Coffee is a cherry fruit that grows on a large shrub. In order to be grown, coffee trees need certain weather conditions which are perfect in the tropical climate. Coffee shrubs are grown in the countries along the so-called coffee belt (either side of the equator.) Each country region makes coffee with unique characteristics and there are just a few countries that produce coffee on an industrial scale.
Coffee fruit is grown in Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Peru. Brazil produces about 3,000,000,000 kilograms of coffee beans each year which makes this country the greatest producer.
There are 4 types of coffee beans – Arabica, Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa. The last two types are not well-known and they are not grown on a big scale.
Arabica is the most popular coffee bean type and it reaches 60% of all coffee production. There are 102 varieties of Arabica coffee and just 2 species of Robusta coffee.
Arabica coffee beans are typically grown in places with higher altitude such as Costa Rica or Colombia Or Kenya, Brazil. Robusta coffee beans are grown in places with lower altitude and they level of caffeine in them is quite high which is why they are less popular. They are also bitter in taste and the beans are softer compared to arabica coffee beans and is preferred by those who like strong coffee.
The taste in your coffee will entirely depend on the coffee beans you use and how finely or coarse you ground them.
If you prefer crisp acidity, bright flavours and high caffeine content, you would like light roast. Medium roast would suit lovers of moderate acidity, balanced flavours and slightly sweet taste. Dark roast determines low acidity, bitter, smoky taste and the least caffeine content.
Coffee origin greatly influence the coffee flavour. Ethiopian coffee beans have flavour of black berries, vanilla and lemon grass. Mushrooms, cloves, cinnamon, raspberries and dried apricots are typical for Indonesian coffee beans. Colombian coffee beans possess chocolate, citrus, nuts and caramel flavours.
