Arabica and Robusta Coffee Plant

Coffee Plant Overview

The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Because it grows to a relatively large height, it is more accurately described as a coffee tree. It has a main vertical trunk (orthotropic) and primary, secondary, and tertiary horizontal branches (plagiotropic). 

The Difference Between Arabica and Robusta Coffee Beans

While there are several different coffee species, two main species of coffee are cultivated today.  Coffea arabica, known as Arabica coffee, accounts for 75-80 percent of the world's production.  Coffea canephora, known as Robusta coffee, accounts for about 20 percent and differs from the Arabica coffees in terms of taste. While Robusta coffee beans are more robust than the Arabica plants, but produces an inferior tasting beverage with a higher caffeine content.  Both the Robusta and Arabica coffee plant can grow to heights of 10 meters if not pruned, but producing countries will maintain the coffee plant at a height reasonable for easy harvesting.

 

Coffee Plant Growth and Development

Three to four years after the coffee is planted, sweetly smelling flowers grow in clusters in the axils of the coffee leaves.  Fruit is produced only in the new tissue.  The Coffea Arabica coffee plant is self-pollinating, whereas the Robusta coffee plant depends on cross pollination.  About 6-8 weeks after each coffee flower is fertilized, cell division occurs and the coffee fruit remains as a pin head for a period that is dependent upon the climate.  The ovaries will then develop into drupes in a rapid growth period that takes about 15 weeks after flowering.  During this time the integument takes on the shape of the final coffee bean.  After the rapid growth period the integument and parchment are fully grown and will not increase in size.  The endosperm remains small until about 12 weeks after flowering.  At this time it will suppress, consume, and replace the integument.  The remnants of the integument are what make up the silverskin.  The endosperm will have completely filled the cavity made by the integument nineteen weeks after flowing.  The endosperm is now white and moist, but will gain dry matter during the next several months.  During this time the endosperm attracts more than seventy percent of the total photsynthesates produced by the tree.  The mesocarps will expand to form the sweet pulp that surrounds the coffee bean.  The coffee cherry will change color from green to red about thirty to thirty-five weeks after flowing.  See Flash movie on Coffee Bean Development.

 

Coffee Plant Root System

The roots of the coffee tree can extend 20-25 km in total length (Malavolta, 195) and the absorbing surface of a tree ranges from 400 to 500 m² (Nutman).  There are main vertical roots, tap roots, and lateral roots which grow parallel to the ground.  The tap roots extend no further than 30-45 cm below the soil surface.  Four to eight axial roots may be encountered which often originate horizontally but point downward.  The lateral roots can extend 2 m from the trunk.  About 80-90% of the feeder root is in the first 20 cm of soil and is 60-90 cm away from the trunk of the coffee tree (Mavolta, 195-196).  However, Nutman states that the greatest root concentration is in the 30 to 60 cm depth.  The roots systems are heavily affected by the type of soil and the mineral content of the soil.  To be thick and strong, the coffee roots need an extensive supply of nitrogen, calcium and magnesium. During planting the main vertical roots are often clipped to promote growth of the the horizontal roots, which then have better access to water and added nutrients in the top soil.

 

Coffee Leaves

The elliptical leaves of the coffee tree are shiny, dark green, and waxy.  The coffee bean leaf area index is between 7 and 8 for a high-yielding coffee (Malavolta, 195).  The coffee plant has become a major source of oxygen in much of the world.  Each hectare of coffee produces 86 lbs of oxygen per day, which is about half the production of the same area in a rain forest (source: Anacafe).

 

 

Tag : coffeeresearch.org

 

What’s the Difference Between Robusta and Arabica Coffee?

   

It’s time to put on your learning caps and brew yourself a fresh cup of coffee—it’s time for some bean knowledge!  Coffee aficionados of all levels have without a doubt heard the words “Robusta” or “Arabica”. If you aren’t familiar with either, these two terms describe the two different species of beans grown commercially. They are the same in that when harvested, roasted and eventually brewed to become that magical thing we call coffee. However, that’s where the similarities end. Robusta and Arabica differ when it comes to taste, growing environments and quality:

Taste
Robusta has a neutral to harsh taste range and is often likened to having an “oatmeal-like” taste. When unroasted, the smell of Robusta beans is described as raw-peanutty.
Arabicas, on the other hand, have a very wide taste range (depending on its varietal). The range differs from sweet-soft to sharp-tangy. When unroasted, Arabica beans smell like blueberries. Their roasted smell is described as perfumey with notes of fruit and sugar tones.

