What Is Arabica Coffee Anyway?

Coffee is a flowering shrub that is native to the tropical region of Africa. There are a few natural varieties of this shrub and a myriad of man-made hybrids.

Of the natural varieties, the two most common are Arabica and Robusta. According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the Arabica species makes up about 70% of the world’s coffee production. Almost all of the remaining 30% is the Robusta species.

Robusta coffee often gets a bad reputation and is described as being bitter, or a cheap filler coffee used by mass market producers that sell preground coffee in cans. However, Robusta has twice the caffeine of Arabica and more anti-oxidants. On its own, a quality Robusta can provide a pleasant flavor profile, but most commonly it is used in blends to round out the flavor of an Arabica.

All of our coffee is singleorigin, and happens to be of the Arabica species, but don’t pass up Robusta without giving it a fair shot.