Tiếng Việt
Arabica coffee is renowned for its natural fruity and floral aromas, complemented by hints of honey, a balanced body, and a sweet aftertaste. Originating from the highlands of Ethiopia, Arabica (Coffea arabica) is the world’s most widely cultivated coffee species, prized for its refined flavor profile and lower caffeine content compared to other types, such as Robusta.
Distinctive features of Arabica coffee include:
• Gentle acidity and complex flavors
• Smooth texture and light-to-medium body
• Subtle notes of fruit, flowers, and sweetness
Learning about Arabica coffee is a great starting point for exploring the world of coffee. For a solid foundation, you can simply read a general overview of coffee knowledge, which covers basics such as processing methods, brewing techniques, and terminology.
Overview of the Arabica
Arabica has the scientific name Coffea Arabica. In Vietnam, this type of coffee is also known as Tea coffee. Arabica has a rich flavor, light sourness, fruity taste, sweet aftertaste and balanced body. The caffeine content in this coffee bean is only 1-2%, much lower than Robusta.
Historical Origin of Arabica
The name Arabica has its origins in the Arabica Peninsula in Arabia. Many stories say that this type of coffee first appeared in Ethiopia, Africa. After being introduced to the Arabian Peninsula, Arabica was considered a secret drink. Therefore, this peninsula has gradually become known as the exclusive place of Arabica coffee. Perhaps, because of this fact, the name of this coffee bean is taken from the name of the Arabian Peninsula.
Arabica coffee trees were first planted by the Arabs in the 14th century. However, by the 17th – 18th centuries, this coffee variety had become popular in many places. Up to now, Arabica accounts for 70% of the world’s coffee production.
Biological characteristics of Arabica coffee trees
Arabica grows well at an altitude of 900 – 2000m above sea level, with rainfall of 1,500-2,500mm/year and a suitable temperature of 15-25 degrees Celsius. Arabica has a small canopy, oval-shaped leaves and dark green color, and oval-shaped coffee beans. When mature, the tree can reach a height of 2.5m – 4.5m. Even many trees growing in the wild can reach a height of 10m.
Arabica coffee has high economic value but is difficult to grow and care for, has low productivity, and is resistant to pests and diseases. Harvest time is usually 3-4 years after planting. Arabica has a lifespan of about 25 years. In natural conditions, this coffee tree can reach a lifespan of 70 years.
Popular Arabica coffee varieties
Arabica coffee is very diverse in types. There are about 125 coffee varieties belonging to the Arabica genus. Popular and well-known varieties include: Typica, Bourbon, Heirloom, Catimor or Catuai. Each Arabica variety will have its own flavor characteristics when enjoyed. In addition, each type will also have different cultivation requirements, so the yield and distribution areas are also different.
Typica
Typica is considered the first coffee variety discovered and grown in Ethiopia. In Vietnam, this coffee variety was grown by the French in Cau Dat, Da Lat in 1857.
Typica has a light, clear sour taste, thick body and a deep sweet aftertaste. Although it has high value, this is a coffee variety with low productivity and poor resistance to pests and diseases.
Bourbon
When it comes to Arabica coffee varieties, Bourbon is considered one of the first naturally mutated coffee varieties discovered on Bourbon Island. Bourbon is suitable for altitudes of 1000 – 1600 meters above sea level.
Bourbon has a characteristic sweetness, fruity aroma, sweet aftertaste, light and balanced body. Although it has an unmatched flavor, Bourbon coffee is not popular in the Vietnamese market today. Due to its difficult growing characteristics and low resistance, Vietnamese coffee growers have gradually replaced it with other coffee varieties with better productivity.
Heirloom
Heirloom is a native coffee variety of Ethiopia. This is a coffee variety that grows wild and naturally in mountainous areas. Heirloom coffee has low yield but is highly appreciated for its quality. They possess valuable natural genes, which help increase rich flavor and have high resistance to pests and diseases.
Catimor
Actually, Catimor is a hybrid coffee variety of Arabica. It has the characteristic of slightly long beans. The reason why Catimor is one of the popular Arabica coffee varieties is because it is very easy to grow. Moreover, the yield is also very high. In particular, this coffee bean variety also has good resistance to pests and diseases.
However, according to the assessment of coffee connoisseurs, the flavor that Catimor brings to each cup of coffee is not as classy as other Arabica coffees. The flavor of Catimor coffee is still not able to satisfy the classy demands of those who are passionate about this drink.
