Our coffee is Arabica: what does that mean?
Coffea arabica is one of the main coffee species grown in the world and has great potential for high-quality profiles. Even so, saying a coffee is Arabica does not mean every coffee of this species is alike.
There are different varieties
Within the Arabica species there are many varieties, each with distinct agronomic and sensory characteristics. Two varieties planted on the same farm can behave very differently.
Place matters
Climate, soil, altitude, shade, nutrition and farm management all influence how the fruit develops. The same variety in two different areas does not give the same result.
The work after harvest counts too
Process, drying, storage, selection and roasting can change the final result considerably. A good bean badly processed is wasted; a sound one well handled is made the most of.
Arabica is not automatically a mark of quality
The species is only part of the story. Quality depends on the whole chain, from the plant to the way the drink is brewed.
When a label says "100% Arabica" it is saying something true and not very much. What matters is which variety, from where, how it was processed and how it was roasted.
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Growing, roasting and brewing, written by the people who do it on the farm. No offers, no noise.
