Did you know that there are more than 124 species of coffee in the world? We won’t list all 124 here, but we’ll talk about some types of coffee that you can find in Brazil.
Since in the global coffee trade, especially within the Brazilian market, we always hear more about arabica and robusta, our knowledge tends to be limited to those!
But no… there is much more to explore and discover, and that’s what Consciencia Cafe is here for!
Today your eyes will open to other possibilities in the coffee universe! Ready? Then let’s get reading!
To start, what types of coffee are we talking about?
When we talk about types of coffee, it seems quite broad — we could discuss types of beans, types of brewing, types of drinks, types of classification…
In short, today there are many variations of the plant and beverage around the world. However, our focus here will be on the beans, and then we’ll talk a little about the categories.
Discover 10 different types of coffee!
1. Geisha
A bean originating from southern Ethiopia that bears the name of its native city, but which adapted well to the high plateaus of Panama.
It became coveted by baristas for achieving a high score on the SCA scale — 94 points — and its beverage stands out for its sweetness, acidity, and floral aroma, with notes of jasmine, bergamot, and tropical fruits.
Its singular taste and the complexity of its bean make it a rare delicacy that is highly valued in the market.
2. Bourbon
It’s a variety of arabica, of French origin, and is considered one of the highest quality beans in the world.
It has a very complex flavor, with hazelnut notes, low acidity, and intense aroma.
It varies between Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon, the latter being sweeter, more distinctive, and easier to cultivate.
3. Acaia
Another variety of arabica coffee, which in turn is considered a rare coffee. It produces a smoother beverage, with fruity notes, balanced body, and medium acidity.
4. Catuai
Found only in Brazil, it’s a cross between the Mundo Novo and Caturra plants.
Catuai has a simpler cultivation process, and like Bourbon, it also varies between red and yellow fruits.
The red fruit tends to be more bitter, with a pronounced flavor.
While the yellow one has a more delicate taste, with notes of caramel and banana, smooth, with medium acidity.
5. Icatu
This is a hybrid of the Robusta plant with Red Bourbon, which resulted in a larger and more disease-resistant plant.
Its beverage is more full-bodied, with chocolate notes, medium acidity, and an almond aroma.
6. Catucai
This one is also a cross, but between Catuai and Icatu. It also has yellow and red beans.
It produces a naturally sweet beverage, with medium acidity, and citrus and fruity notes.
7. Mundo Novo
A bean that is the result of a natural cross between Sumatra and Red Bourbon coffee, originating from the city of Tiete in Sao Paulo state.
The beverage has medium body and acidity, intense aroma, and a sweet flavor.
8. Caturra
It’s likely a variety of Bourbon, but its plant is smaller in size. Caturra is also found in red and yellow types.
Its flavor is distinctive and strong; however, it’s a sweeter beverage with notes of hazelnut and chocolate.
9. Kona
It’s a typical Hawaiian coffee, recognized as one of the best coffees in the world and likewise, one of the most expensive. Its taste is fruity and velvety.
10. Robusta
Finally, we have robusta, of African origin, which comes from a very resistant plant and therefore is one of the most commercially traded.
It has double the caffeine of arabica, is more full-bodied, bitter, but has low acidity and a smooth texture.
Coffee categories
You’ve learned about some coffee bean variations. But another way to refer to coffee is by its categories, such as: specialty coffee, gourmet, traditional, and superior.
However, do you know the difference between them?
Well, in summary, ABIC created the Coffee Quality Program (PQC) which established a category for roasted and ground coffee.
This way, coffees are evaluated by their quality level with scores from 0 to 10, as follows:
- Traditional Coffee: coffee with scores equal to or above 4.5 and below 6.
- Superior Coffee: scores above 6 up to 7.2.
- Gourmet Coffee: scores above 7.3 up to 10.
Easy to understand, right?
But what about Specialty Coffee?
Specialty coffee is classified by another methodology from the Specialty Coffee Association - SCA, used worldwide.
According to this method, the quality scale goes from 0 to 100, and to be considered a specialty coffee, it needs to score more than 80 points on the scale.
You can understand better in this post below where we explain everything about specialty coffee:
Conclusion
So? Did you already know all these types of coffee? If you’ve tried them, which one do you enjoy the most? Tell us here!
And to stay up to date on the world of coffee, keep following our blog!
And here’s an invitation to come have a coffee here at Consciencia Cafe and discover some of these varieties!
Cover photo: Freepik