Varieties and types of coffee beans, their characteristics and differences

Content:

1. Pay attention to the type of coffee
2. We choose coffee beans depending on where they grow
3. Selecting coffee by roast level
4. Selecting coffee beans based on their appearance
5. Summarize

Coffee beans are very popular among lovers of this drink. But how to choose coffee beans and not make a mistake? Let's try to answer this pressing question in this article.

Which type of coffee to choose: Arabica or Robusta

Arabica and Robusta are the two most common types of beans. All mixtures from any manufacturer include only these two types. Read our detailed article on this topic.

1.Arabica makes up approximately 80-90% of coffee plantations. This type of coffee is more difficult to grow and is more sensitive to weather and geo conditions. Therefore, Arabica is more expensive than Robusta. Blends of 100% Arabica coffee have bright flavor and aroma characteristics. Arabica beans contain significantly less caffeine than robusta beans. Depending on the type of coffee, you may notice floral or honey notes in the taste. Some varieties have more pronounced caramel or vanilla notes. Arabica has a very bright aroma, mild taste and often contains sourness in the finished drink. 2. Robusta is cultivated in much smaller volumes than Arabica. This type of coffee is more unpretentious to growing conditions, so this type is cheaper. But it also has its advantages. Robusta beans contain three times more caffeine than Arabica beans. Therefore, if you prefer strong, invigorating coffee, then Robusta is just for you. The finished drink will have a denser consistency and a high, dense cream consistency and obvious bitterness. The taste is dominated by notes of dried fruits or nuts. Some varieties have a dominant flavor of dark chocolate or tobacco.

Each type includes many varieties of coffee. They grow in different countries, in different territories, in different climates, at different altitudes above sea level, in the mountains or on the plains, at different times of the year. And all this greatly affects the taste of the coffee bean.

Often, coffee lovers choose blends only from Arabica beans, giving Robusta the place of a low-quality, second-rate product, which is not entirely true. When composing real Italian blends, a combination of Arabica and Robusta is always used to obtain a richer and more invigorating espresso and high crema. For example, adding just 20% Robusta beans to the mixture gives coffee a balanced and creamy taste, removes sourness, makes the drink richer, nobler and adds an attractive cream to the drink.

Pay attention to the type of coffee

The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing coffee beans is its variety. All coffee beans come from just two types of coffee trees:

• Arabica. An important distinguishing feature of this coffee is its softness and low caffeine concentration. Arabica beans grown on different plantations may have different flavors. The most common are floral, chocolate, wine, and berry. These trees are distinguished by their capriciousness to growing conditions, and are also not very prolific. Despite this, Arabica accounts for approximately 70% of the modern coffee bean market.
• Robusta. The most important characteristics of Robusta are strength and bitterness, since the amount of caffeine in these beans is much higher. This leads to the fact that robusta is consumed in its pure form quite rarely, but it also has its admirers. The trees on which Robusta grows are highly fertile and not very demanding on conditions. Because of this, Robusta is usually much cheaper than Arabica.

How to choose coffee beans based on the information presented above? First of all, you need to try each of the options described above in its pure form. To do this, you will need to buy a single variety.

It should be noted that single-origin coffee is not as common as coffee that is a mixture of Robusta and Arabica. The most popular mixtures of these two varieties are:

• 70% Robusta and 30% Arabica. This option is suitable for those who prefer to combine sweetness with a slight bitterness.
• 80% Robusta and 20% Arabica. This mixture produces a drink with sourness, high density and a slight bitterness.
• 90% Robusta and 10% Arabica. This mixture is a great option for those who drink coffee to perk up.

You can always purchase both single-origin beans and a mixture of Robusta and Arabica beans. By the way, ICAF coffee is a great option in this case as it offers both of these options to its customers.

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Major global suppliers of coffee products

Coffee is produced in more than 50 countries around the world. Main importers of products:

1. Brazil . The main varieties of coffee in the world are produced there. It imports 35% of coffee products, producing it using a dry processing method, and the quality of the drink then suffers.
2. Vietnam . Over the past few years, it produces 20% of the world's coffee. Traditional exporters are Russia, Germany, Great Britain.
3. Colombia . Produces the world's best Arabica coffee, which is known for its balanced taste.
4. Mexico . It produces coffee in large volumes, but only the product that is grown on the mountain slopes is of interest. The rest is usually used in preparing mixtures.
5. Nicaragua . Makes a strong drink with a sour taste, obtained after wet processing.
6. Ethiopia . Varieties produced in the east of the country are known for their high acidity and winey taste, while those from the south have a bright, rich aroma and fruity taste.
7. India . Produces monsoon green coffee with aromas of cardamom, nutmeg and cloves.
8. Sumatra . The homeland of many varieties of drink with a bright taste and bitter smell.

