cristobal is environmentally friendly, because the Galapagos cares about preserving the unique nature of the islands.
Growing regions
Coffee varieties are often named after the regions where they are grown or where they were first created. The largest exporters of coffee beans and finished drinks to the world market are countries such as Brazil and Columbia. Beans grown in some African countries are also highly valued. India and Vietnam supply Robusta and Excelsa. Coffee trees do not grow in Europe, but many countries roast the beans, which is why Italy is considered the best exporter of espresso.
Brazil accounts for up to 35% of the world’s coffee bean supply. Many European countries, including Russia, purchase up to 20% of the finished product and raw materials from Vietnam. In third place in the world ranking is Colombia, which is considered one of the largest suppliers of Arabica. Valuable varieties are grown on the slopes of the Mexican mountains. In the east of Ethiopia, there are plantations where berries with a wine flavor are obtained, in the south – with shades of fruit. Nicaragua, India and Java are also on the list of major exporters.
Organic coffee drinks have recently become popular. The berries used to produce them are obtained using technologies that do not harm the environment. When growing trees, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is not allowed. It is difficult to find such varieties of the drink – at least for the reason that the yields are not high. Gourmets are skeptical about organic drinks, since they do not offer new flavors.
