Arabica and Robusta: the type of coffee is not the whole story

Useful to know

The inscriptions "Arabic" and "robust" on the coffee have a botanical basis. Arabica refers to Coffea arabica, and robusta is related to Coffea canephora. They do not mean light and dark baking, nor an automatically specific way of preparation. The Royal Kew Botanical Gardens list them among the main types for the drink. This is a good starting point for reading the packaging: first we understand what plant is behind the product, and then we look for the rest of the information. [1]

The origin of Arabica is particularly interesting. According to Kew, it is a hybrid species that originated from Coffea eugenioides and Coffea canephora. Therefore, the relationship between these plants is more complex than a simple opposite between two commercial categories. Botanical history does not equate to a modern mixture of baked beans. When a manufacturer mixes Arabica and Robusta in a package, it is a composition of a product; when describing the hybrid origin of a species, it is a biological history. [1]

Within Arabica there are numerous varieties. The World Coffee Research catalogue describes them by indicators such as plant size, yield potential, quality in the cup and attitude to certain diseases. The different characteristics are presented separately, because a common assessment cannot replace all of them. A variety that is of interest to a farmer in certain conditions is not just a word for taste on a consumer package. It is a set of hereditary features of practical importance for cultivation. [2]

World Coffee Research maintains a separate catalog for Robusta as well. The very presence of various described varieties shows why the group should not be treated as a completely uniform raw material. The catalog was created primarily to support solutions for planting material and production. It does not represent a ranking of finished packages in the store. From a characteristic of a plant, an estimate of each drink made from it cannot be directly inferred without information on subsequent stages. [3]

For the consumer, this means asking more than one question. Is the type, is there a specific variety, where the raw material comes from and how does the manufacturer describe the processing and baking? These reports answer a variety of questions. For example, two packs of one hundred percent arabic can be different products without any of them necessarily being mislabeled. The type is a general characteristic, not a complete recipe for what will be obtained in the particular cup.

A useful home comparison is to keep the same method of preparation, the amount of coffee and the amount of water, and to change only the product used. Thus, impressions are easier to arrange than when changing everything at the same time. This is an observational proposal, not a universal formula for the best coffee. Knowing Arabica and Robusta gives a vocabulary for a more accurate description, but personal choice remains associated with the particular drink, not an automatic one-word sentence on the label.