There are two basic types of coffee bean species that are grown commercially throughout the world: Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta, which differ due to their growing environments, overall flavor, and price. It's helpful to understand the difference between these types of coffee beans when choosing your coffee since their tastes can vary significantly.
Arabica coffee bean
When roasted, Arabica beans provide a sweet, yet soft taste with low acidity levels. These types of coffee beans needs a cool, subtropical climate where lots of sun, rich soil, and moisture are present, as a location in a high elevation. Since Arabica beans are difficult to grow and cultivate, they are more expensive compared to Robusta beans, and have a higher cost of production. Most Arabica beans are grown in Africa and Latin America.
Robusta coffee bean.
Robusta coffee is considered the more inferior choice compared to Arabica since it yields a strong, bitter, and harsh taste when roasted. Robusta beans contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica, and therefore are less vulnerable to diseases and pests since caffeine acts as a natural insecticide in the plant. Robusta beans can also stand up to harsher growing environments and lower altitudes, making it cheaper to produce and sell. Due to its low cost, most instant and ground coffee blends sold in grocery stores are made from Robusta beans.
