As a coffee lover...

...a regular at Starbucks, or just someone who buys instant coffee at the supermarket you would probably know about Arabica and Robusta type of coffee beans. These are the two main species of cultivated coffee plants. Coffea arabica (Arabica) is considered the better coffee as it is not as bitter and has more flavor. Therefore about 75 percent of cultivated coffee is Arabica.

However, the Coffea canephora plant (which is Robusta) is less susceptible to disease, is more durable, inexpensive and has a caffeine content that is 40-50 percent higher than Arabica and for this reason is it used heavily in commercial coffee blends.

Ankola

An excellent coffee from Sumatra.

Antigua

An excellent coffee from Guatemala.

Arabian Mocha Java

A blend of Java Arabica and Arabian Mocha—usually two parts Java Arabica to one part Arabian (Yemen) Mocha—said to be the world's oldest coffee blend.

Armenia

An excellent coffee from Colombia.

Bandeirante

An estate grown Santos coffee from Brazil.

Bani

Low-acid coffee from the Dominican Republic.

Barahona

Considered the best coffee from the Dominican Republic.

Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain coffee beans come from the hills of the eastern end of the island of Jamaica. At 5,500 feet the land is thickly wooded and maintained as a Forest Reserve. Below this line, the terrain, the rainfall pattern, the Blue Mountain mist, and the overall conditions are blessed by God to be perfectly suited for the cultivation of the world's most distinguished and delicious coffee; Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

Bogata

An excellent Colombian coffee.

Capulin

An unwashed, sun-dried, hand sorted coffee from the Nayarit Province of Mexico. Its flavor is smooth and subtle.

Caracas

A class of Venezuelan coffees ranging from fair to excellent.

Chicory

Chicory is the root of the endive, which is roasted and ground like coffee; it may be brewed straight, or blended with coffee.

Chipinga

A region in Zimbabwe that produces the most significant coffees in the country.

Cibao

A good but undistinguished coffee from the Dominican Republic.

Colombian

Coffee from Colombia. Usually excellent with full body, complex acidity, and rich flavor. The finest, Medellin supremo grade, is as good as Jamaica Blue Mountain but with a bit stronger acidity.

Costa Rican Coffee

The best coffees from Costa Rica are from San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredia, and Alajuela. The robust, rich quality of these coffees make them among the best in Central America.

Cucuta

A Colombian-grown coffee that is usually shipped through Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Djimah, Djimma, Jimma

A coffee from Ethiopia. When washed, it is an excellent low-acid coffee. The dry-processed version imparts a less appealing, medicinal flavor.

Dominican Republic

High-grown Barahona, considered the best of the Dominican coffees, is both rich and acidic, comparable to premium Jamaican coffees. Other Dominican coffees, such as Bani and Ocoa, are softer and mellower, like the better known Haitian coffees.

Ecuador

Coffees from Ecuador are medium-bodied, fairly acidy, and predictable flavor. Ecuadorian coffee typifies Central and South American coffees.

El Salvador

Coffee from El Salvador is generally dependable but undistinguished. It has a good body and rather listless acidity and flavor.

Ethiopia Ghimbi

A washed varietal from the western region of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Harrar, Harar

A dry-processed coffee from Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Sidamo

A washed coffee from Ethiopia known for its sweet flavor and floral aroma.

Ethiopia Yergacheffe

A medium-bodied coffee from Ethiopia also known for its sweet flavor and aroma.

Ethiopian Coffee

Since antiquity, Ethiopia, has produced a rich variety of coffees-from the floral, wineryness of the Harrars in eastern Ethiopia to the fragrant and spicy Yrgacheffes in the south. The heritage of Ethiopian coffees is unsurpassed in the world.

Excelso

A blend of two Colombian coffees that combines the supremo (best) and extra (second-best) coffee grades to produce a comprehensively better medium blend.

Ghimbi

This is a good washed coffee from Ethiopia. At its best, it offers a sharp yet rich acidity and complex flavor.

Greek coffee

Is made by boiling finely ground coffee and water together in an ibrik, whic is a long-handled, open, brass or copper pot. When done, it is poured directly into tiny demitasse cups, along with the fine grounds. The coffee is then allowed to settle before consumption. Spice and sugar are often added into the mix.

