Coffee (or kopi – an endearing colloquial term for the beverage) is a much-beloved staple of Singaporeans from all walks of life. From traditional glasses of kopi-c at your friendly neighbourhood kopitiam to your modern coffee chains like Starbucks, wherever you look, you’ll find someone sipping on their coffee at any time of day.
But while coffee lovers like yourself indulge in your daily cup (or cups?) of coffee regularly, how much do you really know about what goes into your cup of “life-sustaining” liquid?
Keen to learn more about what goes into making an amazing cup of kopi or coffee? For that, we’ll have to start at the very basics – the coffee beans!
The Two Main Types of Coffee Beans
Like many ingredients that go into our food, coffee beans too, come in various varieties. The two most common kinds? Arabica coffee beans and Robusta coffee beans – each with its unique flavour profile, quality, and characteristics.
Arabica Coffee Beans
Often considered the more ‘atas’ bean, oval-shaped Arabica coffee beans tend to be what you’ll find as ingredients at café chains or specialty cafés for a pricier brew at anything above $6 per cup.
Some of the main exporters of this highly sought-after bean include Brazil (the main exporter), Vietnam, Colombia, and Indonesia.
Robusta Coffee Beans
The more down-to-earth and circular-shaped bean, Robusta, is often what you’ll find in espresso blends and affordable brews in your local coffee shop or hawker centres for anything less than a couple of bucks.
The main exporters of this earthy bean include Vietnam (main exporter), Brazil, Indonesia, and Uganda.
Fun fact: The bulk of the world’s coffee bean production is Arabica (75%) and the remaining is Robusta beans (25%)! Which do you prefer?
The Difference Between Arabica & Robusta Coffee
Depending on the choice of coffee beans incorporated into the blend, you’ll end up with a very different cup of coffee. So, make sure you know what you’re getting in your cuppa!
Price
On average, Arabica coffee beans are significantly more expensive than the Robusta variation – sometimes up to double the price!
The reason? The Arabica coffee plant is fragile, takes longer to mature, grows at high altitudes, and is generally more difficult to cultivate. As a result, the low yield to effort in cultivating quality Arabica bean translates into higher prices.
That’s why you if see that Arabica coffee beans are being used in your coffee brew, you can almost always expect a higher price tag that comes with it.
On the other hand, Robusta beans are a lot easier to grow, and hence cheaper as an ingredient to use in affordable instant coffee brands or local coffeeshops.
Taste Profile
Pricing aside, the two beans give rise to extremely different taste profiles in the coffees that are brewed. So, if you’re particular about the taste, make sure to identify which bean is used in your coffee!
Arabica coffee, being the higher quality bean, tends to give rise to a flavour profile that is caramelly (thanks to a super high concentration of natural sugars), nutty, and smoother with complex undertones. For those who prefer a sweeter brew, this is for you!
Robusta coffee, on the other hand, has an earthier profile, a heavier body, and is distinctively more bitter.
With such extremely different flavour profiles, coffee lovers tend to have their individual preferences. Which is your favourite?
Caffeine Content
If the main reason you’re drinking coffee is purely for the caffeine hit, this is something important you’ll want to know.
When it comes to caffeine content, here’s where the Robusta bean gets its spot in the limelight! On average, a Robusta coffee brew contains double the amount of caffeine in an Arabica brew. Yes double! That’s also the reason why it tastes so much more bitter, no thanks to the higher caffeine concentration.
Now you know which blend is better for keeping you awake through the workday!
Soot Kopi: A Uniquely Singaporean Robusta & Arabica Blend of Coffee
Find that you can’t choose between the two distinct coffee beans? With Soot Kopi you don’t have to! We offer a uniquely Singaporean blend of both Robusta and Arabica beans compared to most traditional local kopi brands that only use Robusta beans.
The Soot Kopi blend marries the ideal characteristics of each distinct bean to achieve a balance of aroma, body, and smoothness like never before. For an authentic Singaporean spin, our beans are even roasted in cane sugar and butter to further caramelize the beans for that popular local taste.
Want to level up your Singaporean kopi experience? We offer a starter pack that comes with not only the kopi powder but also a sock and scoop traditionally used by local coffee shops to brew their kopi. Now you can try your hand at creating your very own uniquely Singaporean brewed coffee in the comfort of your own home.
Hurry and order your cuppa Soot Kopi today!