Coffee plantations are situated in three geographical areas:
America (70% of global production), Asia (20% of global
production), Africa (10% of global production).
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico,
El Salvador, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia are the most important
producers of ARABICA variety.
Ivory Coast, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (ex Zaire),
Madagascar, Uganda and Vietnam are the most important producers
of "Canephora" coffee, that is the ROBUSTA variety.
Weather conditions and the different elevation in which
plantations are set influence the quality of both ROBUSTA
and ARABICA, which have different features both in appearance
and scent.
The ARABICA coffee seed has a flat and long shape, whereas
the ROBUSTA one has a round and short body.
ARABICA seeds have got a caffeine content of about 0,9-1,7
% whereas ROBUSTA seeds have approximately 1,8-4,5 % of
caffeine.
In the cup, then, differences become clear:
ARABICA: sweet taste, intense scent, semi-bodied, light
hazel cream, thin bubbles. While tasting we can notice its
qualities: a certain acidity (that is the presence of citrusy
aroma), floral/fruity scents, notes of hazelnut, muesli
and spices.
ROBUSTA: bitter taste, poor scent, full-bodied, heavy dark
hazel cream, large bubbles. While tasting we can notice
its flaws: oakiness (that is an astringent aftertaste),
scents of mildew, wet jute, tobacco, moist ground, bitter
cocoa.
All those differences are due to the botanical characteristics
of coffee and also to the different methods of cultivation.
ARABICA is the finest kind of coffee, but also the most
delicate. The ideal terrain is the volcanic one, rich in
mineral salts; it is grown between 900 and 1200 metres high,
with a temperature between 15 and 25 Celsius degrees.
ROBUSTA can resist to adverse weather conditions ("Robusta",
in Italian, means "strong"), rapid temperature
changes, poor rains and diseases.
After roasting, the two kinds of coffee take similar features.
In drupe's cells there are, in the form of gases, all volatile
scents (about 600) which reveal themselves after grinding.
That's why coffee has unique scent and aroma.