Guatemala Antigua

Considered the best Guatemalan coffee, it has a complex flavor with a hint of cocoa.

Guatemalan Coffee

Guatemalan coffees are characteristically rich, spicy and full-bodied. The best Guatemalan coffees are Antigua and Coban.

Haitian Coffee

The best coffees from Haiti are low-acid, medium-bodied, and rich in flavor.

Harrar

The best of the Ethiopian dry-processed, or natural, coffees. Also known as Harar, Harer, Mocha Harrar, and Moka Harar.

Heredid

One of the best coffees from Costa Rica.

Huehuetenago

This is one of the best coffee grades from Guatemala.

Indian

Also called Indian Mysore, and Mysore Straight. Indian coffee from the State of Karnataka (formerly Mysore). Indian coffee at its best is rich and subtle, with moderate body and acidity.

Indian Monsooned Malabar

An extremely low-acid, complex-flavored bean, created by leaving Mysore beans out in open-roof silos during the Indian monsoon season. The term monsooned is also be used to describe other types of beans similarly processed.

Indonesian

General geographic reference that includes the coffees of the islands of Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra. Indonesian coffees are notable for their full body, rich flavor, and low acidity.

Jamaica Blue Mountain

One of the most respected coffees in the world from the Blue Mountain District of Jamaica. Grown on estates at over 3,000 feet, this premium coffee is full-bodied, rich in flavor, and has a sophisticated, smooth acidity.

Jamaica High Mountain

This coffee is grown in the mountains of Jamaica and exported under the name of High Mountain Supreme or Blue Mountain Valley. Both are excellent coffees, although less distinguished than true Jamaica Blue Mountain.

Jamaican Style

A blend of Jamaica Blue Mountain and other coffees that tries to simulate the richness of Jamaica Blue Mountain at lower cost.

Java

A light-bodied, earthy, medium acid straight coffee from Java, also called Java Arabica. At its best, it offers the low-toned richness characteristic of Indonesian and New Guinea coffees, only lighter.

Java Coffee

Java coffee is grown in Indonesia and the Pacific. The best Java coffee is grown on the far eastern end of the island on five estates established by the Dutch government.

Jinotega

One of the best coffees from Nicaragua.

Kauai

A Hawaiian coffee that is less expensive than Kona. The beans are small, but larger than peaberries.

Kenya AA

The AA signifies the best grade from Kenya. Grown on plateaus over 6,000 feet above sea level, there is no finer coffee grown on earth. This is a meticously prepared coffee famous for its rich full body, strong pleasant acidity, floral fragrant aroma and a winery aftertaste with overtones of berries and citrus fruit.

Kenyan

A rich, full-bodied coffee with wine-like acidity, noted for its consistent quality and availability. The "AA" grade in Kenya is reserved for the largest beans of the crop.

Kilimanjaro

Coffee grown on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Kona

Smooth coffee with medium-body and acidity grown on the Kona coast of Hawaii. Kona from the estate of Jon Kunitake is especially notable.

Kona Style

A blend of Kona and other coffees that tries to simulate the richness of Kona at lower cost.

Limu

A good low-acid, washed coffee from Ethiopia.

Lintong

Also known as Mandheling, Lintong is the market name for this premium coffee from Sumatra.

Longberry Harrar

A grade of Harrar coffee from Ethiopia with beans that are larger than Shortberry Harrar. It is debatable whether the bean size affects the final brewed coffee taste.

MAM

The acronym for Medellin, Armenia, and Manizales, the three most famous coffees from Colombia. They are often marketed together to simplify large coffee contracts.

Manizales

One of the best coffees from Columbia.

Maracaibo

A class of distinguished coffees from Venezuela.

Matagalpa

One of the best coffees from Nicaragua.

Mattari

Also known as Matari, this coffee is one of the best from Yemen. Its winey acidity stands out among the usual Yemen style of coffee. It is sometimes blended with Mocha.

Mbeya

Also known as Pare, a coffee from the south of Tanzania.

