To understand how quickly the coffee market is developing, it is enough to look at statistics: as of 2023, the average Russian drinks about 300 cups of coffee a year, whereas 30 years ago the volume of consumption of this drink was 10 times less.

Such demand is not surprising, because coffee is a truly outstanding product: it contains more than 1,500 flavor compounds , its flavor bouquet is richer than that of wine.

How to choose “the one” from all this variety? Let’s start from the very beginning.

The Legend of the Origin of Coffee

The birthplace of the coffee tree is considered to be Ethiopia. One of the common legends says that a simple shepherd named Kaldi noticed how his goats became more active and refused to sleep at night after eating berries from an unknown bush. He decided to try these berries and noted their tonic effect. Kaldi reported his discovery to the abbot of the local monastery, who refused to believe his "invention" and threw the berries into the fire. 

The room was filled with the tempting aroma of roasted coffee beans. The abbot could not resist the appetizing smell and, for the sake of interest, prepared a drink from the beans. It helped him stay alert throughout the many hours of evening prayer. The abbot told other monks about this, and so the knowledge of coffee went to the masses.

History of coffee

The worldwide fame and distribution of coffee beans began in Yemen after the arrival of Ethiopian settlers. In the 15th century, Yemenis learned to cultivate coffee trees, and in the 17th and 18th centuries, they began selling their harvest to the countries of the Near and Middle East. In the 18th century, Yemen's entire income came from coffee exports; for almost 200 years, the state jealously guarded its monopoly. Then coffee plantations appeared in Asia and other countries. Over time, coffee gained worldwide recognition and love.

Types of coffee and their main differences

The taste of coffee is influenced by absolutely everything. The place of growth, the number of sunny and rainy days per year, the composition of the soil, the time of picking coffee berries, their variety and much more.

The most popular and widely known varieties are Arabica and Robusta. They are the ones most often used for commercial purposes. In total, scientists count more than 120 types of coffee. Let's look at some of them and highlight their specific characteristics.

Arabica

Arabica accounts for about 60% of coffee produced on the planet. Despite the fact that the Arabica tree is very capricious to growing conditions, its production remains a priority.

Arabica is valued for its unique taste qualities, as well as for its high yield. Arabica beans ripen in 9 months, which makes this type of coffee the “fastest”. Arabica grows at an altitude of 600 m above sea level.

Its beans are dense, with a complex soft taste and sweetness.

Arabica contains a lot of oils and little caffeine. These features allow you to get a cup of coffee with a rich bouquet, soft body and a long pleasant aftertaste. The balance of taste in Arabica is shifted to a pleasant acidity.

Robusta

The main difference between robusta and arabica is in the peculiarities of their taste profiles. Robusta is characterized by tart, bitter notes of burnt sugar, bread, spices . The taste balance is shifted towards bitterness. The increased content of caffeine, chlorogenic acid, a small amount of lipids and sugars in this type of coffee makes it an excellent energy drink.

Robusta is generally used in coffee blends because its bouquet is very tart and flat, with a heavy aroma. Robusta grows on plateaus and can withstand high temperatures, prolonged rainfall, and is resistant to various diseases. The ripening period of coffee berries is 10-11 months. This type of coffee accounts for about 40% of commercial production.

Liberica

This type of coffee grows in Malaysia and the Philippines . Liberica is resistant to coffee leaf rust, and is easier to grow than Arabica: at higher temperatures and lower altitudes. Ripe berries of this type can be almost twice the size of the above varieties. Liberica processed naturally will most often give a jackfruit flavor, while washed processing goes into more citrus, floral , or even more "traditional" chocolate notes.

Liberica is also characterized by a longer body sensation on the tongue. When compared to Arabica, Liberica is described as sweeter. This may be due to the fact that Liberica beans are more porous, i.e. they absorb more sugar from the gluten.

Excelsa

Scientists are still debating whether this is an independent type of coffee or a derivative of Liberica. Excelsa and Liberica are very similar, but still different. Liberica is shaped like an almond, Excelsa is slightly rounder and smaller in size. Excelsa beans have a minimal caffeine content on average from 0.86 to 1.13 g per 100 g. For comparison, Arabica has 1.2-1.5 g, and Robusta 2.2-2.7 g.

The fruits of excelsa ripen quite slowly, 14 months, which also has an adverse effect on the commercial use of this type. The aroma of excelsa is too intense. A blend containing this type of coffee may seem to be flavored with fruity aroma. However, there is no such vivid variety in the taste - the balance of excelsa coffee is shifted to intense bitterness , which dominates over fruity shades. This coffee is used to make blends; it is usually not drunk in its pure form.

Stenophila

Global warming threatens coffee plantations. Arabica, like all coffee, is thermophilic, it needs an average daily temperature of 19 degrees. However, a higher temperature will be destructive for it. Stenophila tolerates high temperatures well, even 25.5 degrees. At very high temperatures, it goes into hibernation, but as soon as its roots are saturated with water, it wakes up and continues to grow.

The flavor bouquet of this type is very rich. Coffee experts note the natural sweetness, medium acidity and pleasant body of Stenophila. The taste includes peach, black currant, mandarin, honey, black tea, jasmine, spices, chocolate, caramel, nuts and elderberry syrup. The berries are distinguished by their characteristic black color, while most types of coffee have red or orange berries.