Growing environments
Robusta coffee beans come from a resilient plant that is able to be grown in low altitudes of 200-800 meters. Robusta beans aren’t very susceptible to damage done by pests. Additionally, they produce more finished product per acre and require fairly low production costs.
Contrariwise, Arabica coffee beans are fragile and must grow in cool, subtropical climates.  Arabica beans also need a lot of moisture, rich soil, shade and sun. Because of their fragility, Arabica beans are vulnerable to attack from various pests and can be damaged by cold temperatures or poor handling. This type of bean also needs to be grown at a higher elevation (600-2000 meters).

Which bean is better? 
No contest!  If you had to choose between an Arabica bean and a Robusta bean, it’s important to always choose Arabica.
Robusta fosters use mono-cropping, the practice of growing the same plant every year in one place. It yields more space since it involves clear-cutting the forest for the crop. Because Robusta is more a resilient plant than the delicate Arabica, it can be grown in more places. Large coffee companies buy huge amounts of rainforest, clear-cut the land and plant Robusta beans. Robusta is often mixed with Arabica,  allowing the coffee companies to save a pretty penny and serve you a crappy cup. Not to mention, mono-cropping, when done excessively, also erodes soil and demolishes nutrients making the soil nearly unusable.

What does The Roasterie use?
Since we provide some of the best coffee around, we use Arabica beans in all of our air roasted coffees. Browse our selection and taste the Arabica difference!

Tag : theroasterie.com

 

10 differences Between Robusta & Arabica Coffee

You may have noticed that some coffee bag labels brag about the fact that their coffee beans are 100% Arabica. Although it does sound like something magicians say, it isn’t gibberish – it refers to the type of coffee species in which the beans are from.
There are over 100 coffee species, however the two main ones that are widely produced and sold are: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (also known as Coffea Robusta).

Here’s a list featuring 10 differences between the two coffee species:

1. The most commonly known: Taste. Often Robusta has its taste described as burnt tires or rubbery, which… sounds disgusting (can you imagine one of our taste swatches on the front page being a burnt tire?). Why the bad taste?

 

2. One reason that the taste isn't as good for Robusta is that it has more caffeine compared to Arabica. Which may sound like a positive thing but caffeine carries a bitter taste which makes it an unpleasant drink. In fact the Robusta bean has 2.7% caffeine content, almost double the 1.5% of Arabica.

 

3. Lipid & Sugar content: As mentioned here, Arabica contains almost 60% more lipids and almost twice the concentration of sugar than Robusta. This factor also probably has a big impact on why we prefer the taste of Arabica.

 

4. From a price perspective, green beans of Robusta is about half the price of Arabica green beans on the commodity market. (Robusta vs. Arabica)

 

5. Robusta is easier to tend to on the farm, has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects - the extra caffeine is a chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic to bugs.

 

All of these factors help bring up the supply and lower the input costs for farmers to produce. With this more attractive price point, a lot of roasters back in the day would add Robusta to their blend in an attempt to reduce their costs and increase their profits. When coffee was initially sold in the 1900s the quality of coffee slowly and slowly deteriorated in an effort for companies to squeeze the most profit.  

 

6. Where you’ll find it: Nowadays, it’s not often you’ll find Robusta in a coffee blend. If you’re drinking instant coffee? Well, that’s probably all Robusta… but you probably don’t care very much about taste. In your espresso blend? That’s a mixed bag. Literally. Oddly enough, Robusta is still widely used as part of espresso blends – specifically Italian style blends. It is said to help improve the Crema. However, generally at a detriment to the taste, which in our opinion the priorities may be out of wack.

 

One thing to note is despite the association with Arabica of being higher quality, and Robusta as being lower quality, it’s not always the case. Top notch specialty Robusta coffee will usually taste as good as or better than low end Arabica. However, high end Robusta isn’t widely used or available. Rather, Robusta is usually used as a filler or cost reducer.  

 

7. The Shape: Robusta beans are much more circular, whereas Arabica are more oval.

 

8. Plant Height: Arabica usually grows between 2.5 – 4.5 meters compared to the 4.5 – 6 meter height of Robusta.

 

9. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) content: This picture unfortunately, isn’t true – however something that is actually a part of coffee is CGA. It’s a significant antioxidant and an insect deterrent. Robusta is 7-10% CGA and Arabica has 5.5-8% CGA.

 

10.Cultivation: About 75% of the world’s coffee production is Arabica, about 25% being Robusta. Brazil is the most significant Arabica producer and Vietnam produces the most Robusta.

Well, this post ended up being a bit more robust than intended. 


Tag : theroasterspack.com