In Russia, the prevalence of ground and bean coffee is constantly increasing, and in terms of the level of consumption of instant products, our country ranks first in the world ranking

We choose coffee beans depending on where they grow

To choose good coffee beans, it is also important to pay attention to where they grow. So let's look at the main options:

• Ethiopia and Yemen. This is the historical birthplace of coffee; coffee beans collected here usually have a chocolate flavor.
• Kenya. The main distinguishing feature of Kenyan coffee beans is the berry aftertaste.
• India. The drink is distinguished by its softness and also by the fact that it is slightly tart.
• Brazil. Coffee from this country has a hint of flavor and is also more tart than Indian coffee.
• Guatemala. This coffee does not have a characteristic bitterness, it is slightly sweet, and also has an aroma of spices and flowers.
• Colombia. The drink has a rather bright fruity flavor and is light and fresh.
• Cuba. These beans have a slight tobacco flavor.

You should also pay attention to the place of origin of coffee beans for the reason that in different places they are processed differently, which also affects the taste of the drink obtained from them. There are two main ways to prepare coffee:

• Dry. This type of processing allows you to preserve the flavor and aroma characteristics of coffee beans. However, the quality of cleaning is slightly worse. Most often, this method is used in countries of Africa, Asia, as well as in those places characterized by a dry, hot climate.
• Wet. The main advantage of this treatment is that it can help you achieve better cleaning of coffee beans. Wet processing is used on almost all plantations located in South and Central America.

Taking into account the features described in this section, you will be able to make the right choice of coffee beans by choosing the most suitable option for yourself.

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Bean coffee brands

They are often distributed according to the country of production, the level of roasting, as well as the price-quality ratio. Many good types are available in almost any regular supermarket and online store https://shop.rusteaco.ru/, which will immediately eliminate any questions on the topic: “Where to buy?” and will allow you to make a choice quite quickly.

Among the most popular brands that can be found in Russian stores are the following.

Lavazza

This product is one of the most expensive and best in its category. It's all about good roasting quality, as well as rich flavor diversity. Lavazza comes in different varieties, depending on what percentage of Robusta has been added to the mixture, and whether it is present at all. There are types with a nutty, honey and caramel tint. This coffee is valued for its lack of sourness and strength.

Selecting coffee by roast level

The taste of coffee is influenced not only by the type of coffee beans, but also by the degree of roasting. Therefore, it is better not to choose bean coffee without taking this indicator into account. There are three roast categories: light, medium, strong. In turn, each of them is divided into several subcategories.

Light roast

This type of roasting can be divided into the following subtypes:

• Scandinavian. The grains are roasted for a short period of time at low temperatures. Because of this, they are unable to open up. The smell of the grains is somewhat reminiscent of the aroma of fresh bread. You can brew this coffee even at low water temperatures.
• American. Beans roasted in this manner produce the first pop and take on a pale brown color. The taste of this drink is still quite watery, but it is already beginning to develop a characteristic smell.
• Urban. The strongest of the weak roasts, the beans are brought to the color of light chestnut, the aroma of the resulting drink has a herbal undertone.

Medium roast

Good bean coffee brought from Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Colombia and some other countries is most often roasted in this way, since this is the most suitable option.

Medium roast has the following varieties:

• Full urban. Roasting of the beans continues until the second pops appear. During such roasting, coffee beans release droplets of oil, and they themselves become significantly darker, this is due to the caramelization of the released sugar. In a drink made from beans roasted this way, you can feel a slight sourness and a nutty aftertaste.
• French light. When roasted this way, coffee beans take on a slightly glossy appearance. They emit smoke due to burning oil. The drink turns out to be quite strong, with a slight coffee bitterness. It also has a caramel flavor.

Deep roast

This type of roast is perfect for those who love truly strong coffee and appreciate its strong aroma. The following types exist:

• Turkish. The beans are roasted until the second click, until the smell of burnt coffee is felt. Coffee made from such beans is distinguished by its strength and viscousness, and has a bitter and slightly caramel flavor.
• European. Roasting occurs until the grains begin to crack and smoke. The drink turns out to be especially thick, strong and viscous. If you take sugary Arabica, then when using beans roasted in this way, a slight taste of burnt sugar will appear in the drink.

ICAF coffee offers a large assortment, which differs not only in its variety and origin, but also in the level of roasting.

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Selecting coffee beans based on their appearance

To properly buy coffee beans in a store, you should also pay attention to their appearance. It is important to consider that grains of different varieties differ in size. Arabica beans are larger than Robusta beans and can reach a length of 8 mm.

Characteristic features of high-quality coffee beans, regardless of their type:

• have approximately the same size;
• have no spots, bulges or depressions;
• the surface is smooth and velvety;
• have a uniform color and different shades;
• solid;

If the coffee beans you are interested in meet the characteristics described above, there is a good chance that they are of high quality and will make a tasty drink.

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Summarize

Now let's summarize all of the above. To choose the right coffee beans, you need to take the following steps:

• study the characteristics of coffee bean varieties;
• find out in which country the grains were grown;
• determine what level of roasting the beans should have;
• pay attention to what the coffee beans look like;

Considering all this, you can choose the right coffee beans and treat yourself to a truly delicious hot drink.

We hope that this article was useful to you, and now you know exactly how to choose the right coffee beans, and you can do it if necessary.