Is Arabica Coffee Better Than Robusta? Many people when drinking coffee are interested in the quality of coffee beans, nutritional compositions and their effects, or ways to prepare a delicious cup of coffee or the taste and aroma of coffee. In particular, Arabica and Robusta coffee have many interesting differences in specifications.
Contents
- 1 The question “Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?”
- 2 Answer to the question “Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?”
- 3 More detailed information about Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
- 4 Top famous Arabica and Robusta coffee suppliers
The question “Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?”
Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee are the two most famous coffees in the world, which are drunk every day. Thus, the world divides into two opposing schools. According to the statistics of experts, among the people who drink coffee every day, up to 70-80% of people in the world use Arabica coffee while the remaining use Robusta. This issue has caused a big controversy: “Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?“. We will answer this question in this article.
“Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?”
Answer to the question “Is Arabica coffee better than Robusta coffee?”
It is almost impossible to determine which coffee would be better. Because each type of coffee has different specifications. Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee are distinguished by appearance, caffeine content, taste, and aroma when drinking, so each person will have a different feeling.
Similarities between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
The appearance of the two types of coffee is quite similar. The coffee beans are green when unroasted and brown after roasted. The size of the coffee beans is also quite similar and is standardized according to the international grade.
Difference between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
The following table is a short summary of the comparison between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee, depending on 6 standards:
| Arabica coffee | Robusta coffee | |
| Shape of coffee beans | elliptical
wavy middle groove |
slightly rounded
straight middle groove |
| Color of coffee beans | light brown after roasted | dark brown after roasted |
| Caffeine content | 0,8 – 1,5% | 1,7 – 3,5% |
| Taste | sour, mild bitter | strong, bitter, bold |
| Aroma | flowery, fruity, honey, chocolatey | nutty |
| Use in preparation | Espresso, filter | instant |
Shape of coffee beans
- Arabica coffee beans have an elliptical shape, a groove in the middle of the bean has a wavy shape.
- Robusta coffee beans are smaller and slightly rounded, the middle groove is usually straight.
Shape of Coffee beans
Color of coffee beans
- When unroasted, Arabica coffee (left) has a lighter color than Robusta coffee (right). The green color of Arabica coffee has a slightly gray color.
- When roasted together at the same temperature, Robusta is always darker in color than Arabica. The color of Robusta beans is more uniform than Arabica beans.
Color of Coffee beans
Caffeine content
- The caffeine content in Arabica beans is about 0,8 – 1,5%
- The caffeine content in Robusta beans is very high 1,7 – 3,5%
Caffein content
Sweetness and lipids
Arabica coffee contains more lipids and nearly twice as much sugar as Robusta coffee.
This amount of sugar in Arabica coffee is an important precursor in the roasting process, helping to form important aromas, as well as contributing to the general flavor. This causes Arabica coffee to produce a cup of coffee that has more flavor and complexity in texture than Robusta coffee.
| Arabica coffee | Robusta coffee | |
| Sugar | 6-9% | 3-7% |
| Lipids | 15-17% | 10-11.5% |
| Chlorogenic Acid | 5.5-8% | 7-10% |
Taste
- The taste of Robusta coffee is strong, bitter, bold, and less sour.
- Arabica coffee has a sour taste, but the taste of Arabica coffee is not completely sour. When swallowed, it will have a mildly bitter taste, which is called the aftertaste of coffee.
Aroma
Aroma of Arabica and Robusta
- The aroma of Arabica is very sweet and soft. Arabica coffee after bartending has very different attractive aromas such as floral, fruity, chocolate. Depending on the farming land and climate, Arabica coffee has different characteristic aromas. They can have the aroma of toasted bread, the aroma of fruit, or the aroma of honey.
- Robusta coffee has a lighter aroma than Arabica. Robusta coffee has a slightly harsh aroma. Its aroma is described as very similar to oatmeal. With unroasted Robusta coffee, you will see a nutty aroma. Roasted Robusta coffee will have a faint aroma.
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Use in preparation
Arabica coffee is a very popular for Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte
- Arabica coffee is a very popular coffee with typical drinks such as Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte because the high quality of Arabica coffee makes for a good cup of coffee.
