Sunday, November 27, 2016

The afternoon coffee

During Sunday afternoons many people think about having a cup of delicious coffee. Maybe it is worth knowing better different types of this black gold which wins the hearts of many.

Let's start a journey between the two main species of coffee: arabica and robusta.

The arabica and robusta are two types of coffee beans used to produce the mixed coffee selections. Their main differences are in taste and where they are grown. The first important difference is genetic one, the robust also contains a higher level of caffeine as arabica, even twice. This factor is important to consider for those who have difficulty with falling asleep after drinking a cup of coffee.

The arabica (the 70% of the coffee produced in the world!) is mostly cultivated in the South America and in the Africa. The robusta is produced in West Africa (Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, etc.) and in the Far East (Vietnam and Indonesia). In addition to this the arabica grows best at high altitudes and needs a lot of rain, while the robusta grows at lower altitudes and even in tough conditions, less than ideal. It has also less problems with diseases.

The arabica and robusta beans are distinguishable. Those of arabica are more elongated, oval, those of robust have a more rounded shape.

Podobny obraz
All these things are useful as a curiosity, but we come to two very interesting elements: to a taste and a wallet. It is important to consider that the arabica has a more delicate taste, less bitter, with less strong and intense acidity (at least in the best types arabica). The robust taste has a strong sense of bitterness.

Judging by their portfolio is not always possible to say that the arabica is better than robusta (and because there are good robusta coffies and because tastes are different and you can appreciate different things). The arabica has also higher prices, keep this in mind if you want to buy 100% arabica. However there are arabica types which cost 2 euro per kilo and the other one can cost 400 euro. The choice and the taste is yours.

Do you know now why many companies write proudly on the paper cups for coffee "100% arabica"?

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