The Art of Coffee Story in Aceh

in coffee •  7 years ago  (edited)

OK Guys… my trip story began with a long story and journey about my coffee hunting in Banda Aceh. At this time, I’d rather exhausted when finally reached because my dream comes true. In Aceh, there are two kinds of coffee, including Arabica and Robusta coffee. Both of them are very famous things because it’s generally derived from some district in Aceh provinces. For Arabica, it can be found in Gayo Highland, Aceh Central, Gayo Lues and Bener Meriah district. Then for Robusta, it can be found in Pidie district, especially in Tangse and Geumpang region.

“Kalau kopi Arabica bentuknya agak besar dan daunnya agak berwarna hijau, oval dan tingginya bisa tujuh meter. Tapi kalau ditanam biasanya hanya berjarak 2 atau 3 meter saja (Arabica coffee is rather large and dark green, oval leaves, trees reaching seven meters high. But in coffee plantations, its kept to range of 2 or 3 meters),” said Yusrin Winpuger, a coffee farmer from Bener Meriah.

Yusrin said that Arabica coffee began produced about three years from first plantation. It’s normally branched grow from the steam with a length of about 15 centimeters. Then the younger leaves above color caused by sunlight while darker underneath.

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(Latte Art, a famous Arabica Gayo)

Moreover, in Wikipedia, Robusta coffee is coffee made from the Coffea canephora plant, a sturdy species of coffee bean with low acidity and high bitterness. C. canephora beans (widely known by the synonym Coffea robusta) are used primarily in instant coffee, espresso, and as a filler in ground coffee blends.

Robusta has its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa.[1] It is easy to care for, has a greater crop yield, has almost double the amount of caffeine and more antioxidants, and is less susceptible to disease than arabica coffea. It represents approximately 40% of global coffee production, with arabica constituting the balance.

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(Kopi Tangse, a special robusta coffee from Tangse region, Pidie district)

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(Robusta coffee trees which can be found in Tangse region, Pidie district)

Then, here’s a list featuring 10 differences between the two coffee species:

  1. The most commonly know is the taste. Robusta often described as burnt tires or rubbery.

  2. One reason that the taste isn't as good for Robusta is that it has more caffeine compared to Arabica. Which may sound like a
    positive thing but caffeine carries a bitter taste which makes it an unpleasant drink. In fact the Robusta bean has 2.7%
    caffeine content, almost double the 1.5% of Arabica.

  3. Lipid & Sugar content: As mentioned here, Arabica contains almost 60% more lipids and almost twice the concentration of
    sugar than Robusta. This factor also probably has a big impact on why we prefer the taste of Arabica.

  4. From a price perspective, green beans of Robusta is about half the price of Arabica green beans on the commodity
    market. (Robusta vs. Arabica)

  5. Robusta is easier to tend to on the farm, has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects - the extra caffeine is a
    chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic to bugs.

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