Buyer’s guide to Green Coffee Bean Species

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world making it a multi-billion-dollar market. Each coffee importer, trader, dealer, and roaster scramble to have the most unique offering. The more unique the coffee offered, the higher the prices it fetches. As a Green coffee bean buyer, it is crucial to understand the various coffee species grown and make the most out of the unique characteristics of each Green coffee bean species.

Coffee is widely believed to have originated in Africa. For Arabica coffee, the birthplace is Ethiopia and South Sudan while East Central Africa is thought to be the cradle of Robusta coffee. Almost every coffee buyer has some lots from the cradle of coffee – Ethiopia.

Coffee from these origins tends to have the original qualities carried down from the original plants. Ethiopia is a very popular coffee exporter with some very unique coffees of specialty status. Coffee trees are different depending on the species or variety that they belong to.

Coffee is grown in continental Africa alongside the Madagascar island, Asia, and the Americas. The coffee plant takes approximately 3 years to develop from seed to fruit production. The fruits of the coffee tree are referred to as cherries. Coffee trees have been known to be productive for up to 80 years or more.

Coffee Species.

Coffee belongs to the family Rubiaceae and the genus Coffea. All tropical plants of the Rubiaceae family that produce coffee beans are referred to as coffee trees. There are 2 major coffee species that most people know about namely: c. arabica and c. robusta. C. robusta is also referred to as c. canephora. However, there are 124 coffee species that have been officially discovered.

Arabica – coffea arabica

Arabica coffee is perhaps the most popular coffee species in the world. It is the most known and makes up to 60% of the world’s trade. Arabica coffee is the most common coffee that people drink. This is because the coffee is full of flavor, has bright acidity, and is full-bodied with an aromatic finish.
Coffea arabica originated from the highlands of Ethiopia and South Sudan. From here, they spread to Yemen and later to the rest of the world. It is believed that arabica coffee was the first species of coffee to be consumed.
Arabica grows in the highlands in the so-called coffee belt between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. They do well in altitudes above 600 meters to 2000 meters above sea level. They require a steady period of rainfall followed by a sustained period of sunshine to help in the ripening of the berries.

Arabica is extremely susceptible to frost which has the capability to wipe out entire plantations. It is also susceptible to pests and diseases such as coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust which is extremely destructive. Arabica coffee also prefers areas with very good drainage. This makes the areas where it grows hilly or mountainous which are not always easily accessible.

Due to its susceptibility, arabica is quite expensive to produce and thus requires a lot of care. It also calls for frequent spraying to control pests and diseases and to increase production. However, the quality of the arabica beans is unrivaled. It produces very high-quality coffee that is very expensive.

This is why most instant coffee is not manufactured using arabica beans. The caffeine content is fairly low compared to robusta. When fully grown, the arabica coffee trees can attain a height of up to 15 feet.

Coffea arabica has very many associated cultivated varieties. Some of these include Mondo Novo, SL, Caturra, Catimor, Catuai, and Blue Mountain.

Robusta – Coffea canephora

This is the second most popular coffee species in the world. It makes up almost 40 % of the world’s total production. It is also the world’s second most popular coffee beverage. It has a harsher, bitter taste due to its higher caffeine content. It has a rubbery finish, with a strong fragrance.

Robusta originated from sub-Saharan Africa. It now grows in East, Central, and West Africa. It also occurs in Southeast Asia and Latin America. It mainly grows in the lowlands, preferring altitudes of below 600 meters above sea level.

Robusta coffee is mainly used in blends and the manufacture of instant coffee. It is also considerably cheaper than arabica due to its inferior cup quality but due to improvements in processing technologies and techniques, specialty robusta is now part of the menu. This robusta has a flavourful finish and better tastes.

Most robusta is generally naturally processed. After harvesting, most of it is just sun-dried and later hulled. Nowadays, robusta is being wash-processed which gives better cup quality.

Robusta trees grow very tall, as tall as 20 m. they are able to resist pests and diseases. The robusta is a hardy tree that does not require high amounts of rainfall and is able to withstand extended periods of drought. Robusta has a higher genetic variety which secures its future against unseen bouts of disease or climate change attacks.

Due to its resistance to diseases and pests and harsher climates, robusta is generally cheaper to produce. But this has led to farmers going to extreme lengths to plant them in areas that cannot support growth.

Liberica – coffea liberica.

Liberica is the third most common coffee species, originating from West Africa in Liberia. It grows very tall and can attain heights of up to 30 feet and mainly occurs in the jungles. It was once faced with the threat of total extinction but fortunately lived to grow on.

Malaysia and the Philippines are some of the biggest producers of liberica. It gained prominence in Asia when coffee leaf rust wiped out most of the arabica in the region. It is important for cross-breeding purposes which is an effort to make coffee sustainable and reduce the risk of extinction. The coffee beans of liberica are very distinct in that they are very large and look asymmetrical.

Liberica has a surprisingly favorable cup characteristic. Although this depends on who is drinking the cup, most people say that it has a floral aroma with a smoky finish. Others say that it is very jungle-like, with an unusual taste profile. Liberica does well in humid lowlands and is also known to survive in hot conditions.

Excelsa – Coffea excelsa

The fourth major coffee is known as Coffea excelsa. It was originally thought to be a coffee species but was later reclassified as a variant of the Coffea liberica. They mainly grow in south Asia and in South Sudan. They grow to heights of up to 30 feet.

They are used in blends and have a flavourful taste with low caffeine content. They have a light aroma with notes of tartiness. They add complexity to other coffee species. They grow in low-lying areas with high humidity and hot climates.

There are already 124 species of coffee that have been officially discovered. Most of these still grow naturally in the wild with no human intervention. These species include: c. stenophylla, c. zangeubariae, c. racemosa, c. liberica, and c. eugenioides. Lately, these wild coffee species are getting domesticated and being farmed for commercial purposes. They are providing excellent grafting parts due to their ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions and their resistance to pests and diseases.

As a coffee stakeholder, it is important to have a stock of these coffees to have a wider range of offerings. Each coffee has its unique strengths that appeal to a different clientele. It is not just arabica that has great qualities, therefore, the wider the stock lot, the better.