Coffee, beverage brewed from the roasted and ground seeds of the tropical evergreen coffee plant of African origin. Coffee is one of the three major beverages in the world (alongside water and tea) and also a lucrative international commodity. Though coffee is the sets an endless line of beverages, its popularity is mainly marked to its refreshing effect, which is produced by caffeine, an alkaloid present in coffee.
Two species of the coffee plant, Coffea arabica and C. canephora, satisfy nearly all of the world’s consumption. Arabica is considered a lighter, more-edible and aromatic brew than Robusta, the main variety of C. canephora.
Latin America, eastern Africa, Asia, and Arabia are major producers of Arabica coffee. The spherical, more-rounded Robusta bean, is cheerful and can grow at lower altitudes (from sea level to 2,000 feet). Robusta coffee is less expensive to produce, has twice the caffeine content of Arabica, and is generally the bean of choice for less expensive commercial coffee brands. Southeast Asia, Brazil, Western and central Africa are the key producers of Robusta coffee.
