How Many Types of Coffee Beans Are There?

There are many types of coffee beans, but these are the main (and most common) three – Liberica, Arabica and Robusta. Of which, Arabica (Coffea Arabica) is clearly the most important because it produces superior quality beans compared to the other two commercially grown species. Also known as “the coffee shrub of Arabia”, Arabic beans are native to Ethiopia. Liberica coffee beans are indigenous to Liberia, while Robusta originate from the Congo.

You can buy most of the types listed below as green unroasted coffee beans as well as fresh roasted coffee beans depending on your preference, and if you are able to roast them yourself.

The Best Known Types of Coffee Beans

Coffea Arabica

The most commonly used commercial bean is Coffea Arabica because it is by far the best quality bean. It also has less caffeine than Robusta Beans.

These are types of Arabica Beans:

· Kenya AA Coffee Beans – Kenya is one of the worlds biggest exporters, with ‘Kenya AA Coffee’ overwhelmingly topping the list of it’s finest brands. It is known be a quite acidic flavor.

· Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee – Indigenous to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, it is the worlds most expensive and desired roast and is loved for its silky smooth flavor.

· Ethiopian Harrar – Originating from the Harar region of Ethiopia.

· Columbian Mild – Recognized globally for its intense aromatic and distinctive taste, Columbian Mild has a high quality.

· Hawaiian Kona Coffee – From the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Kona blend is reputedly expensive and craved around the world for its excellence.

· Java – Java is the most common roast known around the world, which lent its name to a ‘cup of coffee’ in America.

· Sumatra Mandleling – Rich in flavor and rich in history, Sumatra Mandheling has a mild earthy full bodied taste, displaying a rich chocolate syrupy flavor. Originating from the Mandheling Province of West Sumatra, which is known worldwide for its gourmet coffees.

· Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee – As the name suggests, a eminently full-bodied and lively brew originating from Tanzania, grown on Mount Kilimanjaro Slopes, close to Kenya.

· Mocha – Harvested in Yemen, around the Arabian Peninsula, Mocha has the reputation amongst coffee connoisseurs to be the best in the world.

The Other Types of Popular Coffee Beans

Coffea Robusta

Its scientific name is Coffea Canephora, these beans are of inferior quality but its caffeine content is higher than Liberica or Arabica. But as the name suggests Robusta can withstand harsher climates than the other types and are less susceptible to disease.

Coffea Liberica

Liberian beans only account for a very small percentage of commercially grown beans and usually only enter locally grown markets. Coffea Liberica produce a finer quality bean when grown at low altitudes, below 2,000 feet but don’t usually enter the world market.

Storing Coffee to Keep it Fresh

The most important factors to consider for making sure your coffee stays fresher for longer are humidity (moisture) and air.

Storing Roasted Coffee Beans

Coffee beans must be stored in an air tight container to keep them fresh. If you intend to keep for a long period, then you can freeze them in the air tight container.

Please read the paragraph in my article for storing coffee beans in a freezer on my article titled How long should coffee beans be stored?

Storing Green Coffee Beans

Unlike their roasted cousins, green beans need to breathe when stored. So store them in a paper bag or a jute bag – NOT plastic. And when stored properly, your green beans will stay fresh for 18 months, but no longer than 2 years.

Ground Coffee Beans

Once they are ground, roasted beans need to be used almost immediately as they lose freshness very quickly.

The Wet Method of Coffee Bean Processing

During picking, sticks, leaves, over ripe, unripe and bad cherries are found amongst the harvest. They are sorted and separated when passed through water where the unwanted products will float and the ripe fruit (seeds of the coffee plant) sink to the bottom. The unripe green berries are hard and cannot be pulped. Instead they pass through the coffee bean processing equipment, leaving the pulp (the outer layers of the berry) separated from the beans.

The ‘unproductive’ wet method is done by steeping the beans in coffee fermentation tanks for around a day, but this ferment and wash method but nowadays is usually done by machine.

The beans are then dried in the sun, where they are frequently turned allowing the air to better circulate around them allowing them so that they are evenly dried. Where space is limited, special machines are used for this procedure.

Once dry, a silver skin or husk is left around the bean which is easily removed in the hulling operation, before the market ready crop is shipped overseas.

The Dry Method of Coffee Bean Processing

This is the oldest method of bean processing and produces ‘naturals‘ or unwashed coffee. The whole cherry is laid out to dry in the sun for around 3 – 4 weeks and are turned frequently to ensure thorough drying and to prevent mildew build-up.

Before being dried, the beans are cleaned of soil, leaves, sticks, over-ripe and under-ripe berries.

If left to over-dry, the beans brake up when hulling, as they become brittle and are then classified as defective. And if not dried enough, they can fall victim to bacteria, mildew and even fungus again, rendering them defective. Although this process is not as effective as the wet method, because it is time and labour demanding, the natural coffees age better. The perfect beans are then ready for shipping and to be roasted.

So the best way to store coffee beans is in an airtight container. Other questions that many people ask are "Can I keep coffee beans in the freezer?" or "Should I place at room temperature"?

If you are keeping the them for a couple of months, you can keep the coffee beans in the freezer. They will remain fresh. If only for a few weeks, then place at room temperature but keep the beans in an airtight container.

So if you can store coffee beans in the freezer, can you store ground coffee in the same way? No, this is a common misconception. Keeping the ground beans in the fridge or the freezer is a really bad idea! Unlike beans, ground coffee, although it should be kept in an air tight container like most food and drink, if the cold gets to them, the flavor is drawn out.