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Beans of the Arabica coffee comes from the Coffea arabica plant that originated in Ethiopia. It is known as the oldest coffee plant in the world. The beautiful smell of Arabica coffee and varieties in the taste makes it very popular worldwide.
Arabica coffee makes up about 60% of the coffee production and therefore we should learn more about this great coffee.
Types Of Arabica Coffee Beans
There are 21 types of Arabica beans and each one of them has distinct characteristics. Some of them are strong, some of them are light in taste. Here are the most popular types of coffea arabica:
- Typica: Besides being one of the first coffee varieties, it is one of the most cultural and important coffee beans. Being well-adapted to cold conditions is one of the advantages of Typica beans. Most types of Arabica coffee beans are cross-bred from Typica.
- Bourbon: Bourbon is one of the oldest coffee beans too. It is an excellent variety of Arabica coffee and its flavor is often associated with chocolate and fruit overtones. It is generally cross-bred to produce other types of coffee beans. Typica and Bourbon are generally used together.
- Geisha (Panama): Also known as Panama, Geisha gained its popularity in 2004 because it won top honors in the 2004 Panamanian Cup of Excellence competition. Being grown in the high altitudes of Central America gives it a unique and tropical taste. However, it is not easy to taste this unique coffee anytime because it is a really expensive one.
- Jackson: Jackson together with Kent, Coorg, and Mysore is grown in Rwanda and Burundi. Its vigorous taste is a distinct characteristic of it. It is recently confirmed that Jackson is related to the Bourbon genetic group.
- Jamaican Blue Mountain: As it can seem in the name, Jamaican Blue Mountain grows in Jamaica. It has a mild flavor and it is not bitter. Like Geisha, it gained its popularity recently and therefore it is a really expensive coffee. Its rareness and hard conditions in cultivating also play an important role in its pricing.
- Kona: Kona is cultivated on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanoes. The hot climate and lava soil helps Kona to get its unique taste. It is a naturally sweet coffee and it has some fruity flavors along with spices and nuts. Like other hard-grown coffees, Kona is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
Where Is It Grown?
Arabica coffee grows in the tropical climates around the equator. Best Arabica coffee beans come from Africa and South America. Other Countries that Arabica grows best are Costa Rica, Equator, Mexico, and so on. The largest producer of Arabica coffee is Brazil.
How to Grow Arabica Coffee?
Arabica Coffee seeds grow with a little stem at first and get bushy over time. Their height can reach about 150 cm and it has green and shining leaves. However, when growing this beautiful plant, there are some points that we need to pay attention to because it is a fragile plant. These points include caring, location, soil, watering, and so on.
Harsh climates are not good for growing Arabica coffee, it can’t handle frost. You can prefer humid and shady conditions for growing the best Arabica coffee. After finding the perfect place for growing, now it is time to select a soil. The soil should be airy and slightly acidic. In addition to that, you can support the soil sometimes with lemon juice.
Once you plant the seed, it needs caring. Arabica coffee likes sunlight but direct and harsh sunlight is harmful to your plant. You may end up with burned leaves in your plant when you expose your plant to too much light. Arabica coffee likes water and you should regularly water your plant. You can’t let the soil dry. Another thing that you need to be careful about is the toxicity problem. All plant parts except the beans are toxic to humans and animals. When you are growing organic Arabica coffee, you must pay attention to this problem. When protecting ourselves, we should protect our plant too. It is vulnerable to pests and as we said earlier, it is a fragile plant.
What Does It Taste Like?
Although it represents 60% of the coffee industry, we don’t know the taste of Arabica coffee enough. It has an extensive taste range and it is not easy to say just one thing about its taste. However, if we talk generally, it ranges from sweet-soft to sharp-tangy. Also, you can taste some hints of tropical and fruity flavors.
Why You Should Prefer Arabica Coffee?
There are plenty of good reasons for you to prefer Arabica coffee. Firstly, you may want to prefer Arabica coffee for your health because it is rich in antioxidants and can help you stay alert and focused with the caffeine it includes.
You can use it on your skin to moisturize and smooth your skin. It can be a little bit more expensive than other coffees but it is worth it because it comes with numerous benefits.
How to Make a Good Arabica Coffee?
Everybody can prepare a good Arabica Coffee. You can get roasted coffee beans and grind them yourself or you can just get grounded beans. You can use some seasoning and flavorings like cloves, saffron, and rose mineral water and you can mix them to get richer flavors. For this recipe, we are going to use cardamom for extra flavor.
Ingredients:
- Arabica Coffee
- Cardamom
- Cloves (optional)
- Saffron (optional)
- Rose Mineral Water (optional)
Tools & Gadgets:
- Coffee Grinder (optional)
- Stainer
- Flask
Steps for Preparing a Delicious Arabica Coffee
- The balance between water, coffee, and cardamom should be one tablespoon of coffee per one cup of water and one part of cardamom to every three parts of coffee.
- Grind the coffee beans slowly by using the coffee grinder or if you already have ground beans you can use them. You can grind cardamom with coffee. Once the coffee is ground, you can squash the cardamom.
- Put the water in a cup and start boiling it without the coffee.
- Once the water boils, you can add grounded coffee. If you have grounded cardamom with coffee, you can add them together into the water.
- Heat all of them together for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the cardamoms if you crushed them separately.
- Stir the mixture and let them boil for another 5 minutes.
- After boiling for 5 minutes, you can stop boiling. Wait for a while for coffee grounds to be settled to the bottom.
- Pour the coffee via a strainer to the flask.
- Wait for coffee to seep.
- Enjoy!
My world consists of guitar, music, and coffee. I spent years preparing coffees at home and learning more about coffee. As a result of this, I have learned so much about coffee, and in Coffee Magazine, I try my best to share my knowledge about coffee and its culture. Click here for detailed information about me.