Twenty-five different varieties of coffee. Did you know?

Today's topic is inspired by International Coffee Day, which is celebrated every year on October 1st and which took place for the first time in 2011 in the United States. In addition to various events and events related to the world of coffee, this initiative has the aim of promoting coffee and raising consumer awareness of fair trade by supporting small coffee farmers.

This is a vital topic: consider that coffee is, together with crude oil, the most traded raw material in the world. Global consumption reaches approximately 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day!

Did you know that there are at least twenty-five varieties of coffee in the world?

Speaking of coffee, have you ever wondered how many varieties there are in the world? We have counted at least twenty-five of them. Amazing, right?

Before seeing them together, in alphabetical order, let's just give some brief general information.

The coffee plant is cultivated mainly in the countries straddling the equator: Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Sumatra, Honduras, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia.

Coffee has an exotic appeal, it tells of distant lands...

1. Arabica

Over 60% of the world's coffee is made using Arabica beans. The plants are grown at high altitude and receive the perfect amount of shade and rain to give flavor to the drink. Arabica plants are usually quite small and are generally easy to care for.

Arabica beans are bright and slightly acidic, and come in a number of varieties in both aroma and flavor, such as Bourbon, Blue Mountain, Typica, and Caturra.

Arabica coffee beans are always tastier when served hot plain, mainly because the flavor of the beans diminishes if the coffee cools or if it is topped with cream.

2. Bourbon

French monks developed the Bourbon variety from Arabica beans in the 18th century on the island of Bourbon (now La Réunion). The beans have a very fruity flavor with a sweet caramel undertone. Popular in the Americas and throughout Africa, Bourbon is the predecessor to many other types of coffee beans found on the market today.

3. Catimor

A hybrid cross between Timor and Caturra coffee beans, Catimor strains are found primarily in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and India. The trees produce quickly and have high yields.

4. Catuai

Developed in the 1950s and 60s in Brazil, the Catuai coffee bean has numerous variations and exhibits some of the best qualities of a good Brazilian coffee. The coffee is slightly acidic and has hints of sweetness.

5. Caturra

A mutant variety of the Bourbon coffee bean, the Caturra bean, was developed in Brazil in the 1930s. It later found its best habitat when planted in Colombia and the higher altitudes of Central America. These beans produce coffee with a bright citrus flavor and light body. It is also a predecessor of many other coffee bean varieties, including Maracatu and Catimor.

6. Excelsa

Grown primarily in Southeast Asia, the Excelsa coffee bean is completely different from other types of beans. It has a beautiful almond shape and is often used in blends to increase its flavour, lightly toasted to give fruity and slightly sour tones.

7. Geisha

Geisha is actually a misspelling of the area where the beans first originated – in the Gori Gesha forest in southwestern Ethiopia. The beans produce an exceptionally high quality coffee that features floral and sweet notes.

8. Icatu

The surprising part of Icatu beans is the range of flavors they can release: plum, chocolate and berry.

9. Jackson

Jackson coffee beans grow in Burundi and Rwanda and the flavor is similar to the Bourbon type of beans with a mild acidic flavor.

10. Blue Mountain

Definitely one of the most valuable and expensive beans in the world.

Of all the coffee grown in Jamaica it is the tastiest. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, introduced to the island in 1728, was one of the first cultivars brought to the New World. The coffee is slightly acidic, light and balanced in flavor. For those who have had the chance to taste it, it is a real delight for the senses.

11. Jember

The hybrid coffee bean originates from Indonesia. Jember coffee beans are full-bodied and rich, and their taste is like a combination of caramel, maple and brown sugar.

12. Kent

Developed in India in the 1920s, these beans have a very light flavor and both floral and spicy undertones.

13. Kona

Kona coffee beans trace their lineage to Guatemalan beans introduced to the Big Island of Hawaii in 1892. With a clean, balanced, and somewhat mild flavor, the beans come in many different varieties.

14. Liberica

Liberica beans are larger than other types of coffee beans and have an irregular shape. Their aroma is a combination of fruity and floral nuances.

15. Maracatu

A cross between Caturra and Maragogype coffee beans, Maracatu beans are very large and are grown in Central America at the highest altitudes. It is a very acidic and fruity type of coffee bean.

16. Maragogype

The Brazilian coffee bean grows to a very large size, which is one of the reasons they are sometimes called elephant coffee beans. Maragogype features a heavy, buttery flavor with hints of citrus and floral nuances.

17. Mocha

Coffee bean originates from Yemen and takes its name from the Rhea Sea (Mokha) port from where it was shipped around the world. Yemeni Arabic coffee is rightly famous for its notes of chocolate, cinnamon and cardamom.

18. New World

A Bourbon-Typica hybrid coffee bean that is very resistant to most diseases. Seeds from the parent plants were first combined in Mundo Novo, Brazil, in 1943.

19. Pacamara

Hybrid coffee beans originated in El Salvador in 1958. The coffee itself offers a perfect balance of floral and citrus flavors, along with a little acidity and a touch of sweetness.

20. Pacas

A mutation variety from El Salvador with a good balance between sweet and acidic and with spicy and floral nuances.

21. Pache

Guatemalan beans that give very consistent yields and a very smooth taste, perfect for shaken coffees.

22. Robust

If you're looking for coffee that pairs perfectly with cream and sugar and tastes good even when iced, then Robusta coffee beans are worth a try. They are the second most popular type of grain in the world and the plants are practically immune to any type of disease. Interestingly, the ability of high resistance to many diseases is due to the presence of a high percentage of caffeine - double the amount of caffeine in Arabica beans. The Robusta quality has a low level of acidity and a pleasant, smooth taste, with a hint of chocolate.

23. Ruiru

Wild Arabica bean developed in Kenya with a truly unique flavor reminiscent of Robusta coffee beans.

24. Villa Sarchi

Hybrid grain, first developed in Costa Rica. It has light acidity and a medium-bodied taste, as well as fruit nuances.

25. Villalobos

Cultivated in Costa Rica, Typica's natural mutation grows best at higher altitudes. It is a very acidic variety but capable of providing a very pleasant sweetness.

Do you want to prepare a good coffee? Then take a look at our selection by clicking here.

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