Medellin

One of the best coffees from Colombia.

Mereda

One of the best coffees from Venezuela, known for its light, sweet flavor.

Mexican

The best Mexican coffees are Oaxaca ( wah-HOC-ca), Pluma, and Coatepec. They are distinguished by their light body and acidity.

Mocha

Or Moka, a straight coffee from Yemen, considered the world's oldest cultivated coffee. The coffee is known usually as Yemen Mocha or Arabian Mocha and takes its name from the ancient port of the same name. This coffee is known for its undertones of chocolate, although it does not have any actual chocolate in.

Mocha Java

A traditional blend of Yemen Mocha and Java Arabica coffees consisting of one part Yemen Mocha to two parts Java Arabica. Most commercial blends and many specialty blends substitute less expensive beans.

Moshi

The market name for coffee grown on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Nairobi

Coffee grown on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, Kenya.

New Guinea

Straight coffee grown in Papua New Guinea that is moderately rich, full-bodied, and has the low key acidity that distinguishes all of the coffees of the Malay Archipelago and Indonesia.

New Orleans Coffee

A dark roast coffee blended with up to 40 percent chicory root (see above). Cafe Du Monde is the most well-known brand name.

Nicaraguan

The straight coffee from Nicaragua. It embodies Central American style with medium-bodied, subtle flavor and frank acidity.

Oaxaca

(Wah-HAH-kuh) coffee from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca is among the best from Mexico. Oaxaca Pluma is especially distinguished.

Ocoa

One of the best coffees from the Dominican Republic.

Peruvian Chanchamayo

The best straight coffee from Peru, Chanchamayo is flavorful, aromatic, and mildly acidic. It displays the quality and characteristics of the best Central American coffees.

Primo Lavado

Prime washed coffee from Mexico; includes most of the fine Mexican coffees.

Rio

A sub-optimal class of coffees from southern Brazil. They are characterized by their medicinal flavor caused by poor handling of the berries.

Sanani

This coffee is one of the best coffees from Yemen. A medium-bodied, less acidic version of the standard Yemen style.

Santos, Bourbon

A high quality, washed coffee from Brazil that is usually shipped through the port of Santos. This coffee is usually grown in the State of Sao Paulo or northern Minas Gerais.

Sharki

One of the best coffees from Yemen.

Shortberry Harrar

A grade of Harrar coffee from Ethiopia with beans that are smaller than Longberry Harrar. It is debatable whether the bean size affects the final brewed coffee taste.

Sidamo, Washed

A washed coffee from Ethiopia that is distinguished by its low acidity.

Sulawesi

Straight coffee from Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), an Indonesian island. Toraja is the best Sulawesi coffee, greatly resembling the Sumatran coffees, except for a tendency to be slightly more acidic and with less body.

Sumatra

The straight coffee from the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Mandheling, Lintong, and Ankola are the best Sumatran coffees and among the world’s finest. They display full body, rich flavor, and low acidity.
Tanzanian
This straight coffee from Tanzania resemble the coffees of Kenya but are less admired due to slightly lighter body and less consistent acidity. Arusha and Moshi are the most notable.

Toraja

Considered the best of coffees from Sulawesi, Toraja is similar in taste to Sumatran coffees.

Ugandan

The finest Ugandan Arabica, Bugishu, is similar but less admired than the finest Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Zimbabwe coffees due to its generally lighter body and less complex flavor.

Venezuelan

This straight coffee from Venezuela includes Tachira and Cucuta coffees, which resemble Colombian coffees. In contrast, Merida stands out for its light body and sweetness.

Yemen

The straight coffee from the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula along the Red Sea in the mountainous regions of Yemen. This is the world’s oldest cultivated coffee and is distinguished by it’s full body and rich winey acidity.

Yrgacheffe

One of the most admired washed coffees from Ethiopia. It is distinguished by its medium acidity and rich flavor.

Zimbabwe

The coffees from this country have a medium density, highly aromatic quality and lively acidity which ranges from citrus to berry-like. Straight coffee from Zimbabwe, best exemplified by the coffee of the Chipinga region. It is similar to, and ranked by many as second in quality only to Kenyan.