Arabica vs. Robusta
Lately, coffee has been making headlines from one side of the globe to the other.
The young adults of the Millennial and Gen Z generations have transformed the morning ritual into a cultural experience, as opposed to the old-school "black cup of Joe" your dad used to have before work in the mornings.
Purchasing habits have been diverted from corporate mega-chains to sole proprietors of small coffee shops as younger generations look toward supporting local and socially conscious endeavors.
Although many people may say that their interests include coffee, understanding the types of coffee beans and the journey they make to each cup is worth discovering.
The Arabica bean has a superior taste and can be curated into a wide variety of flavors while the Robusta bean has a harsher flavor and is often used in commodity coffee.
Just because the beans may look alike on the outside after being roasted, there are real contrasts between the two strains of beans. The Arabica's range of flavors makes it a great way to tailor multiple variations of the product to satisfy even the pickiest of coffee drinkers. It has a soft, sweet taste with notes of berries and sugar, and those levels can vary highly depending on how it is processed and roasted.
The Arabica plant has less caffeine than the Robusta, but this is actually a positive trait. Caffeine carries a bitter taste similar to burnt tires or rubber. The lower amount of caffeine is why Arabica beans have a lighter and sweeter taste than Robusta and why it is typically preferred by discerning coffee drinkers.
Arabica beans tend to be pricier as the plant takes longer to grow than Robusta, and in very specific conditions. You will always find Arabica displayed on supermarket shelves, but you won’t find it in instant or inexpensive coffee brand offerings.
Arabica is by far the predominant coffee plant being grown in Colombia and most of Latin America.
There is no contest between the two different beans for us: Arabica is the preferable and obvious choice when it comes to better coffee for you.
Atilano procures only high-quality Arabica coffee beans and we take care to give them a pleasant medium roast.
When a coffee bean is given a dark roast, its "bolder flavor" is usually hiding imperfections. Dark roast may be marketed as a coffee that is "stronger" with more caffeine, but in reality it is not.
Our signature blend is Latin Poetry: an easy-sipping, satisfying combination of flavors like dark chocolate, brown sugar, almond, and butterscotch that dedicated coffee drinkers will surely love discovering.
Try our lovely blend here to have a coffee experience like no other.