Specialty Coffee Knowledge: The Relationship Between Arabica and Typica Coffee Bean Varieties

We often see many coffee bean brands or coffee beverage advertisements where merchants emphasize that their coffee beans are “100% Arabica.”And in fact, in the world of specialty coffee—note, the specialty coffee world—almost all coffee beans are Arabica.    So, which coffee beans are not Arabica? For example, the Robusta beans often mentioned in many coffee educational articles. Common producing regions for Robusta include India (not Indonesia), Vietnam, Hainan, and a few other areas. Usually, these Robusta beans are only used in blends. Of course, some places may also sell them as local specialties.Because Robusta beans have a higher caffeine content, their flavor is generally richer, so the industry often uses them in blends for lattes to enhance the body of the coffee.

And in some producing regions, such as Indonesia and Yunnan, the current varieties are mostly Catimor-based, which can be considered Arabica or not, depending on perspective—though this may be somewhat debated.Strangely enough, in most contexts, “100% Arabica” excludes only Robusta beans and does not rule out hybrid varieties.The undisputed Arabica varieties include native Ethiopian strains, Bourbon, Typica, and Geisha.100% Arabica is just a label, which aside from being used for marketing, doesn’t seem to have much to do with quality. Of course, truly good coffee can be found among specialty coffees, and there’s no need to specifically focus on whether it’s Arabica or not.