YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE
- Muzz Buzz
- Jun 18
- 12 min read
There are different types of coffee but the most popular among coffee aficionados and cafe owners in Australia are robusta and arabica coffee beans. In today’s blog post, you will learn more about the coffee culture in Australia. This comprehensive guide discusses the most popular types of coffee drinks and coffee beans.
The Coffee Industry in Australia
The Australian coffee industry is flourishing, generating over AU$ 10.1 billion. According to the forecast, this is expected to grow by 3.41% in two to three years. This report also shows Aussies consume nearly 2 kilograms of coffee per person each year.
In Melbourne, cafe owners and coffee entrepreneurs push the boundaries of producing world-class coffee as more and more customers pay handsomely to try different flavours. Statistics also reveal that 65% of Australian homes have a coffee machine. These figures tell us how impactful the coffee culture is in Australia.
Different Types of Coffee Beans
There are four types of coffee beans available in the market today. These are the liberica, arabica and robusta coffee beans. Each type of coffee bean of coffee beans produces a unique taste and distinct flavour.
As mentioned earlier, the most popular coffee beans are arabica and robusta. Research shows that Arabica coffee beans make up 60% of the world’s coffee production, while 40% of coffee production came from robusta coffee cultivators.
Let’s dive deeper into different types of coffee beans and their characteristics.
1. Arabica Coffee Beans
What are Arabica Coffee Beans?
Arabica coffee beans are the most popular type of coffee beans in the world because of their rich flavour and sweet taste. These beans came from the Coffea arabica plant, which originated in the southern highlands of Ethiopia–hence the name, arabica coffee beans.
Arabica plants thrive more in tropical climates, and that’s why they are more abundant in Guatemala, Columbia, Brazil and India–these countries are the top producers of arabica coffee.
What does Arabica Coffee Taste Like?
While arabica coffee beans slightly taste differently based on the location of cultivation, superior quality arabica coffee beans should produce a slightly sweet flavour with hints of fruits and berries.
Some cultivated arabica coffee beans may even have hints of chocolate, caramel and nuts aftertaste. You may also notice slight acidity and a little bitterness in arabica coffee. Many enthusiasts use arabica for their cold brew coffee to bring out its naturally sweet flavour.
Side Note: Apart from location, the roasting method and soil composition also play a vital role in producing a superior coffee taste. These factors can affect the balance of taste and flavour of the coffee beans. Be sure to store your coffee beans properly as well to maintain their freshness and great flavours.
Arabica Growing Conditions
Arabica plants prefer subtropical climate conditions. They require rich and well-draining acidic soil. Like most tropical plants, they grow well in bright, indirect sunlight areas. The ideal temperature should be around 16-24 degrees celsius.
Common Types of Coffee Beans Arabica
Here are the most popular types of arabica coffee beans:
Bourbon
Typica
Gesha
Jackson
Jamaican Blue Mountain
Caturra
Catimor
Jember
Kent
Kona
Mundo Novo
Pacamara
Pacas
Pache
Villalobos
2. Robusta Coffee Beans
What are Robusta Coffee Beans?
Robusta coffee beans come from Coffea Canephora, one of the primary species of coffee plants cultivated in the world. Robusta originated in Africa. Robusta is easier to grow and cultivate compared to other types of coffee. It also has stronger caffeine content than most coffee beans.
What does Robusta Coffee Taste Like?
Robusta coffee is popular for its strong taste and flavour. It usually produces an earthy and bitter flavour. Most quality robusta coffee beans also have hints of peanut flavour aftertaste. Robusta works well in making espressos. Some purists also still prefer robusta for Italian-style blended coffee.
Robusta Growing Conditions
Robusta thrives well in lower altitudes, ranging from sea level to 600 meters. Congo, Vietnam and Brazil are the top producers of robusta coffee beans. Robusta plants are also sturdier than other coffee species. They can withstand high temperatures and frequent rainfall.
What is the Difference Between Arabica and Robusta Coffee Beans?
Arabica and robusta differ in taste, caffeine content, lipid and sugar content, growing conditions and price. Here’s a brief comparison between arabica and robusta coffee beans.
The Verdict
Robusta is cheaper than arabica coffee beans. It also contains more caffeine and antioxidants. However, despite these advantages, arabica is still the most popular coffee bean in Australia and the world. Many coffee lovers prefer arabica coffee because of its sweet and flavourful taste. Experts also often use arabica beans to innovate best-selling coffee drinks in cafes, such as latte and cold brew.
