Coffee Bean Plant
The coffee bean plant may not be as diverse as the number of
coffee flavors out there (there's no coffee bean plant
that grows coffee hazelnut beans), but they are equally
interesting. Coffee bean plants can be classified into two
major species, the Coffea arabica and the Coffea canephora most
commonly known as the robusta variety.
The coffea plant arabica is a much older species. Its roots
can be traced back as far as the mountains of Kaffa, Ethiopia.
It is indigenous in south-western Ethiopia. Even though the
Arabica coffee is well accepted as the better tasting variety,
growing the coffee bean plant can be a little daunting. The
Arabica variety is more susceptible to diseases.
Most of the Arabica variety is now being planted in Latin
America, East Africa and in Asia and the Pacific. It is highly
notable that even though the same Arabica specie is being grown
in these countries, each country produces a slightly different
kind of Arabica, having distinct flavors and characteristics.
Aside from the flavors, highly noticeable differences will be
observed in the coffee's aroma, the body or feel of the coffee
as well as the acidity.
And not only does the location affect the characteristics of
coffee but the method of processing the coffee beans can also
have varying effects. Arabica varieties grow well in the
highlands. It is known that they grow best at altitudes between
3,000 to 6,000 feet. What the colder climate does is slow down
the maturing time for the berry and creates a smaller and
denser bean. The bean becomes less porous and contains less
moisture which traps the flavor within the bean.
The robusta variety, on the other hand, is a much sturdier
coffee bean plant. It contains 40–50% more caffeine than the
Arabica. Even though its less superior in terms of taste, aroma
and feel, robusta varieties are being cultivated since their
resilience allow them to be grown in areas where the Arabica
kind can't grow.
The robusta coffee is somewhat bitter and has little flavor
compared to the Arabica variety. Commercial and instant coffees
are often made from robusta coffee beans. The coffee
manufacturers use various techniques to remove the bitter taste
and the card board smell from the beans.
Aside from those two main species, other coffee bean plant
species also exists. Coffea liberica and Coffea esliaca are
some of the smaller coffee bean plant specie groups.
The liberica coffee in particular can rival Arabica in taste,
flavor and aroma. Liberaca even costs some more than the
robusta kind.
However, nothing beats coffees that are grown on smaller
farm lands, estates or on peasant plots. The trick is in the
handling of the coffee bean plant during harvesting. If
gathering the beans has been done haphazardly without quality
control, chances are the bean's overall taste, flavor and aroma
will be compromised.
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