Types of Coffee Beans
Marketers would have us believe that their clients mountain grown, single estate, fair trade, organic, shade grown, bird friendly bean is the best tasting but this is not always true. But first here's some interesting facts about the beans, and what really counts when you want a great cup. First and foremost there are really only two types of coffee beans- Arabica and Robusta. The best type for most coffee is Arabica while Robusta is usually found mainly in espresso blends. Arabica has the least caffeine and is the best tasting with very subtle tastes. There are two main types of Arabica: Bourbon and Typica. Bourbon is considered by many experts to be the best but it also has some drawbacks – it needs more land and more care, it can get disease more easily and the trees both take longer to mature and die at a younger age. It is now hard to find but remains a connoisseurs treat as it commands premium prices when you do find it. It's kind of the Ferrari of beans to some. There are many varieties of Arabica and the same variety grown in a different country can taste quite different as well. Some Arabica varietals will be well known like Blue Mountain, while others are less known such as Catura, Catimor, Catuai, Maragogype, Peche Comum, and Timor. There are even new varieties of beans that combine both Arabica and Robusta and many worry that these hybrids that are hardier may take over from the pure Arabica trees with disastrous effects on the flavor. And of course coffee varies by grade which is done by size rather tan quality and beans can be organic and/or fair trade beans including bird-friendly shade grown coffees. These labels do not necessarily mean the coffee will taste great. There is also what is now termed Estate Coffee which means it comes from a single farm and this may be excellent coffee but not necessarily. Add to all this that coffee is harvested at different times in different countries and the beans must processed, shipped and roasted within 12 weeks of harvesting and you can see that a great cup of coffee is more than just marketing slogans. The best way to get good freshly roasted coffee is to put yourself in the hands of an expert who is constantly on the hunt and sampling the beans before roasting them and selling them fresh. |
