Beans
Table of contents
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:
4 Main Varieties of Coffee Beans
Arabica | Robusta | Liberica | Excelsa |
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.
Arabica |
Robusta Coffee Beans
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:
Robusta |
Nganda | Catimor |
Icatu | Lempira |
Sarchimor | Obata |
Ruiru 11 | Oro Azteca |
Erecta | Castillo |
Liberica Coffee Beans
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.
Liberca |
Kapeng Barako |
Excelsa Coffee Beans
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.
$15
- 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.
$20
- 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.
$10
- 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.
$Varies
- Flavor Profile: Light acidity with a pleasant bitterness. Notes of nuts and herbal aroma
- Grown in: Mexico
Oro Azteca coffee beans are a hybrid of the Timor and Caturra coffee beans, commonly grown in Mexico
$Varies
- 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.
$20+
- 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
$12+
- Flavor Profile: Balanced acidity with a hint of bitterness and notes of chocolate and citrus
- Grown in: Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua
Maracattura coffee beans are a mix of the Maragogipe and Caturra beans - they are commonly grown in Nicaragua, Brazil, and El Salvador
$10+
- Flavor Profile: High acidity and bitterness with notes of cocoa, almond, and spice
- Grown in: Mexico
Pluma Hidalgo coffee is a sub-variety of Typica, which is a variety of Arabica itself
$10+
- 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.
$Varies
- 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.
$10+
- Flavor Profile: Medium acidity with strong bitterness and a pungent aroma
- Grown in: Philippines
Barako coffee beans are just a sub-variety of Liberica coffee beans and they mostly are grown in the Philippines.
$15+
- 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)
$Varies
- Flavor Profile: Low acidity and bitterness, but a bright floral aroma in every sip
- Grown in: Costa Rica
Villa Sarchi is a Bourbon mutation (such as Pacas and Caturra) discovered in Naranjo, West Valley
$
- 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?
$10+
- 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
$15+
- Flavor Profile: Medium to high acidity with fruity hints almost resembling peach in some way.
- Grown in: Ethiopia
It is well-known for its sweet flavor and fragrance, as well as its light to medium body
$10+
- Flavor Profile: Very mild acidity with savory and sometimes fruity undertones
- Grown in: Central & Southern America
Maragogype is a unique coffee cultivar that was found in Brazil in 1870 and is currently cultivated across Latin America
$50-70
- 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.
$8-15
- Flavor Profile: Slightly woody flavor with higher acidity and sometimes an earthy, almost rubbery aftertaste
- Grown in: South-East Asia
Almost everyone knows about coffees such as Arabica and Robusta. But not many coffee lovers have even heard of such a variety called an Excelsa.
$10-30
- 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.
$10-80
- Flavor Profile: Most Arabica beans have hints of chocolate, caramel, and nuts, but things like citrus and berries can also be felt in the aftertaste.
- Grown in: Central & South America, Africa, South-East Asia
Arabica coffee is a higher-quality coffee in terms of both taste and chemical content.