Robusta coffee is often used in instant coffee
- Robusta coffee is often used in instant coffee due to its low price. In an instant coffee sachet, all elements such as coffee, sugar, milk, flavoring are included to meet the needs of most drinkers, so the original coffee taste is no longer retained and the aroma also is dominated by other flavors. Therefore, many manufacturers have replaced Arabica coffee with Robusta coffee to reduce production costs.
How to choose the right coffee for your taste
People who love the bitter taste of coffee can choose Robusta. People who want to enjoy a cup of coffee with many different tastes can choose to drink Arabica. People who have a sweet tooth or are drunk on coffee, they can choose to drink milk coffee or instant coffee.
Choose the right coffee for your taste
However, the low lipid content in Robusta contributes to a thicker and smoother crema in Espresso. Therefore, many people have combined these two types of coffee to create the most wonderful cup of coffee according to some rules as follows:
- The ratio of Arabica: Robusta = 70:30, coffee will have a balanced, mild bitterness taste, and a sour aftertaste.
- The ratio of Arabica: Robusta = 30:70, coffee will have a medium bitter and mild sour taste.
- The ratio of Arabica: Robusta = 80:20, coffee will have a sour and mildly bitter taste.
More detailed information about Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
The detailed information about Arabica and Robusta coffee will help you understand the development trend of coffee in the world and be able to make your own decisions for your drink.
Production of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
Global coffee production in recent years has increased continuously to meet the coffee demand of people around the world. Total coffee production in the coffee year 2020-2021 is predicted to be 169.64 million bags, a slight increase of 0.4% compared to the coffee year 2019-2020, although Asia is heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In which, Arabica and Robusta production is foreseen to increase 2.3% and decrease 2.1% respectively.
Production of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
However, worldwide coffee production is forecasted to decrease significantly in the next coffee year 2021-2022 due to frost last July in Brazil, the world coffee price is in danger of continuously escalating.
Consumption of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
During the Covid 19 pandemic, the demand for these two types of coffee decreased slightly. However, in the future, the demand for coffee will continue to increase due to the policy of vaccination and reopening of Europe – the world’s leading coffee consuming market.
Consumption of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
70% of coffee drinkers worldwide are keen on Arabica coffee, while the remaining 30% prefer to use Robusta coffee. This leads to great pressure on the supply of Arabica coffee to major coffee exporters such as Brazil. When the supply decreases, the demand increases, the price will significantly rocket.
70% of coffee addicts choose Arabica coffee
Growing areas of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
Coffee is a perennial crop that requires extremely harsh weather, climate, and land conditions. Therefore, only a few regions of the world are eligible to grow large quantities and export.
The majority of Arabica coffee is concentrated in Brazil, helping Brazil become the country with the highest coffee production in the world, maintained for more than 150 years.
In contrast, Vietnam is the leading country in growing and exporting Robusta coffee.
Growing areas of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee
Besides, other countries with strong competitive advantages in coffee such as Colombia and Indonesia are also constantly improving coffee productivity to meet the increasing demand for coffee in the world.
Top famous Arabica and Robusta coffee suppliers
The top 3 coffee suppliers below are preferred by many coffee connoisseurs.
K-Agriculture – Vietnamese coffee beans suppliers
K-Agriculture Factory
K-Agriculture is one of the best agricultural factories in Vietnam supplying Arabica and Robusta coffee beans to the international market. With a 25-year history of delivering Vietnamese agricultural products to the world, K-Agriculture supplies a big amount of high-quality coffee beans with high value to many coffee importing countries.
Contact information:
Email: info@k-agriculture.com
Website: https://k-agriculture.com/
Whatsapp: +84855 555 837 (Ms. Sarah)
Ga Food – Brazilian coffee beans suppliers
The Brazilian coffee provider is well-known for its plentiful supply of high-quality Arabica coffee with a medium roast, which is a popular choice among consumers.
Despite the fact that this company has only been in business since 2016, it has gotten numerous orders and has a reputation for supplying coffee over the world.
Hacienda Flandes – Colombian coffee beans suppliers
In the Ande Mountains of Colombia, Hacienda Flandes is a large and ancient coffee farm.
Hacienda Flandes has a long history and extensive experience in coffee production through more than a century of development and has recently opened to the international roasted Arabica coffee trade.
