Coffee beans are like grapes to make wine of. They differ from each other depending on where they grow and what climate they are subjected to, etc. Quality beans are inevitably going to be more expensive because it’s not possible to grow them just about anywhere and under whatever climate; that creates some sort of a scarcity if you will.
Then there are beans which are not as ‘picky’ about where they grow and the conditions; although not as easy going as a producer would hope either. Of course, the latter bean type is going to be cheaper but as everything else in life that is effortlessly attainable, it will lack in taste and quality department.
If you’re after quality go with Arabica beans. Arabica beans grow on higher altitudes over 800 meters high and they don’t need as much rain as the other beans. The temperature needed for Arabica beans would be between 15-25 ºC. Arabicas cherries are harvested by hand-picking because that’s the only way to ensure that only the ripe cherries are picked. It’s a slow process but that’s one of the ways to maintain its quality and the higher prices sort of make up for the time and effort spent.
Unless you are a coffee enthusiast with an excruciatingly sensitive palate Robusta beans may not be that awful for you. Robustas can survive between sea level and 800 meters high places. They like rain and heat; somewhere between 25-30 ºC. They can survive in harsh conditions. The picking methods are not as precise as the ones used to pick Arabicas. Usually machines are used to strip the coffee plant branches off of its cherries all at once which makes it very difficult to separate the ripe ones from the not so ripe ones of course.
What happens is that coffee producing companies mix Arabica and Robusta beans to create more affordable blends of their own, that would probably end up in diners and cafés that don’t charge you for extra cups, who knows? Plain Arabica coffee is far more superior without a doubt but at the end of the day, it’s a taste matter and the choice is yours.
