Welcome to the second edition of “For The Love of Coffee”, a new Vienna Coffee staff-only weekly blog about all things coffee! For those of you who may have missed the first blog and would like to read it, you can find it here.
In today’s blog, I would like to spend just a few minutes talking about a product that has changed the world, given rise to empires, created entire industries, and generated its own unique cultural impact all over the globe: the humble coffee bean.
The term “Coffee Bean” is a bit of a misnomer. What we refer to as coffee beans are really the seeds of a cherry-like fruit that grows in tropical climates around the world in an area around the equator often referred to as the “Bean Belt”. It is in this narrow belt that all of the coffee production in the world is grown. Coffee bushes can only grow in warm, tropical climates and the best coffees require higher elevations to develop the unique cup characteristics required of high-end specialty coffee.
The official botanical name of the plant which produces the coffee we consume each day is “Coffea Rubiaceae”. There are two main species of coffee this plant produces that are grown commercially - Arabica and Robusta. In general, Arabica coffee is far superior in taste and quality to Robusta coffee, however, there are some Robustas that are of high quality, and some Arabicas that can be of low quality, so much of the question of quality comes down to the way the coffee is grown, harvested, processed and how it is roasted. Arabica coffee represents about 60% of all coffee production worldwide and is what we at Vienna Coffee purchase and roast here at our Maryville location. Arabica coffee is grown at higher elevations which are required for the fruit to develop more slowly and create a superior-tasting coffee. Arabica coffee is known for its complex character and quality, its lively acidity, and notes of fruit, chocolate, and nuts. Within these broad tasting categories lie hundreds of more subtle tasting notes. Arabica coffee is more difficult to grow, takes longer to develop, costs more in the marketplace, and is the only type of coffee we purchase here at Vienna Coffee (with the exception of a bag of Robusta here and there to add to a couple of our espresso blends because of Robusta’s crema-producing quality).
Difference between Arabica and Robusta
Starting from it’s discovery around 700AD the humble coffee plant has traversed the globe (a topic for a future blog post :) and become a cultural staple and a daily ritual for untold millions. Here at Vienna Coffee Company we carefully source and roast only the finest Arabica coffees from around the globe. We only purchase coffee that has a standard industry cupping score of 85 points or higher. A score of 85-90 points is considered “Excellent” by specialty coffee industry standards. You all play a vital role in crafting and serving this beautiful product to our customers each and every day. Vienna Coffee House has raised the bar for coffee standards in Maryville and beyond, and you all are the reason!
It’s a GREAT day for coffee!
~Matt~