The coffee beans

From a botanical point of view, the coffee plant belongs to the genus Coffea in the Rubiaceae family, which includes around 500 genera and more than 6000 different species worldwide.

The two main species used are Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) and Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee), both of which originate from Africa. The species Coffea liberica and Coffea excelsa are also cultivated on a small scale.

The two main genera Arabica and Robusta are easy to tell apart from the outside. Arabica beans have a curved cut in the middle, while the somewhat smaller and rounder Robusta beans have a straight cut. The fact that Arabica beans have twice as many chromosomes (44) as Robusta beans is reflected in the greater variety of flavors of Arabica beans.