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Arabica is a different plant species than the more common robusta
coffee. Arabica is from the "coffea arabica" seed and needs extensive
nurturing to grow; taking years before the first harvest. By comparison,
robusta plants, "coffea laurentii", are hardy, large plants that grow at
lower elevations, producing a softer bean with less flavor than the
arabica.
OCR’s arabica coffees are grown on small farms at high altitudes
producing a distinctive flavor in each varietal (type of coffee from a
region or country). High-grown coffees take longer to mature, with a
resulting bean that is large, dense and more flavorful. Also adding
subtle flavor to the coffee are the shade trees such as banana, rubber
and orange which grow around the coffee fields.
Arabica coffees are of such high quality they require careful hand
picking every day during the season. Only the red cherries are picked
each time. Robusta coffees are grown on the flatter land in rows and are
machine picked, stripping the trees of every bean – green, ripe red,
overripe, rotten, etc. One bad bean used in a pot of coffee will affect
the taste of the whole pot. |
