Species of Coffee
On record there are 6,000 coffee variations in the world and with the different types of coffee beans spread all the world it would be very hard to pick out what to purchase in the market. Most are tropical trees and shrubs that grow in the lower forest elevation. Other members of the species the gardenia and plants which produce useful substances. Coffea as properly described by Linnaeus sometime in the 18th century, experts have unsuccessfully agree on classifying it correctly. Apparently there are twenty-five major species, all originating in central Africa and particular islands in the Indian Ocean. All Coffea specie are woody, ranging from small shrubs to large trees standing up to ten meters in height. There are also two species which are developed on much smaller scale the liberica coffee and the excelsa coffee. And to narrow things down the two most important species of coffee bean in the world are arabica (cofea arabica) and robusta (coffea canephora).
> Arabica Coffee
Arabica beans are the highest grade of coffee that most coffee drinkers usually regard as gourmet coffee. The Arabica plant is a large shrub and is vulnerable to frost, disease and plant pests and takes about seven years to fully mature. And it yields the better coffee than other major commercially grown coffee species. They also contain about half the caffeine of robusta coffee beans and have more admirable flavours and aromatic attributes.
Arabica coffee plant
Because of the delicate tastes of Arabica coffee beans, they are sometimes use add body in blends. The flavour of arabica beans differ to the various regions where they originate. Much of the coffee grown all over the world is of the Arabica species but only a fraction that meets the standard set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Indonesian coffee beans yield the richest, full-bodied coffee while Sumatra and Java are good coffee’s for dessert and goes well with cream and sugar.
Visit this link to get more facts about the arabica coffe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica
> Robusta Coffee
Robusta coffee on the other hand is a lower grade of the coffee that is typically grown at lower elevations. This type of coffee species is easier to grow and is resistant to disease and is therefore cheaper. Robusta coffee beans are usually used as a filler in instant coffee and popular commercial blends. It has a strong flavour and contains a higher amount of caffeine. Robusta does not differ in flavour as extensive as arabica does and was first discovered flourishing naturally in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Robusta coffee is grown in West and Central Africa, throughout East Asia and reaching some parts in Brazil. The robusta trees are easier to grow and maintain and nearly one-third of the coffee produced in the world. They are also more resistant to disease resistant and produce a higher crop yield. This type of coffee is typically used to achieve a lower price.
Visit this link to get more facts about the arabica coffe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica