11/13/2019 Arabica Coffee History and Facts

Humanities › Issues

Arabica Coffee Enjoyed Today and for the

Past Few Millennia
Learn the origins and history of the gourmet bean

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kannika2013/Getty Images

by Pierre Tristam
Updated March 17, 2019

The Arabica coffee bean is the Adam or Eve of all coffees, in that is likely the first type of coffee
bean ever consumed. Arabica is by far the dominant bean used today, representing about 70
percent of global production.

History of the Bean

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11/13/2019 Arabica Coffee History and Facts

Its origins date back to about 1,000 BC in the highlands of the Kingdom of Kefa, which is
present-day Ethiopia. In Kefa, the Oromo tribe ate the bean, crushed it and mixed it with fat to
make spheres the size of ping-pong balls. The spheres were consumed for the same reason that
coffee is consumed today, as a stimulant.

The plant species Coffea Arabica got its name around the 7th century when the bean crossed
the Red Sea from Ethiopia to present-day Yemen and lower Arabia, hence the term "arabica."

The first written record of coffee made from roasted coffee beans comes from Arab scholars,
who wrote that it was useful in prolonging their working hours. The Arab innovation in Yemen
of making a brew from roasted beans spread first among the Egyptians and Turks, and later on,
found its way around the world.

Taste
Arabica is considered the merlot of coffee, it has a mild taste, and to coffee drinkers, it can be
described to have a sweetness, that is light and airy, like the mountains it comes from. Well-
known Italian coffee grower Ernesto Illy wrote in the June 2002 issue of Scientific American:
"Arabica is a medium-to low-wielding, rather delicate tree from five to six meters tall that requires a
temperate climate and considerable growing care. Commercially grown coffee bushes are pruned to
a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. Coffee made from arabica beans has an intense, intricate aroma that can
be reminiscent of flowers, fruit, honey, chocolate, caramel or toasted bread. Its caffeine content
never exceeds 1.5 percent by weight. Because of its superior quality and taste, arabica sells for a
higher price than its hardy, rougher cousin"

Growing Preferences
Arabica takes about seven years to mature fully. It grows best in higher altitudes but can be
grown as low as sea level. The plant can tolerate low temperatures, but not frost. Two to four
years after planting, the arabica plant produces small, white, highly fragrant flowers. The sweet
fragrance resembles the sweet smell of jasmine flowers.

After pruning, berries begin to appear. The berries are dark green like the leaves until they
begin to ripen, at first to yellow and then light red and finally darkening to a glossy, deep red. At
this point, they are called “cherry” and are ready for picking. The prize of the berries are the
beans inside, usually two per berry.

Gourmet Coffee

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Gourmet coffees are almost exclusively high-quality mild varieties of arabica coffee, and among
the best-known arabica coffee beans in the world. The gourmet growing regions include the
Jamaican Blue Mountains, Colombian Supremo, Tarrazú, Costa Rica, Guatemalan, Antigua and
Ethiopian Sidamo. Typically, espresso is made from a blend of arabica and robusta beans. The
robusta species of coffee of beans make up the 30 percent difference of global coffee bean
production.

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