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Top 10 Differences between Arabica and Robusta Coffee

Coffee – A Liquid Hug to Your Mind

Are you a crazy coffee lover like me?

Can you also drink coffee in any type of weather, be it summers or winter? Day or night? Cold or Hot Coffee?

Then you are reading the best article of your life.

Because I am going to tell you about two of my favorite types of coffee; Arabica and Robusta Coffee. I will tell you the difference between the two and will also let you know which one is my most favorite.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that I mostly stay at home so I had no clue that which coffee maker will be best for home use. So for that my go-to place was Pick & Brew.

So first let me tell you a bit more about Pick & Brew and then I will get into the difference between Arabica and Robusta Coffee.

Pick & Brew

Pick & Brew is a company that helps you picks the best coffee products; be it coffee beans, coffee makers or bean grinders and even they tell you about how you can blend different coffees. Pick & Brew wants people to become expert in home-brewed coffee. The Pick & Brew website was so helpful for my selection of coffee maker. I just checked the best reviews of coffee machines and made my purchase.

Pick & Brew also suggests you different coffee products that are available on Amazon.

 

Now let’s jump into the top 10 differences between Arabica and Robusta Coffee.

The 10 differences are based on the following aspects:

1.   Shape

Robusta beans are smaller, rounder, straw colored and have a middle straight cut. Whereas, Arabica beans are bigger, oval shaped, dark green colored and have a middle curved cut.

2.   Origins

Robusta beans are grown mainly in Africa, Southeast Asia (Vietnam is the largest producer), India and Indonesia. Arabica beans are produced in East and Central Africa, Latin America (Brazil is the largest producer), India and Indonesia.

3.   Taste

Robusta has grainy texture and strong bitter nutty taste like cappuccinos. On the other hand, Arabica has smooth texture, sweeter and fruity taste.

4.   Growing conditions

The coffee beans are basically grown on shrub-like plant which grows red fruits called Coffee cherries. And its seed is basically the coffee beans. Robusta cherries are easier to grow. They are grown at 0–800 meters above sea levels altitude and require temperature of 18–36 Celsius with 2200–3000 mm of rainfall. Whereas, Arabica plants are grown at higher altitude of 600–2200 meters above sea levels. Arabica cherries require lower temperature, i.e. 15–24 Celsius to grow and needs at least 1200–2200 mm of rainfall.

Also, Arabica cherries are more vulnerable to pests and diseases as compared to Robusta. With easier growth conditions, Robusta produce fruit much more quickly and produce more crops per tree (i.e. 2300–4000 kg beans) than Arabica (1500–3000 kg beans).

5.   Price

In price perspective, Arabica costs twice as much as Robusta because it is difficult to grow and harvest. Also it has very high demand worldwide.

6.   Caffeine Content

Robusta beans have around 2.7% caffeine content as compared to 1.5% caffeine content in Arabica beans. Robusta is preferred by those who love to have an energetic boost of caffeine in the morning.

7.   Antioxidants/Sugar/Lipid/Oils Content

As you know coffee contains healthy oxidants, Robusta wins the race in this matter. It contains 7–10% Chlorogenic acid (CGA) as compared to Arabica which contains 5.5–8%.

The Lipid (fat) content of Arabica and Robusta beans are 15–17% and 10.5–11%, respectively.

Robusta coffee beans contain 3–7% of sucrose which makes it less sweet than Arabica, i.e. 6–9% of sucrose.

Arabica has a lot more oil in its beans and because of that you get the shiny bubbles when you brew your coffee.

8.   Plant Height

Robusta plants grow between 4.5–6 meters and are a lot taller than Arabica plants which grows up to 2.5–4 meters.

9.   Used for

Arabica beans are expensive and are therefore used for high-end coffee, whereas, Robusta is used as cheap, soluble and instant coffee. With its high caffeine content it is used in small proportions to espresso blends.

10.    Cultivation

Robusta beans account for 25% of the world’s coffee production as compared to Arabica, which accounts for 75% of the world’s coffee production but it is still expensive because of growth conditions.

So, these were the 10 differences between Arabica and Robusta Coffee. My personal favorite is Robusta Coffee because it is instant coffee and gives you a quick caffeine-fix.

Now, I hope you have a clear stance on which one you will try first or maybe you can have both and let me know in the comments which one you liked better.

Zipmeme

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