The difference between Arabica and Robusta beans

The most consumed coffee bean is the Arabica coffee bean. These coffee beans are aromatic and have fruity and flowery flavors. The coffee beans tend to be more sweet or sour than bitter. As sweet as caramel, and fresh like lime. Many coffee enthusiasts choose coffee of 100% Arabica thanks to its fine taste. It's good to know that the ground the coffee bean grows on has a great impact on the taste of the coffee. An Arabica bean from Brasil has very different flavors than an Arabica bean from Ethiopia.

Robusta, as the name suggests, has a robust flavor. These coffee beans have a round and intense flavor. The flavors vary from grainy to wood-ish, and they tend to be more bitter than sour. You'll barely ever find coffee that's made out of 100% Robusta beans. That would be way too bitter. The Robusta is often added to melanges. The fat in the bean ensures a nice crema, and Robusta can add just the right amount of bitterness and extra caffeine to a coffee melange. With Robusta beans, the flavor also greatly depends on the country of origin.

An Arabic bean is light brown and has an oval shape. It's also larger than a Robusta bean. Before roasting, the coffee beans are dark green and a lot larger.

A Robusta bean is dark brown and rounder than an Arabica bean. Before roasting, the coffee beans have a light green color with a hint of brown.

In Arabica coffee beans, there's less caffeine than in Robusta coffee. That's because Arabica coffee beans don't have as much resistance as Robusta coffee beans. Arabica grows at a high altitude, and is being harvested by hand. So if you prefer not to get the caffeine kick, choose Arabica beans.

Because the Robusta plant grows at a lower altitude, the Robusta has to deal with vermin more often. The plant protects itself by producing more caffeine, almost twice as much as the Arabica. Keep this in mind if you don't handle caffeine well. Robusta grows on a lower, often flat surface. This allows large agricultural machinery to harvest easily.

Farmers grown Arabica beans at high altitudes. They grow on bushes, which have elongated pods with coffee beans in them. Most Arabica beans are harvested in the area around the equator. They grow at an altitude between 1000 and 2000m high. This makes the production more expensive and more labor-intensive, and so the coffee more expensive.

Robusta beans grow at a lower altitude in areas around the equator. They grow on plants as small berries and grow on fields. Because the plants grow at a lower altitude, they're better protected from heat, moisture, and diseases. This makes them easier to grow, and cheaper than Arabica beans. An advantage of Robusta over Arabica, is that Robusta plants don't get sick as quickly. It has a better immune system, so to speak.