Different Types of Coffee Drinks
Flat White, cappuccino, latte and espresso are some of Australia’s finest coffee drinks. But there are also new drinks that you should try. Here are some of Australia’s most popular coffee drinks.
1. Black
Main ingredients: Espresso and hot waterPopularity: 8/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
Black coffee is simply coffee with no ingredients added. Just brew your preferred coffee beans and serve hot. Many experts say it’s the healthiest option since it doesn’t contain sugar, milk or creamer. Check out the health benefits of drinking black coffee.
In Australia and New Zealand, long black coffee is popular. Like Americano, it’s also an espresso-based coffee but with two shots of espresso diluted in hot water.
How to Make a Black or Long Black Coffee at Home: Quick Guide
Baristas normally make or serve a long black coffee by preparing a cup of hot steaming water, and then pouring shots of espresso on top.
Side Note: For beginners, it’s best to use light roast coffee.
2. Latte
Main Ingredients: Milk and espressoPopularity: 9/10Recommended Roast: Medium to dark roast
Coffee latte is probably the most popular coffee drink in Australia. It is a milk-based coffee with one or two shots of espresso.
How to Make a Coffee Latte at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Prepare your preferred espresso shots into your glass.
Step 2: Pour milk at least ⅓ of the glass. Experts recommend using whole milk, but you can also use soy or almond milk if you’re lactose intolerant.
Step 3: Foam your milk before brewing the espresso.
Step 4: Gently unwanted air bubbles from the jug or container.
Step 5: Pour the milk into your espresso.
Step 6: Enjoy your latte coffee!
3. Cappuccino
Main Ingredients: Milk and espresso
Popularity: 8.5/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
Making the perfect cappuccino is a true test of skills among the best baristas in the world. This coffee drink is all about structure. It should emphasise the right balance of espresso, steamed milk, and foam. It should produce rich flavours and a mildly sweet taste but not acidic.
How to Make a Cappuccino at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Steam the milk. Heat a cup of milk in a saucepan over low to medium heat. Let it simmer until bubbles form around, but make sure to not boil it.
Step 2: Prepare the espresso. You can use a single or double shot.
Step 3: Remove unwanted large air bubbles by gently swirling the milk or tapping the jug.
Step 4: Slowly pour the milk over the espresso.
Step 5: Enjoy your cappuccino!
4. Macchiato
Main Ingredients: Espresso and milk
Popularity: 9/10
Recommended Roast: Light roast
Macchiato is another popular coffee drink in Australia. It is also an express-based coffee drink with a dash of milk. The term “macchiato” translates to marked, stained, or spotted in Italian. This pertains to the milk spots when adding it to the dark, rich espresso. The amount of milk is just enough and strikes the perfect balance of robust flavour hit and a touch of creaminess. Most cafes today flavoured it with caramel, and it has been one of the bestselling coffee drinks all over the world.
How to Macchiato at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Prepare a single shot of espresso.
Step 2: Steam the milk and wait for a few minutes to create a foam. Just use medium-high heat and frequently stir to avoid burning the milk.
Step 3: Pour milk into the espresso. You can top this with caramel sprinkles or powder to add more flavour.
5. Mocha
Main Ingredients: Espresso, milk, chocolate, and cocoa powder
Popularity: 9/10
Recommended Roast: Medium roast
Mocha coffee has a lot of branding names, including cafe mocha, mocha latter and mochaccino. Whatever you call it, it follows the same principle and method. Mocha coffee is a chocolate-flavoured latte with a ratio of ⅓ espresso and ⅔ steamed milk and a thin layer of milk foam. It also has just the right dose of chocolate syrup, often topped with whip cream, and sprinkled with chocolate or cocoa powder.
How to Make Coffee Mocha at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Prepare a double shot of your preferred espresso (single or double shot) into a preheated latte glass.
Step 2: Mix a dose of chocolate syrup into the espresso. It may take a few tries to achieve your preferred taste.
Step 3: Steam the milk at approximately 155-160 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s best to use a thermometer to ensure you’re hitting the right temperature. Avoid burning the milk, so check frequently.
Step 4: Gently pour the milk into the espresso with chocolate.
Step 5: Top your drink with whip cream and sprinkle cocoa powder.
Step 6: Enjoy your cafe mocha!
