In Vietnam, the two most common types of coffee are Arabica and Robusta coffee. However, not everyone knows how to distinguish these two types of coffee. So let us show you how to compare arabica and robusta coffee to find out the differences.
1. Robusta coffee
Robusta coffee has a form of trees, shrubs. They often have height up to 10m. When they ripen, they have a circle and their seeds are smaller than those of Arabica coffee. Robusta coffee plants can be harvested from 3 to 4 years old. The tree will give seeds in 20-30 years.
Robusta coffee is preferred to live in the tropics, the height suitable for planting is less than 1000 m. The most suitable temperature is about 24-29 ° C and rainfall is over 1000 mm. Robusta coffee needs more sunlight than arabica coffee.
2. Arabica coffee
Arabica coffee is also known as coffee tree in Vietnam. This tree has small leaves. Its the height is not very large and it looks like tea plants in Vietnam, so they are called coffee trees.
Arabica is a tree of high economic value among coffees. They account for 75% of world coffee production. However in Vietnam, Robusta is the most popular type of coffee. Arabica coffee plants usually have a modest height of about 2 – 6m, not as high as Robusta coffee. Arabica coffee has oval fruit.
3. Comparison of Robusta and Arabica coffee
a. Smell
Robusta is a popular coffee in Vietnam. It tastes very bold and quite suitable for the taste of Vietnamese people. Robusta has a characteristic bitter taste and it is also a strong point of Robusta. Having unique bitter taste, but Robusta does not have the rich and passionate aroma like Arabica.
Arabica has a strong aroma and a mild bitter taste, not as bold as Robusta. If Robusta has a strong bitter taste, Arabica only has a mild bitter taste and a little sour taste.
Robusta coffee and Arabica coffee
b. Caffeine content
The caffeine content in Arabica is also quite low, only about 1.5% while that of Robusta is 2.7%. The high caffeine content is also one of the reasons for Robusta’s strong bitterness.
Arabica has up to 60% lipid and contains almost twice the amount of sugar in Robusta. This gives Arabica a gentle bitter taste and a passionate scent, not as strong as Robusta.
c. Shape of coffee beans
Beans of Arabica coffee are oval, slightly long, in the middle of the grain there is a zigzag pattern. Robusta has a circle and seeds are smaller, in the middle there is a straight and quite deep groove compared to Arabica. In terms of color, if roasting two types of coffee at the same temperature, the color of Arabica will certainly be lighter than that of Robusta.
Whatever difference between Arabica and Robusta, they are also the best coffee product in Vietnam.
