Linnaeus classified the coffee bean plant in the Rubiacee family. The name given to it by the great naturalist was "Coffea". There are some sixty coffee bean species growing spontaneously in the subtropical areas of Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Madagascar that are without any commercial importance.
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Only about ten species of coffee beans are cultivated in different parts of the world. There are two main species of bean, Arabica and Robusta. Both thrive in equatorial regions.
Robusta is grown at lower altitudes and has a high yield per plant and high caffeine content. It accounts for about 30% of world production. Robusta has a stronger flavor than Arabica with a full body and a woody aftertaste which is useful in creating blends and especially useful in instant coffee.
Robusta is mainly grown in the following regions:
• Western and Central Africa (Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda, Angola, etc.)
• Malaysia (Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, etc.)
• Brazil
• India
Arabica grows at higher altitudes, and while it has a lower yield and less caffeine content, it is widely recognized to be superior to Robusta. Arabica accounts for about 70% of world production, although only about 10% of this yields "grand cru" beans. Arabica has a delicate acidic flavor, a refined aroma and a caramel aftertaste.
Arabica is mainly grown in the following regions:
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Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama) |
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South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina) |
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India |
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Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique) |
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Papua New Guinea |
At first sight, the coffee bean fruit is like a big cherry both in size and in color. The berry is coated with a thin film (epicarp or esocarpo) containing a sugary mucilaginous flesh (mesocarp). Inside the coffee bean pulp there are the seeds in the form of two beans coupled at their flat surface. Coffee Beans are in turn coated with a kind of parchment, very resistant, and golden yellow (called endocarp or pergamino).
When peeled, the real coffee bean appears, coated -in its turn- with another very thin silvery film.
The coffee bean is bluish green verging on bronze, depending on the species, and is at the most 11 millimeters long and 8 millimeters wide. For each species there are several varieties, each one distinguished by its own size, color and resistance to disease of the coffee bean.
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