Catuai
First appeared in the world in 1972 in Brazil; the Catuai coffee variety is known as the result of crossbreeding between the yellow Caturra tree (pure Arabica coffee) and the Mundo Novo tree (a hybrid coffee from Bourbon and Typica). In Vietnam, this coffee variety was first recorded in 1980 when it was imported from Cuba.
The outstanding feature of Catuai is that it has a small tree shape. The fruit of the tree sticks very firmly to the branches and does not fall easily. In addition, the beans of this coffee variety are round in shape, similar to Catimor coffee. However, the amount of beans with long seeds also appears a lot due to the heterogeneity of the variety.
On the other hand, this is a coffee variety suitable for growing in mountainous areas with an altitude of 1000 – 1200m above sea level. In addition, Catuai coffee has good resistance to pests and diseases. But on the contrary, their ability to adapt to frost environments is very poor. The care requirements are also very high. Therefore, even with high coffee yields, overall, growing this coffee variety does not bring much profit.
Arabica growing areas in the world
Mentioning Arabica is mentioning a coffee variety with a very large consumption in the world. With the characteristic of preferring to live in areas with fertile soil, temperatures of about 20 degrees Celsius, and annual rainfall reaching the standard level. Currently, Arabica coffee is being chosen by many countries around the world to grow and become one of the leading coffee-exporting countries. These include:
Brazil
With more than 150 years of experience, Brazil is considered the world’s coffee plantation. With a coffee growing area of 100,000 hectares. Each year, this country achieves a yield of more than 2.5 million tons of Arabica coffee.
Colombia
Even when the temperature and rainfall factors in Colombia are not up to standard, this country still has a production of about 810,000 tons/year. This is one of the 3rd largest suppliers of coffee in general and Arabica coffee in particular in the world.
Ethiopia
This is the first place to record the appearance of Arabica coffee. For more than 1,000 years, people here have considered coffee growing as their main job. Each year, the coffee harvest here reaches about 384,000 tons. At the same time, coffee also accounts for 28% of the annual export volume in this region.
India
India recorded a coffee production of about 348,000 tons/year. Of which, 80% of the coffee grown is exported to Europe or Russia. The most popular coffee growing area in this country is South India.
Mexico
Mexico is known as a country capable of producing high-quality Arabica varieties. The annual output is about 234,000 tons. However, most of the coffee grown is exported to the US.
Arabica growing areas in Vietnam
Da Lat
Regarded as the “paradise” of Arabica coffee, Cau Dat, Da Lat, owns the central highlands with a large area of red basalt soil. In addition, Da Lat is located 1500m above sea level. The weather is cool all year round. The highest temperature in the year is not more than 33 degrees Celsius.
Son La
This is an area with more than 100 years of history of growing Arabica coffee. Son La has many weather advantages such as: large annual rainfall, not too high temperature, mountainous land… This advantage has helped many areas here have a very large annual coffee output such as: Chieng Ban, Sinh Ban…
Nghe An
Located in the Central region, Nghe An, although not having a cool climate, is still an area with a large Arabica coffee output in the country. The most prominent is in the Phu Quy area. The most widely grown Arabica coffee variety here is Catimor. Although it does not have a special sweet aftertaste like Bourbon, this coffee variety possesses a unique salty and bitter taste and a deep aroma like the personality of the people of the Central region.
Arabica coffee flavor characteristics
If you are a fan of Arabica, you cannot help but know the typical flavor of this coffee variety. According to experts, Arabica coffee has a light, sour taste mixed with a slight bitterness. The aroma is light and elegant. When brewed, the coffee will have a light brown color and a slightly amber. In fact, the flavor of Arabica coffee will be influenced by soil and climate factors.
Enjoy Arabica coffee
Due to its flavor characteristics, pure Arabica coffee beans can be used to brew according to the following methods: Pour over, Moka, Syphon.. These brewing methods aim to fully enjoy the flavor of pure Arabica coffee without using (or very little) milk or sugar.
In addition, you can also mix Arabica coffee with Robusta to increase the aroma, reduce the bitterness when making filter coffee, Cappuccino, Espresso…
Understanding coffee helps you enjoy coffee better. With interesting information shared about Arabica coffee, My Viet Coffee believes that you have the most basic knowledge about this famous coffee. My Viet Coffee will continue to update information so that you have the most complete view of this coffee line.
Source: https://bonjourcoffee.vn/blog/ca-phe-arabica/