The best known varieties of Arabica are ‘Typica’ and ‘Bourbon’ but from these many different strains and cultivars have been developed, such as Caturra (Brazil, Colombia), Mundo Novo (Brazil), Tico (Central America), the dwarf San Ramon and the Jamaican Blue Mountain.

Arabica is genetically different from other coffee species, having four sets of chromosomes rather than two. The fruits are oval and mature in 7 to 9 months; they usually contain two flat coffee beans within–when only one bean develops it is called a Peaberry.

Arabica in contrast to the Robusta usually is grown at the higher mountainous elevations which are climatically, conversely different – stretching the coffee growing conditions to the other extreme. Rainfall is sparse, and the much cooler temperatures at these altitudes slow down growth, causing the beans to mature more gradually, evenly and develop more flavor essence. The soils in these rugged mountainous terrains tend to be thinner, and without rich soil there is meager nourishing support for the coffee trees. It is a hard environment for the coffee tree to contend with. In response to these conditions, the trees only produce a small annual yield averaging about one pound per tree every year.

Yet, the Arabica trees make each one of those beans count and are traditionally plump full of valuable coffee essence and flavor. Quality Arabica coffees, because of their low yield nature, tend not to be very abundant. As a result of the Arabica coffee scarcity and high level of care and attention required for their cultivation, makes these mostly high mountain grown coffees costlier than the commercially mass-produced Robusta. Forged from these extreme conditions is a flavor that is worth all the hard work. It is a flavor that is rich, deep bodied, well balanced, delicate, aromatic, and overall an excellent coffee.

Arabica coffee is grown throughout Latin America, in Central and East Africa, in India, Asia and to some extent in Indonesia.