Coffee has never been better than it is today. Producers know more than ever before about growing coffee and have access to more varieties and specialist growing techniques. Coffee roasters have never before been so likely to appreciate the importance of using freshly harvested coffee beans, and their understanding of the roasting process continues to improve. There are now more and more cafés selling really good coffee, using the best equipment and training their staff more effectivelyp>

When talking about coffee, people are usually referring to the fruit from one particular species of tree: Coffea arabica. Arabica makes up most of the coffee produced each year, and it is grown in dozens of countries between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. It isn’t the only species of coffee, however. In fact, over 120 different species have
been identifed to date but only one other is grown in any quantity and this is Coffea canephora, a plant we commonly refer to as Robusta

The coffee industry treated Robusta like an ugly sister to Arabica until a
rather interesting genetic discovery was made. Once scientists began
sequencing the genes, it became clear that the two species are not
cousins or siblings. Instead it appears that Robusta is, in fact, a parent of
Arabica. Most likely somewhere in southern Sudan, Robusta crossed with another species called Coffea euginoides and produced Arabica. This new species spread and really began to flourish in Ethiopia, long
considered the birthplace of coffee.