What Does Arabica Coffee Mean?

Arabica coffee refers to a variety of coffee that comes from the beans produced by the Coffea arabica plant, a hugely popular variant of the coffee plant family. Arabica refers to the bean’s journey from its native Ethiopia to Arabia, where it began to grow in popularity.

In this article, we will look at what Arabica coffee is, where it comes from, and what makes it so popular.

What does Arabica coffee mean?

Arabica refers to coffee made from beans that grow on the Coffea arabica species of plant. It is fairly common to see ‘100% Arabica’ on coffee labels nowadays, and yet many people have little idea of what this actually means.

Arabica is thought to contribute to around 70% of coffee production and is popular around the world for the flavour it produces. Its main competition is Robusta, which comes from the Coffea canephora plant and makes up the rest of coffee production.

Why is it called Arabica coffee?

Arabica coffee gets its name from its journey in the 7th century across the Red Sea, travelling from its native Ethiopia. Its name comes from its final destination in Yemen and Arabia, where the first coffee was recorded by Arab scholars, who noted its ability to allow them to work for longer hours.

What are the other types of coffee?

There are approximately one hundred types of coffee, yet there are four main varieties which make up the most popular. The four main types of coffee used today are Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa. Arabica is the most widely used and popular bean, typically preferred in terms of flavour and quality, and generally more readily available than others.

Robusta is the second most widely produced and distributed coffee in the world, making up around 30% of all coffee. Liberica and Excelsa are harder to come by and have more individual flavours.

What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta?

The main difference between Arabica and Robusta coffees is taste; Arabica typically has a softer taste and may be sweeter, with highlights of fruit and sugar. It is also generally higher in acidity, which helps to emphasise its unique flavours. Robusta, on the other hand, has a nuttier, slightly bitter taste, and is typically of lower quality than Arabica.

What are the benefits of Arabica coffee?

Arabica coffee has many benefits, including:

• It is typically high in antioxidants, which are great for keeping us healthy and protecting from disease.
• It contains minerals and vitamins we need to stay healthy, including niacin and magnesium. The benefits of these can be seen in the skin, bones, and general wellbeing.
• Compared with other coffees, it is not calorific, which can make it healthier than other choices.

Why is Arabica coffee popular?

Arabica coffee is a popular variety for several reasons, including its sweet and typically softer taste, its unique flavours, and its potential health benefits. There are around 100 varieties of coffee available, yet Arabica remains the most popular for so many people. It is typically thought to be high quality and produce a great cup of coffee.

Is Arabica coffee healthy?

Arabica coffee is typically considered to be one of the healthier varieties of coffee, although moderation is just as important as with other types. As we have seen, one of the benefits of Arabica is its high antioxidant content, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can help to prevent disease.

Arabica also contains less sodium than other varieties and a greater water content, which helps to keep hydration levels balanced and can protect against high blood pressure in the long term.

Is Arabica coffee expensive?

Compared with other types of coffee, Arabica coffee is generally found to be more expensive. This happens for a few reasons, but the main reason is the delicacy of the bean, which requires specific conditions to grow.

Arabica beans command a higher price point because they are more complicated to grow than other beans. It is considered a delicate bean, the growth and development of which relies on specific conditions. An altitude of around 2000 feet is needed, as well as adequate shade and hydration, for the bean to grow healthy.

Is Arabica coffee high quality?

Arabica’s popularity comes with good reason: it is typically considered to be of higher quality than other coffee types. Despite being more expensive, most coffee shops and houses tend to choose Arabica for its high quality.

As with any harvested product, not all Arabica beans are going to be high quality; quality depends on a number of things including the conditions it is grown in and how it is used afterwards. Generally, however, Arabica is one of the highest quality beans available and makes for a great cup of coffee.

What is the history of Arabica coffee?

As we have seen, Arabica coffee originated in around 1000 BC in Ethiopia; at the time, Ethiopia was known as Kefa. The bean was discovered and consumed as a stimulant by a tribe native to Kefa, who created balls from the bean and ate them to take advantage of the bean’s energising benefits.

After spreading across the Red Sea to Yemen and Arabia, it didn’t take long for the Arabica bean to reach Europe, where it became a popular and valuable commodity in the ever-expanding coffee market of the time.

Where is Arabica coffee grown?

We have seen that Arabica coffee beans are native to Ethiopia, where they were distributed from a very long time ago. Today, true Arabica grows still in its native Ethiopia, which remains one of the largest producers of the bean in the world, and the only source of Arabica beans in their original form.

The beans distributed from Ethiopia were thought to be variants of the original. Variants of Arabica grow in many places around the world today, but the best varieties are thought to be found in Brazil, Central America, and Columbia. The largest producer and distributor of Arabica is Brazil; it is thought that Arabica makes up around 69% of all coffee made in Brazil.