6. Flat White
Main Ingredients: Espresso and milk
Popularity: 9.5/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
The white flat coffee is a popular go-to beverage in Australia. It’s also an espresso-based coffee blended with micro-foamed milk. To create the perfect foamed milk, you need to infuse the steamed milk with air that creates a smooth and creamy taste. You need to be precise with your steaming method to make the perfect flat white coffee.
How to Make Flat White Coffee at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Prepare a double shot espresso and pour it into your cup.
Step 2: Steam the milk to 131-136 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: Remove bubbles by thumping the pitcher or swirling the milk. This would make the milk velvetier and smoother.
Step 4: Try to make an art pattern and enjoy your flat white coffee!
7. Affogato
Main Ingredients: Espresso and ice cream
Popularity: 7/10
Recommended Roast: light or dark roast
The affogato is a famous Italian dessert. Its base ingredient is ice cream and espresso. The term “affogato” translates to the Italian word for “drowned”, which probably gives you a hint of how this coffee drink would look like, a scoop of ice cream drowned into your favourite espresso.
How to Make Affogato at Home: Quick Guide
The process is simple: Drown a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a hot shot of espresso. Watch how it melts and enjoy a spoonful of affogato.
Here at MuzzBuzz, we use high-quality Arabica beans in all of our hot coffee products. To find your nearest store visit our website here, or alternatively, you can download our app and order straight from your phone!
Types of Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is popular in Australia. According to Ray Morgan’s research, over 1.1 million Aussies consume iced coffee in an average week. Let’s find out some of the most popular types of iced coffee today.
1. Iced Coffee
Main Ingredients: Brewed coffee, milk and ice
Popularity: 8/10
Recommended Roast: Any
To simply put, this is the iced version of your favourite drink. Some coffee shops serve this with a small amount of milk and topped with whip cream.
How to Make an Iced Coffee at Home: Quick Guide
Just brew your favourite coffee and add some ice. You can also top it with whip cream just like in most coffee shops.
2. Iced Espresso
Main Ingredients: Espresso and ice
Popularity: 8/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
This is like ice coffee but instead of brewed coffee, you use espresso shots. Again, you can also top it with whip cream and add a small amount of milk.
How to Make an Iced Coffee at Home: Quick Guide
Just pull a double shot of espresso and then add some ice. Pour a small amount of milk and top it with whip cream if you wish.
3. Cold Brew
Main Ingredients: Brewed coffee and ice
Popularity: 8.5/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
Cold brew is more than just an iced coffee. The method is different as well. For regular iced coffee drinks, you use near-boiling point temperatures to quickly extract the coffee right away. For cold brew, you need to wait at least five hours or more before serving. Cold brewing is usually less acidic and sweeter than iced espresso.
How to Make Cold Brew at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Brew your favourite dark roast coffee.
Step 2: Wait for it to cold down before putting it on the refrigerator.
Step 3: Keep it refrigerated for at least 5 hours.
Step 4: Take it out and enjoy your cold brew!
4. Frappuccino
Main Ingredients: Espresso, flavoured syrup, cream, sugar and milk
Popularity: 9.5/10
Recommended Roast: Medium to dark roast
Trademarked by one of the biggest coffee chains in the world, Starbucks, frappuccino is an iced coffee flavoured with syrup. Most coffee shops or cafes offer two variants of frappuccino: coffee-based and cream-based (decaf).
Here are some popular frappuccino flavours available today:
Mocha frappuccino
Coffee frappuccino
Caramel frappuccino
Java chip frappuccino
Espresso frappuccino
White chocolate frappuccino
How to Make a Frappuccino at Home: Quick Guide
Step 1: Prepare a single or double shot of your favourite espresso. You can also use a strong coffee.
Step 2: Blend it together with ice, your preferred flavoured syrup, milk and sweetener.
Step 3: Pour it into a tall glass and top it with whip cream. Sprinkle with your preferred flavoured powder.
Step 4: Enjoy your frappuccino!
5. Nitro
Main Ingredients: Cold brew coffee, nitrogen gas
Popularity: 7/10
Recommended Roast: Dark roast
Nitro coffee is made of cold brew infused with nitrogen gas to boost caffeine content and reduces bitterness and acidity of the coffee. The nitro coffee has over 30% more caffeine than most coffee drinks.
How to Make Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
Step 1: Prepare your cold brew coffee and put it in a tall glass.
Step 2: Consider filtering the cold brew to ensure there are no leftover grounds.
