Top 4 Most Popular Types of Coffee Beans

Have you ever waken up in the morning and thought, “What are the types of coffee beans?” You probably never as you would simply get off the bed and walk straight into the kitchen and fix a cup of coffee to energize your day, all without thinking about such a trivial question.

Knowing the types of coffee beansperhaps brings too little effects to your life. But it will eventually help you find the best coffee that matches your palate.

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The Types of Coffee Beans Currently in Circulation

Essentially speaking, the world is supplied with two main types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. These are what you find on most coffee shops and stores. But there are actually two more types that are less popular—relative to the other two.

 Arabica

More than 60% of the total coffee production in the world is made up by Arabica variety. Growing easily in high altitudes, the Arabica is easier to tend to and more convenient to cultivate. However, Arabica is also the most delicate out of the big four. Environmental conditions influence the plant so easily and it is vulnerable to disease. Great care must be taken upon farming Arabica coffee beans. Being the most popular, Arabica coffee beans are cultivated from a farm in large quantities. Called monoculture, the farm is planted with coffee trees—a practice which opens the Arabica to outbreak of disease given the fact that every single plant is prone to getting infected. It takes only one tree to be infected before a large part of the farm (if not its entirety) to go with it.

Robusta

You probably have guessed this variety’s traits simply by reading the name. Robusta is more robust than Arabica in that it can withstand pretty much all kinds of disease coffee plants may have. It is also way more tolerant; Robusta variety can grow regardless of the altitudes. However, it thrives in a hot condition with regular precipitation. Caffeine content-wise, Robusta contains twice the amount of caffeine delivered by Arabica. This high content of caffeine accounts for Robusta’s resistance to disease as the compound acts as a means of self-defense for the plant.

Liberica

Liberica beans are typically larger in size than others. Its aroma is said to be one of a kind, a mix of fruity and floral tones. Some who are lucky enough (as this variety is hard to come by today) said that it tastes more on the “woody” side instead of like what coffee is expected to taste like.

Excelsa

Excelsa has been reclassified as a belonging to the same family as Liberica. Excelsa accounts for 7% of world’s coffee production. Despite being in the same family, Excelsa and Liberica are different in a lot of respects. Excelsa possesses a flavor that is a mix of light-roast and dark-roast at the same time.