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Discover Arabica coffee.
With its distinctive taste and aroma, and lower caffeine content, Arabica is regarded as the most elegant of coffees, by consumers to connoisseurs. Originating from Ethiopia, where coffee was first discovered, Arabica is the world’s most consumed coffee.
Elevated excellence.
Arabica beans are cultivated in mountainous areas of East Africa and Central Africa, India, Indonesia and throughout Latin America.
For premium growth, Arabica coffee beans demand higher elevations. A typical Arabica bean is grown between 600 metres to 2,000 metres, and are at premium quality when grown over 1,300 metres. Coffee beans grown over 1,200 metres are designated Strictly High Grown (SHG) coffee or Strictly Hard Bean (SHB). These higher elevations result in the beans developing slower and are more nutrient-dense. This enhances the complex flavours and increased acidity Arabica is known for.
Named Coffea Arabica by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, Arabica coffee trees have oval-shaped, dark green, leaves and oval fruit (the coffee cherry) that can take around 8 months to ripen. There are now hundreds of Arabica variants around the world.
Arabica trees are extremely sensitive to weather conditions, and rather susceptible to disease. In the late 1800s, a fungus called coffee rust destroyed a significant large percentage of Arabica trees, leading to a more resilient Arabica coffee bean. Now, the lifespan of an Arabica tree can exceed a remarkable 100 years.
In keeping with their sensitive nature, Arabica trees need a great deal of tender loving care, and the beans are usually hand-picked to ensure the coffee cherries containing the beans remain at optimal quality.
The harvesting of Arabica beans occurs as the cherries ripen throughout the tropical rain season, and the harvesting season can last between four and six months. Arabica beans are easily identified by their large, elongated, flat shape.
So, to the all important taste. Arabica coffee beans have a strong aroma and complex taste that is delicate and sweet, with tones of berries and sugar, and a pleasant fruit acidity and low caffeine content. Grown, nurtured and harvested at such exalted heights, there is no surprise Arabica is the world’s most-loved coffee.
