Saturday, March 21, 2009

Coffee Tip #1: Arabica vs. Robusta

Which coffee is better and why? We only roast Arabica beans at Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company. These beans are indigenous to the highlands of Ethiopia and have traveled around the world, able to thrive at high altitudes. Arabica starts to produce fruit after five years and remains productive from 15 to 30 years.
Robusta thrives at lower altitudes and in warmer tempertures than Arabica. It begins to produce fruit after only two years and are more disease resistant than Arabica. Robusta also produces more but less flavorful coffee beans. It is often used to create commercial blends that make both instant and decaf coffee. Robusta beans are less expensive and are used when flavor distinctions are not important-instant coffee and commercially sold blends. These were first introduced by the Japanese chemist-Sartori Kato-who developed soluble coffee at the Pan-American Exposition of 1901. Instant coffee later became successful G. Washington Refined Coffee and later by companies such as Maxwell House who began to freeze dry coffee in 1964.

All About Coffee Knowledge; Evelyn Sinclair

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