Coffee grades

A lazy Saturday morning. You wake up decidedly later than on a weekday, slowly get out of bed and direct your steps straight to the kitchen. There, naturally and almost completely automatically, you turn on the coffee maker and brew coffee - the symbol of a perfectly started day.
However, let's stop for a moment at the aromatic "little black" and ask ourselves the key question: do you drink Arabica or Robusta? After all, these two most popular coffee varieties in the world, both in terms of cultivation and consumption, have a different taste, smell and appearance, and on top of that, they differ in caffeine content. We'll tell you a bit about them below, so you can see if you're actually reaching for the right variety for you in the morning, and whether scientific facts support your personal feelings about each of these grades.

ARABICA - the queen of the world's crops

Let's take Arabica first, as it accounts for more than 70% of the world's coffee crop. Such popularity does not at all mean that it is of inferior value or quality. On the contrary, most coffee lovers value Arabica the most. It's all due to its deep yet mild flavor, often with a chocolate or spicy note. This coffee contains a lot of sugars and fats, while it has only a small amount of caffeine (1-1.5%). Therefore, it does not guarantee intense stimulation, but rather a pleasant and gentle boost of energy. As for Arabica beans, they can be recognized by their elongated, somewhat flat shape, slightly greenish color and characteristic S-shaped crack.

ROBUSTA - caffeine madness

The second of the world's most popular coffees, Robusta, is a real treat for lovers of intense, energetic "little black." The beans of this variety contain from 2.7% to as much as 4% of caffeine, and the brew made from them stimulates quickly and for a long time. The coffee flavor itself is also less subtle, instead being more tart and bitter than Arabica. How else to know that you have brewed Robusta in your cup? Well, a distinctive and much-loved by many of you foam forms on its surface. If, on the other hand, you got your hands on a coffee bean, you will certainly notice that it is slightly smaller than its main competitor, and more oval and with a slightly grayish hue.

A few words about cultivation

The appearance, taste and aroma of the world's two most popular coffees are differences that are primarily due to the location and conditions of their cultivation. Arabica is more demanding, grown on plantations located at altitudes of 1 to 2 thousand meters above sea level, and the optimal temperature for it is 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. Robusta, on the other hand, can be grown throughout the intertropical zone, even in lower and warmer areas. In addition, it is more resistant to pests. The latter is due, on the one hand, to the higher amount of caffeine in the grains (this substance is sometimes considered a natural pesticide!), and on the other - to the fact that there are twice as many chromosomes in each cell (Arabica has 44, while Robusta has 22).

Arabica and Robusta - in their myriad varieties - are by far the two most popular coffees in the world. Of course, other varieties (e.g. Liberica) and cross-breeds of both (e.g. Arabusta) are also grown on the planet, but they are rather niche and you can find them rather only in stores for true connoisseurs. So at your leisure, take your favorite coffee and see if you belong to the Robusta group or prefer Arabica. Try the latter, too, because who knows - maybe it will win your heart?