Coffee varieties and prices: What’s the connection?

The relationship between coffee varieties and prices

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, with a variety of different varieties and flavors. From an economic perspective, the price of coffee is often related to its variety. Different coffee varieties have differences in growing environment, picking methods, processing technology, etc., all of which affect the quality and price of the final product.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica coffee is the most common and popular type of coffee. It usually has a high acidity and floral flavor, with a smooth and delicate taste. Arabica coffee needs to be cultivated at high altitudes and is carefully selected and processed to achieve ideal quality.

Arabica coffee is usually relatively expensive due to its high requirements for the growing environment and the need for more labor costs during the processing. Generally speaking, the price of high-quality Arabica single-origin beans or hand-brewed or drip-ground coffee made by special processing methods sold on the market is higher, while ordinary Arabica coffee is relatively cheaper.

Robusta Coffee

Robusta is another common coffee variety. Compared to Arabica, Robusta has a higher bitterness and full-bodied taste. It is highly adaptable, can grow at lower altitudes, and is more tolerant of pests and diseases.

Robusta coffee is usually relatively cheap due to its low growing environment requirements and low labor cost during processing. Most instant coffee and classic espresso sold on the market are made with Robusta as the main raw material, so the price is relatively low.

Other special varieties

In addition to Arabica and Robusta, there are also some special varieties of coffee that have different price levels. For example, Kopi LUWAK produced on the Indonesian island of Shati is considered one of the most expensive coffees in the world. This coffee is made by collecting and processing the beans excreted by wild civet cats (luwak) after eating coffee cherries during digestion.

Due to the extremely low production and cumbersome processing process in Lombok, it has become a scarce variety. Therefore, Lombok coffee is very expensive.

Summarize

In summary, there is a certain correlation between different coffee varieties and their prices. Arabica coffee is generally of higher quality and price, while Robusta is relatively cheaper. Special varieties such as Lombok have extremely high prices due to their scarcity.

When we choose to buy coffee, we can consider the appropriate variety and price based on our taste and quality requirements as well as our budget.