Robusta or Arabica?

Roasters and coffee brands, the best known and the artisanal ones such as Monti Caffè, produce coffee blends which are almost always the result of secret selections of different types of coffee, often Arabica and Robusta different together or only Arabica coffee and only Robusta coffee.
Coffee blends are always secret and often mention the respective percentages of Arabica and Robusta, but never clearly mention the variety of one or the other, which is very important.

Let's start by telling you about the obvious differences that are expressed during tasting and which result in the cup, and then explain the reasons that come from the product and its treatment.

If you like a coffee with a strong and rich taste, an intense and persistent aroma, full-bodied and with a "chocolate" taste, you are certainly a lover of Robusta coffee, or of a blend of coffees with a good percentage of Robusta.
Robusta coffee has caffeine between 1.7% and 3.5% depending on the variety.

Arabica coffee is aromatic and fragrant, it is more delicate and soft, almost sweet but at the same time a little acidic. If you prefer this type of coffee, you are a lover of Arabica coffee o with a good percentage of Arabica.
Arabica coffee has about half to one third the caffeine of Robusta, 0.8% to 1.5%.

Arabica and Robusta beans are easily distinguished. Those of Arabica are more elongated, oval, those of Robusta instead have a more rounded shape and have a more or less straight furrow.

The coffea Arabica species covers about 70% of world production, Robusta coffee about 28% and the remaining 2% is represented by the minor species of Liberica coffee and Excelsa coffee.

Arabica – It is the finest quality of coffee. It originates in the mountainous territory of Ethiopia and was first cultivated in today's Yemen. Arabica thrives in tropical areas between 900 and 2,200 meters above sea level, with temperatures no higher than 20° and with some shade. This species is more delicate than the Robusta variety; it does not tolerate drought or continuous rain, frost or strong winds. This plant thrives easily in Central and South America, but also on the eastern coast of Africa.
The fruit (the drupe) is generated from the white flowers, which will then turn red from green as it ripens.
Each bean usually contains two seeds or Arabica coffee beans with a greenish-yellow color.
Precisely because of their delicacy, Arabica coffee beans must be treated more delicately even during the roasting phase, with greater attention, with lower temperatures and precise times.

Robusta – It is the second most produced species of coffee in the world after Arabica. Discovered in the 18th century in the Congo, it owes its name to its particular resistance to diseases and parasites. It grows in Brazil, Africa and Southeast Asia.
This species is characterized by its adaptability, speed of growth and high tolerance to sudden changes in temperature, decidedly more marked qualities than Arabica.
The Robusta plant is grown in flat areas between 200 and 800 meters above sea level, also in sunny areas, and produces coffee beans with a bronze yellow colour.

What is the best?

Surely coffee must satisfy our senses, scent, taste, aroma... it must touch the palate to the tongue and remain in the mouth with the taste, but which one is more suitable for us is only a subjective choice.

It is not certain that it is the most expensive coffee, it is not certain that Arabica coffee is the most complex from a chemical point of view; perhaps we just prefer a well-matched blend between the different varieties of the two species.

The important thing is that it is good coffee, prepared in the right way.