The Arabica coffee bean is like the mother of all coffees because it is the first type of coffee bean that was ever consumed. Although there are several types of coffee beans out there, Arabica is considered to have the finest quality. Today, Arabica is the most popular coffee bean in the world. In fact, it represents about 70 percent of the world’s coffee production.
What Is Arabica Coffee
The origin of the Arabica Coffee dates back to 1,000 BC in the highlands of Ethiopia. The Oromo tribe in Kefa used to eat the bean. They crushed it, mixed it with fat and formed them into a sphere with the size of ping-pong balls. The spheres were eaten to act as a stimulant for the body. Just like the same reason why we drink coffee today.
In the 7th century, the Arabica beans grew from Ethiopia to Yemen and lower Arabia where it got the name “Arabica”. It was the first coffee bean species used in making coffee from roasted coffee beans. According to Arab scholars, it was effective in keeping them awake while they were working. Since then, the Arab way of making coffee from roasted coffee beans have spread among Egyptians, Turks and throughout the world.
Taste
Arabica has a mild taste and based on regular coffee drinkers, they describe the coffee bean to have a light and airy sweetness. It also has some hints of chocolate, nuts, and caramel in it. However, it also has a little acidity and slight bitterness. The flavors of the coffee beans can be affected by the period or the length of time that they are roasted. Aside from that, the area and the soil where the beans are grown can also affect the coffee bean’s harmony of flavors.
Growing Preferences
The Arabica coffee beans cannot grow on harsh climates. They usually grow in temperatures between 15 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius and they like to be grown in the shade. Arabica coffee beans can tolerate low temperatures but not frost. They are usually planted on hillsides and grounds with elevations of around 1,900 feet above sea level and they take about seven years to mature fully. The Arabica plant can grow from 9 to 12 meters in the wild, but if it’s grown commercially, it can grow up to 5 meters tall.
The flowers of the Arabica plant are usually small and white. And the beans, which are actually the seeds of the arabica plant, can be found inside of the berries. There are usually two arabica beans in each berry and they are harvested once they achieve a deep red color. These berries do not ripen at the same time, that is why the best way to harvest these berries are by hand-picking them. This way, you can pick the perfectly ripenedArabica bean because if you harvest them before they are fully ripe, it can result in a low-quality Arabica coffee bean.
The arabica plant grows perfectly in tropical climates around the equator. This is why the best coffee and high-quality Arabica coffee beans can be found in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, and Burundi. Among these places, Brazil is known to be the largest producer of Arabica coffee in the world.
Benefits of Arabica Coffee
Arabica coffee beans have some insane benefits and these are:
- Arabica coffee beans are rich in anti-oxidants
- It contains vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, riboflavin, manganese, niacin, and potassium.
- It is low in calories (when consumed without milk or sugar)
- When used in a skincare product, the Arabica coffee beans can moisturize, tone, smooth, and nourish the skin.
- Arabica coffee beans can help you stay hydrated because, according to scientific studies, it’s 95% water.
There are a lot of Arabica coffee brands in the market and we know that finding the perfect blend of Arabica coffee that suits you can be a tough task. But we have one advice to leave you, and that is to always choose a good quality Arabica coffee because it will not disappoint you. It might cost you a little more but it’s worth it.
Want to know even more about all the types of coffee? Check out this awesome infographic from IlluminatingFacts.com on all the different types of coffee!
