Types of Coffee

Coffee comes from two main beans, robusta and arabica. Both are grown in equatorial regions of the world, with the arabica grown at a higher altitude than the robusta. Robusta has the highest yield and largest amount of caffeine, but accounts for only about 30% of the world's coffee.

With it's delicate flavour and caramel aftertaste, Arabica is generally considered to be the superior coffee. All coffee blends are made from these two types, with the cheaper blends having a higher proportion of robusta beans. The various flavours are achieved by different roasting times.

American (regular) roast has a moderate flavour due to beans being roasted moderately, while French and dark French roasts are really dark and strong and a dark chocolate colour due to the longer roasting time. Italian is a strong roast used for espresso coffee, while European and Viennese roasts are all made from various blends of slight, medium and dark roasted beans

The instant coffee that we all know is made from freshly brewed coffee that has been heat-dried, while freeze-dried coffee is freshly brewed and frozen into a slush from which the water is evaporated. The flavour is said to be superior.

Decaffeinated coffee is still real coffee. It's just that the caffeine has been removed from the beans by a chemical process before they are crushed. The chemical disappears during the roasting process so it is quite safe.

To enjoy your own Arabica beans at home, get some coffee and a Coffee Machine, Coffee Maker or Espresso Machine.