Coffee beans come in many different varieties but are still centralized under one or several plants.For example, the mother plant Coffea divides into four sub-species such as Coffea Arabica, Coffea Canephora, Coffea Liberica, and Coffea Excelsa. The non-scientific names of these coffees can be found in the list below:
All of these 4 varieties have their own distinct flavors, off-shoots, sub-varieties, and much more. But none of them are as diverse and unique as Arabica, which is divided into 3 main categories. These are Heirloom, Typica, and Bourbon. Although Typica and Bourbon are coffee plants on their own, Heirloom is still considered a category even though there is no separate plant with this name. The name is usually used to just categorize a coffee plant native to a specific region.
Arabica Coffee Beans
Below, you can find all of the very interesting sub-varieties of Arabica, totaling in the dozens, but we’ve only listed the most popular and in-demand ones today.
The Coffea Canephora, aka Robusta, is an equally popular coffee variety grown in pretty much all corners of the world. However, it is generally considered as lower grade coffee when compared to Arabica. It’s usually grown in the lowlands while Arabica is mostly cultivated in the highlands. The difference this makes is quite noticeable through Robusta’s more earthy and bitter tastes compared to Arabica’s more natural taste.
Even though not as extensive, Robusta also has its own sub-varieties grown primarily in Latin America. They are:
The Coffea Liberica or just Liberica is a relatively new species of coffee, primarily grown in South-East Asia with just one little off-shoot called the Kapeng Barako. This coffee can be seen growing in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It’s completely unique to those regions.
Unfortunately, Excelsa does not have any sub-varieties. It’s a coffee variety of its own and does not belong to any other sub-variety besides being part of the Arabica family. It also mostly grows in South-East Asian countries much like Liberica, but there are plans to try and plant it in Latin America.
Flavor Profile: Bright acidity with high bitterness and sweet chocolatey notes
Grown in: Congo, Rwanda
There are a lot of coffee varieties around the world, however, not all of them are exclusive. When it comes to Kivu coffee beans, you can be sure that they can freely be called unique due to several important reasons.
Flavor Profile: Mild acidity with a full-bodied flavor and an aftertaste resembling chocolate
Grown in: Cameroon
Boyo coffee beans are a variety of Arabica commonly grown in the Boyo region of Cameroon. These High-grade Arabica beans are grown from about 5,000 feet altitude by attentive farmers eager to preserve high quality and create direct trading relationships.
Flavor Profile: Flashy acidity with deep chocolate and cocoa flavor
Grown in: Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia
Have you ever heard of Sidra coffee beans? This is a single origin variety from Brazil, however, its plants can also be found in other countries as well including Colombia and Ecuador.
Flavor Profile: Balanced acidity and notes of citrus and chocolate
Grown in: Central America
Obata coffee beans are a hybrid of the Timor and Villa Sarchi coffee varieties, both of which are Arabica subspecies. They are commonly grown in Central America.
Flavor Profile: Balanced acidity and bitterness, with almost black honey notes
Grown in: El Salvador, Honduras
Sarchimor coffee variety is a hybrid of the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi variety and the Timor Leste Timor variety. There is a little bit of Robusta mixed in as well. It is commonly grown in Central America.
Flavor Profile: Bright acidity with deep chocolate flavor and notes of smoke
Grown in: Kenya
Kenya is one of the most interesting countries when it comes to coffee. It will be no surprise to say that they have different varieties of this beverage and one of them is SL-34. SL-34 coffee is a sub-variety of Typica coffee beans which are a variety of Arabica beans themselves
Flavor Profile: Flashy acidity with significant bitterness and notes of chocolate and citrus
Grown in: Philippines
Did you know that in the Philippines, you can actually find different types of coffee plants? For instance, Benguet coffee, commonly known as Benguet Arabica
Flavor Profile: Bright acidity with balanced bitterness and nutty aroma with chocolate taste
Grown in: Indonesia
Java Coffee is a pretty unique and interesting variety of coffee that is cultivated on the Indonesian island of Java, Java coffee beans are commonly referred to as mocha java.
Flavor Profile: Low acidity but bright bitterness with fruity notes under a woody aftertaste
Grown in: Indonesia & Ethiopia
When it comes to Ethiopian coffee, you will be able to come across many different varieties. That’s due to the fact that the country has a rich coffee production history and nowadays, is one of the biggest producers.
Flavor Profile: Low acidity but high bitterness, undertones of fruity and nutty tastes
Grown in: Saudi Arabia
Have you ever heard of Khawlani coffee beans? There is a very low chance of this as this variety is pretty rare and not very popular in the coffee industry.
Flavor Profile: Flashy acidity with balanced bitterness and notes of citrus and chocolate
Grown in: Central & Southern America
Mundo Novo trees are very tall, with green or bronze leaves, medium-sized coffee cherries (approximately the same as Caturra, but smaller than SL28 or Maragogype)
Flavor Profile: High acidity with low bitterness and citrus undertones
Grown in: Central America
Have you ever heard of Pache coffee beans? Well, if not, then we are going to tell you everything about it in this guide. If you are someone who is looking for new types of coffees, then Pache coffee beans variety might be a great place to start. So, what is it exactly?
Flavor Profile: Light acidity with a pleasant bitterness. Notes of nuts and herbal aroma
Grown in: South-East Asia
Catimor is a mix of Timor coffee (Robusta) and Caturra coffee (Arabica). It was created back in 1959 in Portugal - this means that Catimor beans are a lab-made variety
Flavor Profile: Pleasant acidity with hints of honey as well as a floral aroma reminiscent of Jasmine flowers.
Grown in: Central America
You may or may not know what the best-tasting Geisha coffee beans are, so I'm going to talk a little bit about what a geisha varietal is and how it became so popular.
Flavor Profile: Slightly woody flavor with higher acidity and sometimes an earthy, almost rubbery aftertaste
Grown in: Africa, South-East Asia
Robusta coffee is manufactured from the beans (seeds) of the Coffea canephora plant. Robusta is a plant that originates in central and western Sub-Saharan Africa.
The two main varieties of coffee are Arabica and Robusta, but there are 2 other, much smaller varieties such as Liberica and Excelsa. Arabica has dozens of different sub-varieties while Robusta is divided into Erecta and Nganda.
Why do we call it coffee beans?
Coffee beans aren’t actually beans, they’re just seeds of the plant. But, because they resemble actual beans so much, the first cultivators decided that they would refer to them as beans. Hence, the name stuck and now we all call them coffee beans.
What should I look for when buying coffee beans?
You need to make sure that the beans are ethically sourced, that they’re not above the market price and that the brand selling them does not add any additives or preservatives. The best way to do this is by sourcing it directly from the manufacturer or buying them from reputable online stores like Amazon.
Can you eat raw coffee beans?
Yeah, there’s no real danger to eating raw coffee beans. Just make sure you don’t eat too much of them if your caffeine tolerance is low. It may cause your heartbeat to speed up.
