Coffee 101: Different Types and Roasts of Coffee Beans

In our first "coffee 101" blog post you will learn about the different types of roasts and the two main types of coffee beans.

The history of coffee dates back to an Ethiopian legend; it was said to have been discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi. He noticed one day that his goats were so full of energy that they did not want to go to sleep at night after eating coffee beans. Kaldi tried the beans himself and was also full of energy, so he decided to share it with his friends; this is said to be the history of coffee. Coffee has come a long way since then and there are now many different types and roasts of coffee.

Robusta vs. Arabica

The two main types of coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans are the most popular and make up 60% of the world’s coffee production. It is also considered to be superior to Robusta beans because of its flavor and low acidity. Arabica beans are more pleasant because they contain almost double the amount of sugar compared to Robusta beans and half the caffeine level. Although a higher dose of caffeine may seem like a good thing, it makes the taste of Robusta beans unpleasantly bitter and acidic. Robusta beans are harder to find in stores, but they are often times in espressos because of their flavor. Robusta beans are also cheaper because they require less maintenance and can grow in lower altitudes with less moisture. Since they are cheaper, Robusta beans are usually found in instant coffees blended in with Arabica beans. However, Waka Coffee uses only Arabica beans because we care about the quality and taste of our instant coffee! You can read more about why our instant coffee is different here.

The different roasts - Light, medium, dark

There are three main roasts of coffee, and there are many blends that come from these three roasts. Light roasts contain the most caffeine because they are roasted at the lowest temperature of the three roasts. This roast is the most acidic among the three and the beans have no oil on the surface of it. Medium roast is the most popular in the United States, and it has a more balanced taste of the three roasts. This is also the roast that Waka Coffee’s coffee beans are roasted at before they are freeze dried. The dark roast has the least amount of caffeine which may surprise some because of its bitterness in taste. There is an oil on the surface of these beans, and it may be evident in a cup of brewed dark-roasted coffee. The different blends of coffee sold in stores are usually different mixtures of these roasts, which makes certain blends unique because they offer more depth in flavor.

We hope it helped you a bit more understanding the world of coffee. See you soon in our next "coffee 101" posts.

Try the best instant coffee here.