Four varieties or types of coffee are best known in the world namely; Robusta, Arabica, Liberica, and Excelsa. Although both families of coffee, each variety has its own peculiarities. How to distinguish coffee is fairly easy that is by looking at the leaves, fruit, and stems of each varieties. Here is how to distinguish the types of coffee seen from the physical form of the tree:
Typical Robusta Coffee Feature
Characteristic of Robusta coffee can be known from its growth which shaped like an umbrella. Another feature of the leaves is thinner than Excelsa and the edges of leaves are jagged. White coffee flowers with 5 to 6 petals growing on branches. Robusta coffee fruit clustered and blood red when it is ripe.
Just like other varieties, Robusta coffee can produce four-year-old fruits. Robusta coffee that is well managed has high productivity. At least one hectare Robusta coffee field can produce about 1.2 tons per year of green coffee beans.
Despite having high productivity, some people assume that the quality of taste and aroma of Robusta coffee is less than Arabica coffee. The assessment is subjective, because each person has a different taste for coffee. It could be that people think that Robusta coffee is the best.Characteristic of Arabica Coffee
Arabica coffee varieties are generally smaller than Liberica and Robusta. Arabica coffee has opposite, horizontal and paired branches. The leaves are fragrant, solid green. The coffee beans are elliptical, green, and then turn red or yellow when cooked. The length of seed size ranges from 8.5 to 12.7 cm.
Arabica coffee can bear fruit after two years of planting. Generally, a well-managed one hectare plantation can produce 1 ton of coffee. Some people consider Arabica coffee as the best coffee variety because of its excellent flavor and aroma quality. However, this variety has a weakness that is very vulnerable to rust attack coffee leaves.Typical of Liberica Coffee
Liberica Coffee has various names. The English call Liberia coffee by the name of Baraco coffee. While the Filipinos call, Barako kapeng. And the Temanggung mentions Liberica coffee under the name Kopi Boriah.
The type of coffee Liberica produces the largest fruit in the appeal of Arabica and Robusta. Liberica coffee also has a very strong taste and color. The hallmark of Liberica is an upright tree with a straight rod. The leaves are thicker and the texture rough. The shape of the coffee fruit is round, grows clustered or sometimes grows independently.
The advantages of the Liberica variety are very resistant to drought. This variety can be fruitful after planting age reaches 4 to 5 years from planting. One hectare of land planted with Liberica can produce about 1,000 kg per year.Typical Features of Excelsa Coffee
This variety is similar to that of Liberica but has a distinctive feature in its finer, thinner and more rounded leaves. Young leaves are usually shiny with greenish yellow. The flower size is very large and white with 4 to 6 petals. The shape of a round fruit resembles an egg but small.
The fruit weights are usually heavier than Arabica but lighter than the Liberica. Like the Liberica age of planting until fruiting takes about 4 to 5 years. Plant productivity levels can produce 1,000 kg per hectare each year.