Arabica vs Robusta

Coffee grown in Brazil

Now, although there are dozens of different types of coffee bean varieties, the two main ones are Arabica and Robusta. We thought it'd be helpful to summarize some of the main differences between the two:

  

	Arabica	Robusta
Taste:	Sweet, Fruity	Grain-like, Nutty
Acidity:	More acidic	More bitter taste
Caffeine Content	0.8% - 1.5%	1.7% - 4.0%
Growing Altitude	Higher altitude	Lower Altitude
Yield per tree	~500g per year	~1kg per year
Susceptibility to Disease	High	Low

We often hear that Arabica is of higher quality than Robusta. Although the price might indicate that, from our experience, we believe it comes down to personal preference instead: 

a. Someone who needs his shot of caffeine might find that a pure Arabica blend does not have the "kick" he needs. 

b. Pure Robusta blends might be a bit too bitter for some.

Before looking at factors like the roast or origin of the beans, it is important to first decide whether Arabica or Robusta suits your tastes better.

The Six Fundamental Principles to a Good Cup of Coffee

Here's a fantastic article from The Atlantic on the fundamentals of a good cup of coffee that we thought deserved highlighting.

1. Buy good coffee beans: They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks. Plus, if you want to take part in the "third wave" coffee renaissance currently sweeping America, they should be a lighter roast so you can actually taste the flavors—the terroir—of the coffee. With darker roasts, you're missing out. We know it's a weird analogy, but a dark roast is just like taking a nice steak and charring it beyond recognition.


2. Grind your coffee just before brewing: Roasted coffee is very delicate and perishable. Coffee has many more flavor compounds than wine, but those compounds deteriorate quickly when exposed to oxygen. Grinding your coffee just before you brew it keeps those compounds intact, and it's the number one thing you can do to improve your coffee at home.


3. Store your coffee properly: Beans which you aren't using immediately should be kept in an airtight container and away from sunlight. A major point of debate in the coffee world is whether to freeze or not freeze your coffee. We fall somewhere in between. If it's going to be more than two weeks before brewing, we freeze our coffee. Otherwise, we avoid it.
   
   (edit: if there's going to be a lot of freezing, thawing and refreezing, we'd recommend not freezing at all. For a more in depth look, check out our article on storing your coffee beans properly.) 


4. Use the right proportion of coffee to water: A major error people make is not using enough coffee. We empathize—it almost seems wasteful to add that extra scoop. But the Golden Ratio we mentioned earlier really is a great starting point and the simplest way to get into that perfect zone.


5. Focus on technique: It's beyond the scope of this guide to go through step-by-step instructions for every method, but underlying all of them is the fact that brewing great coffee is about precision and consistency. Each brewing method has its own particular techniques, but by doing the same thing over and over you fix your mistakes and improve incrementally.


6. Use quality tools: You're going to get better results from high quality tools than you will with junk from the bargain bin. Yes, it's more of an upfront investment, but in the long run it's worth it. Good tools last longer and make the entire brewing process much easier.

What Affects the Price of Coffee at the Supermarket?

Ever wondered what goes into the price you pay for coffee at the supermarket? Here are some factors that affect the general price level you pay. There are of course, individual differences in the brands and their marketing that will affect their price, but that isn't the focus here. 

1. Price of Raw Coffee


The cost of the coffee beans to the roaster is an obvious factor affecting the price of coffee for the end-customer. Take a look at the NASDAQ coffee futures chart and you can see that there have been wild swings in the coffee price over the last three years. Weather conditions and crop yields are a major factor here. 

2. Shipping


It takes a lot of logistics and transportation to bring the coffee beans from the plantation to the roaster and from the roaster to the distributor and finally the store shelves. Shipping rates and oil prices are costs that are incrementally built on to the final product. Oil prices have come down significantly from above $100 per barrel to the ~ $40 range as of early 2015, yet shipping prices have not come down as much yet. We hope to see in the coming quarters a reduction in shipping charges.  

3. Shelf position

 
The price charged to list items on the shelf affects the margins of coffee distributors. To make up for this, distributors tend increase their prices. Bidding wars for in-demand shelf space can jack up the end price considerably. One alternative, is to buy your buy coffee online in Singapore. To take full advantage, identify free shipping opportunities as well.  

How to Store Your Coffee Beans

Here are some tips for storing your coffee beans in order to preserve the fresh-roast flavor. The key is to avoid (in order):

1. Air
2. Moisture
3. Heat
4. Light

Where should you store your beans? A cool, dry, dark place such as cabinet would be ideal. Avoid anywhere that gets the heat from the afternoon sun. Do avoid storing them in the freezer as the repeated freezing and thawing will introduce moisture and spoil the beans fast. Also, freezing breaks down some of the oils which diminish the flavor of the coffee.

What type of container to use? Air tight glass and ceramic containers are ideal.

The valve-sealed coffee packaging that our beans come in allow gases to escape from the packaging but does not allow any gases in. This allows us to package the coffee immediately after roasting without needing for it to be aged before being sealed.  

It is best to consume the coffee within 1 - 2 weeks from opening the valve sealed packaging. Do remember to grind your coffee when you're about to drink it. Ground coffee has a larger surface area, which results in them going bad faster.

Instant Coffee or Coffee Beans?

Do you prefer your coffee from fresh beans or instant coffee? As this interesting article from the Washington Post points out, whichever side you're on, you'll have plenty of company.

Coffee Type Preference