After being roasted, all coffee beans look the same. But did you know that there are many different varieties of coffee beans? When it comes to your daily cup, there are two most preferred: Arabica and Robusta. These are the two most commonly cultivated beans for coffee consumption. But what is the difference between Arabica and Robusta? Let’s take a closer look at these two means!
Arabica vs Robusta
Arabica coffee beans are more oval and flat in shape. Arabica tends to have a sweeter taste, smoother, with flavor notes of berries and sugar. Their acidity is higher, with the winey taste. Robusta beans are slightly smaller and rounder in shape. However, Robusta has a stronger, harsher, and more bitter taste, with grainy overtones. These beans are the perfect espresso, adding a lot of kick and flavor to any cup of coffee.
Plants and Cultivation
Arabica beans are more normally grown at a higher altitude 900-2000 m above sea level, where the climate is more temperate, though optimal altitude varies with proximity to the equator. Because of this, it takes a lot more harvesting to get the required amount of coffee needed to brew. Robusta beans are grown at a lower altitude up to 900 m above sea level where the temperatures are warmer at about 20-30°C. It’s much easier to cultivate and their plants themselves are also less susceptible to pests and disease. Robusta plants also produce a higher yield, so they are more efficient to cultivate.
Caffeine
Robusta beans contain much more caffeine than the arabica beans. For example, Robusta beans contain 2.7 percent of caffeine content. Contrast that with the 1.5 percent of caffeine content found in Arabica beans. Robusta also has lower sugar content and double the amount of caffeine and Chlorogenic Acids (CGAs). Robustas taste more bitter and hard from Arabica, it means Robusta is great if you’re looking for a little bit of an extra kick in the morning.
Well, that's the difference between Arabica and Robusta Coffee.