"100% Arabica" is printed on more coffee bags than any other claim, usually right under the roaster's logo. It names one of two species that grow nearly all the coffee in the world. The other is robusta.
Two species grow nearly all the world's coffee
Arabica (Coffea arabica) and robusta (Coffea canephora) split the world's production. The International Coffee Organization estimated 102.2 million bags of arabica and 75.8 million of canephora for 2023/24, about 57 percent and 43 percent. Robusta and conilon are both canephora, and Vietnam is the largest robusta producer.
Arabica grows high and ripens slowly
Arabica is typically grown at higher elevations than robusta. Cooler temperatures slow the ripening of the cherry, which gives it more time to build flavor. The plant is fragile and self-pollinating, and its beans carry less caffeine than robusta.
Well-grown arabica is often floral, fruity and sweet, and acidity gives those cups their lively, juicy lift. That range of flavors is why specialty coffee is built around arabica.
Robusta is hardy, high in caffeine, and graded on its own scale
Robusta grows at lower elevations and resists pests and disease better than arabica. It carries roughly double the caffeine of arabica. The flavor runs more bitter and full-bodied, and it goes into espresso blends and instant coffee.
Since 2019, the Coffee Quality Institute has published Fine Robusta standards, which score robusta against other robusta. A lot that scores 80 points or more counts as Fine.
A species holds many varieties
A species is a type of plant. A variety is a named plant inside it, the way Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are grapes inside one wine species. Gesha, Typica, Bourbon and Caturra are all arabica.
A variety sets a plant's potential and leaves the flavor open. Farm, altitude, process and roast all shape what ends up in the cup.
The arabica family tree
Most modern arabica traces back to a small gene pool that left Ethiopia for Yemen. Two family lines came out of it, Typica and Bourbon. Caturra is a natural Bourbon mutation found in Brazil. Mundo Novo crosses Typica with Bourbon, and Catuaí crosses Mundo Novo with Caturra. Gesha took a separate route. It was collected in Ethiopian forests in the 1930s and sent through Tanzania and Costa Rica to Panama.
Where robusta enters the arabica tree
On the island of Timor in the 1920s, arabica and robusta crossed on their own. The offspring, called the Timor Hybrid, carried robusta's resistance to coffee leaf rust. In 1967, breeders in Portugal crossed it with compact Caturra, and the family they made is called Catimor.
Costa Rica 95 is one Catimor line. Rust keeps evolving, and scientists have confirmed Costa Rica 95 susceptible in Costa Rica, so resistance can fade.
Where specialty draws its line
Specialty arabica starts at 80 points on the Specialty Coffee Association's 100-point scale. Fine Robusta starts at 80 on the Coffee Quality Institute's separate robusta protocol, which exists so robusta gets judged against other robusta.
Arabica and robusta side by side
| Arabica | Robusta | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | Typically higher | Typically lower |
| Pollination | Self-pollinating | Cross-pollinated |
| Caffeine | Lower | Roughly double arabica |
| Disease | More vulnerable | More resistant |
| Typical flavor | Floral, fruity and sweet | Bitter and full-bodied |
| Roasted bean, often | Oval with a curved crease | Rounder with a straight crease |
| Share of 2023/24 production (ICO estimate) | About 57 percent | About 43 percent |
FAQ
Is arabica better than robusta?
Arabica tends toward floral, fruity, sweet cups, and the 80-point specialty label applies to it. Robusta brings body and bitterness, and its best lots now earn a Fine label on their own scale. Pick the species by the cup you want.
Which has more caffeine?
Robusta, at roughly double the caffeine of arabica.
Is robusta bad coffee?
Robusta goes into espresso blends and instant coffee, and its quality varies. In a 2024 study of robusta cultivars, cupping scores ran from about 76 to about 85, so a well-grown, well-processed lot can cup well.
Keep exploring
This guide opens our Coffee Varieties series. Read on with Gesha, Typica and Bourbon. Caturra, Mundo Novo, Catuaí and Costa Rica 95 are coming next. To see how origin shapes flavor, read A Coffee Lover's Guide to the World's Major Growing Regions. If you want to find out which flavors suit you, the Taste Discovery Quiz is free: start.brewspecialty.coffee
Sources: International Coffee Organization, Coffee Report and Outlook, December 2023 (via Daily Coffee News); Stoffelen et al., “Sensory profiles of Robusta,” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2024, citing Coffee Quality Institute Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols, 2019; World Coffee Research variety catalog.
