Why drink stale coffee? (Part 7 Varietals)

in coffee •  8 years ago  (edited)

To round off the series on coffee, I will talk about coffee varietals and origin.



Coffee has probably been around since the 9th century.

There is the popular legend of Kaldi - a goat shepherd observing his goats dancing and exhibiting strangely perky behavior after eating the plant.



Other tales talk about observing birds behaving with unusual vitality after eating the “Bunn” – the Ethiopian name for a coffee cherry.




The Ethiopians figured, hey, why let the animals have all the fun, and coffee similar to what we enjoy now was born.



The most widely cultivated species of the coffee plant are called Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica – sweeter, more acidity, most common, oval shape

Robusta – bitter, double the amount of caffeine, much easier to grow, cheaper, rounder shape



There are many varietals of Arabica. The most common being Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, and Caturra but also including:

Catimor, Colombia, Ethiopian Heirloom, Gesha, Jember, Pacamara, SL28, SL34, Tekisic, Villa Sarchi, Villalobos, Pache comum, Pache colis, Kent, Mundo Novo, Maragogype, Amarello, Blue Mountain, Ethiopian Harar, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Hawaiian Kona.



If you’ve ever tried an Ethiopian bean lightly roasted to preserve the sugars and brightness, you may have experienced tastes that can be characterized as blueberry, apricot, burgundy wine, or citrus. More akin to a tea than the carbon black pitch brew served at your local Starbucks.



When coffee is made from one varietal, it is referred to as Single Origin.

Although you can enjoy coffee or even espresso as a Single Origin, varietals are often blended to achieve various characteristics such as sweetness, body, acidity, creaminess, mouthfeel, brightness, or fruitiness. In espresso blends, robusta is often added in small quantities to give it that extra bite and crema.



Whether blended for purposes of espresso shots, pour over, or espresso milk drinks, coffee artisans often closely guard the recipes for their proprietary commercial blends, like the recipe for Coca Cola!


Part 1: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-1

Part 2: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-2-roasting

Part 3: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-3-grinding

Part 4: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-4-brewing

Part 5: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-5-water

Part 6: https://steemit.com/coffee/@justinlaak/why-drink-stale-coffee-part-6-espresso  


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What a fantastic series you put together. I certainly learned a lot and very much appreciate the coffee much more than previously!

Thanks stoner19! My interest in coffee started when I traveled abroad and tasted fantastic coffee for the first time. My reaction was, "WTF is this delicious concoction and what have they been giving me my entire life?"

It is surprising how many people drink coffee without realising the background of it, to them it's just bought at the nearest Starbucks (needless plug). In fact it has an amazing background that is interwoven into human history

  ·  8 years ago (edited)

If I remember right, few years ago I was at a coffee festival and I think I like the Arabicas mostly, although found some mixes good aswell. Once again a great lesson about coffee!

You mean the coffee posts are over!

Have you got plans for a new series?

Just few statements, unfortunately:

  • commercial coffee are everywhere
  • robusta added to many blends which make them to heavy and too invigorating for organism
  • commercial coffee often comes roasted, while after roasting, it should be consumed within a limited time (e.g. 'Italian coffee')

So the things are better, when:

  • coffee roasted in country of consuming
  • coffee is ground right before cooking
  • pure Arabica

P.S. When you get good coffee, sugar isn't needed, because it have taste instead of just be bitter. Single Origin very good for pour over, chemex or kalita.

I am no good at tasting what's in the coffee is my husband who's the coffee freak in my house, he has to smell all the bags on the shelf before choosing the one he likes

Now i have to go out and make a cup of coffee... Wonder if it is Robusta or Arabica... hmmmm :) Thanks for this interesting article about my favourite hot beverage.

Best coffee I've ever had was Dominican, I believe it was Catuai. Quite expensive stuff though, something like $80/pound. Now I want to try this Ethiopian you mentioned!

I appreciate the work you've put into this series! It's been a very interesting read. Pour me another cup!

Hi @justinlaak, i really love to read your post, we have a small coffe farm in Venezuela and we have planted 4 varietals Bourbon,Catuai, Caturra and Colombia.

You inspired me to get my third cup of the day! Upvote commencing!