The Virtues of the Arabica Coffee Bean

There are two primary species of coffee beans that are grown for sale: Robusta and Arabica. Arabica coffee beans are hand-picked (much like grapes are for fine wine) just as they become fully ripened - they’re not allowed to fall on the ground and spoil like robusto beans. Arabica beans are then dried, sorted and graded according to color, size, and uniformity. Arabica coffee beans are a staple of gourmet coffees for making espresso and cappuccino. It is believed that Arabica beans were the first type of coffee beans that were ever cultivated, and they have been used for more than a millennium in some parts of Africa.

While Arabica coffee beans are more difficult to grow and harvest than other coffee beans such as Robusta, it is generally acknowledged that their superior flavor justifies the effort. Simply stated, Arabica coffee beans are considered a higher quality and better tasting bean than the other commercially grown coffee beans (robusta). Arabica coffee beans are grown all over the world, from Latin America to parts of Africa and Asia where the best environments offer light shade and higher altitudes.