Step 3: After filtering, infuse the cold brew using a mini-keg or whipped cream container.
Step 4: Gently pour into the glass or cup and enjoy your nitro coffee!
Here at MuzzBuzz, we use high-quality Arabica beans in all of our hot coffee products. To find your nearest store visit our website here, or alternatively, you can download our app and order straight from your phone!
Types of Coffee Makers
Choose the right coffee equipment based on your preferences and needs. To help you make the right decision, here are the different types of coffee makers and their features.
1. French Press
A French Press is ideal for making a small batch of coffee. It works like a plunger that meets a strainer. With this device, you need to brew the coffee grounds manually by pressing or straining them using the presser.
Pros of French Press
Portable
Easy to use
Easy to clean
More affordable
Consof French Press
Limited coffee production
Inconsistent taste
Prone to over-extraction and coffee sludges
2. Percolator
This type of coffee maker is popular for its practicality and durability. Like the French Press, it’s also portable, so it’s easy to bring anywhere and it’s suitable for outdoor activities. Many coffee lovers also use the percolator because it produces a richer taste compared to a drip coffee maker.
Pros of Percolator
Practical brewing method
Durable
More versatile than drip coffee
Brings more flavour
Can retain heat well
Easy to clean or maintain
Cons of Percolator
You might need a few tries before finally getting the right method
Risk of bitter coffee produce
Prone to make a mess
Inefficiency
3. Single Serve
The single-serve coffee maker is also getting more popular among coffee lovers because of its recent developments. Today, new versions of single-serve coffee makers now feature interchangeable drawers that allow you to make your favourite coffee with ground coffee.
Pros of Single Serve
Efficiency
Convenience
Consistency
Cons of Single Serve
Pricier than other options
Not environmentally friendly
Quality of coffee isn’t that good
4. AeroPress
The aero press is also a single-serving coffee maker. It’s a piston-style brewer that pushes coffee through a paper filter. It’s also a popular option among travellers and campers. This coffee maker is known for producing neat coffee with well-defined flavours.
Pros of AeroPress
Easy to use and clean
Versatile
Portable
Affordable
Cons of AeroPress
Limited coffee production (maximum of 2 cups)
Not recommended for light to medium roast
5. Drip
The makers of the drip coffee device intend to fully automate the pour-over brewing process by simply adding water and coffee grounds. This coffee maker is actually more popular in the US–yes, Aussies prefer drinking espresso-style coffee.
Some of the best thermal carafe coffee makers are
Technivorm Moccamaster
Cuisinart Programmable 12-Cup Thermal Coffee Maker
Black+Decker Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Breville Grind Control
Behmor Brazen Plus
OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker (Aka Barista Brain)
Pros of Drip Coffee Makers
Easy to use
More price options
Automated for convenience
Can brew large quantities
Cons of Drip Coffee Makers
Requires more effort to clean
Only works well with fine coffee grounds
6. Pour Over
Many purists and coffee enthusiasts still prefer the pour-over brewing method because it allows them to have more control of the results. Here, you use a cone-shaped holder placed on top of your cup to filter the coffee grounds while pouring hot water.
Pros of Pour Over
Can produce quality coffee
Allows you to discover varieties of coffee beans
Purity
Allows you to brew more than one cup in one go
Cons of Pour Over
It takes a lot of patience to produce optimal results
Requires more effort to clean and maintain
Require more step to brewing
7. Cold Brew Coffee Makers
If you’re an avid fan of cold brew, it’s time to invest in cold brew coffee makers. As the name implies, this device is specifically designed to produce quality cold brews. Here are the best cold brew coffee makers according to Food & Wine.
Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot
Toddy Cold Brew System
Vinci Express Cold Brew Patented Electric Coffee Maker
Bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker
KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker
8. Moka
The Moka pot coffee maker is a good alternative to an espresso machine. While it doesn’t produce the same quality, it’s still a good option, especially if you learn how to use it.
Pros of Moka Pots
Can produce robust and rich flavoured coffee
Durable
Convenient to use
Portable
Cons of Moka Pots
It may take some time to master the process
Can be prone to leaks
Requires reheating or parboiled water
Requires more effort to clean
There is no doubt that the coffee industry in Australia continues to flourish. Coffee has become a big part of our daily lives. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, leaning towards the coffee business or just an avid coffee lover, it’s good to familiarise yourself with different types of coffee. We hope learning about the different types of coffee products will help you understand our rich coffee culture.
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