Creating a coffee blend is a delicate job that requires great skills.

Let us clarify this by starting with the difference between arabica and robusta.

The differences between the two species are varied, starting with where they are grown and their genetics, and ending with their taste. Arabica, which accounts for about 70% of the coffee produced worldwide, is grown almost exclusively in the following areas:

• South America,
• Central America,
• Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, etc.

Arabica grows best at very high altitudes, between 600 and 2,000 metres above sea level, requires rainfall and prefers mineral-rich soils, preferably of volcanic origin. Its beans are elongated. It has a much lower caffeine content than the other variety.

Robusta, so called because it is particularly resistant to insects, is instead usually produced in western Africa (Cameroon, Ivory Coast) and the Far East (Vietnam and Indonesia). It grows in areas with lower altitudes and high humidity. The grains of this plant are rounded in shape and have an almost straight groove.

There is little or nothing in common between the two plants and crosses of the two species generate sterile hybrids. Furthermore, as caffeine has the function of a natural ‘insecticide’ and protects the plant from disease, Arabica is more ‘cagicidal’ than Robusta.

Arabica, in addition to containing less caffeine, has a sweeter base taste and higher acidity. Robusta, on the other hand, due to the higher presence of caffeine is a fuller-bodied and slightly more bitter drink.