Find out how many types of coffee exist and what’s the difference between them. Check the complete list of every coffee type. Let’s figure out how to do coffee the right way.
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If you hesitate what to order at a coffee shop, or have no idea what roast to choose, or how to brew decent coffee at home, then you’re at the right place.
Content
Types of coffee beans
Coffee roasts
Types of coffee drinks
Coffee brewing styles
Types of coffee makers
Now let’s dive into each of these characteristics to learn about types of coffee.
Types of Coffee Beans
Any coffee drink starts with coffee beans. Different types of coffee beans will have specific flavor notes; therefore, the taste of the coffee will vary. There are three types of coffee beans: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.
- Arabica
Approximately 60% of worldwide coffee beans production are Arabica and 40% Robusta. Coffee prepared from Arabica beans has a smooth, sweet, rich, and delicate flavor.
The most popular Arabica varieties are Blue Mountain, Bourbon, Geisha, Kona, Java, and Uganda.
- Robusta
The second popular type of coffee bean is Robusta, with approximately 40% of worldwide coffee beans production. Robusta beans give the coffee a bitter taste and high caffeine.
Most popular Robusta varieties are Kopi Luwak, Java, Uganda.
- Liberica
Liberica used to be very popular. But today, it is less popular, and it is considered a high-quality coffee beans. Coffee prepared from Liberica beans has a fruity, wooden, and smooth taste.
The most popular Liberica varieties are Exselsa (which is often referred to as a separate coffee bean type) and Barako coffee.
Find out more about types of coffee beans and what’s the difference between them.
Coffee Roasts
The coffee roast is a very important step in brewing coffee. Actually, the type of roast has the biggest influence on the final coffee flavor. A bean goes through the process of roasting to uncover the hidden notes and get ready for consumption. There are four types of coffee roasts: Light roast, Medium Roast, Medium-dark Roast, and Dark Roast.
- Light Roast.
This type of coffee roast preserves the original coffee bean due to very light processing. Therefore the taste is very delicate, light. But light roast has the highest acidity.
- Medium Roast.
The most popular roast type, medium roast, balances the flavor and acidity. Medium roast is not as bitter and dark roast; at the same time, medium roast coffee has less acidity and caffeine than light roast coffee.
- Medium-Dark.
Medium-Dark Roast is the highest temperature border for a medium roast that balances between medium and dark roasts. Usually, medium-dark roasts are close to dark roast coffee, whereas still having a balance in the taste.
- Dark Roast.
It is the most “burned” type of coffee roasts. Coffee beans are roasted until the deep brown, almost black color, and lose most of the original coffee bean flavors, but get a heavy, bold, and smoky taste.
Find out more about different types of coffee roasts in the post Types of Coffee Roasts and How Each Affects the taste.
Types of Coffee Drinks
There are tons of coffee drinks out there. Here is a short summary of the most popular coffee drinks to help you navigate a coffee shop’s menu.
Hot coffee drinks
- Black – the very basic coffee drink. Just coffee beans grounded and brewed with no add-ons. Usually, it is a hot drink.
- Espresso – a concentrated and very strong black coffee that goes in shots or very small 2-4 oz cups. Espresso creates the base for other coffee drink types. Here is a tip for you: in Europe, the default espresso size is a single shot. Meanwhile, in the USA, the default size is a double size, meaning when you order an espresso in the USA, you’ll get a double espresso by default. Therefore, if you order double espresso in the USA, you’ll get 4 shots of espresso.
- Americano – an espresso shot with hot water with a 1:1 ratio.
- Latte – one shot of espresso covered with steamed milk layer and topped with milk foam in the ration 1:5:1.
- Cappuccino – one shot of espresso plus steamed milk covered with milk foam. The ratio of coffee, milk, and foam is approximately 1:1:1.
- Espresso Con Panna – a shot of espresso topped with whipped cream.
- Flat White – a shot of espresso plus 4 oz of steamed milk.
- Macchiato – a shot of espresso with a spoon of steamed milk.
- Mocha – basically mocha is a version of cappuccino (espresso/steamed milk/milk foam in a ration of 1/1/1/) plus chocolate syrup or cacao powder.
- Cafe Au lait – black coffee with hot milk
- Affogato – a scoop of ice cream topped with a shot of espresso.
- Ristretto – a stronger version of espresso with less water used.
- Breve – a cappuccino version of espresso drink, with heavy cream or half and half instead of milk. The heavy cream provides a very smooth and creamy texture.
International Coffee Drinks
- Turkish Coffee – very strong coffee brewed with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Irish – black coffee with whiskey, sugar, and whipped cream.
- Vietnamese coffee – iced coffee with condensed milk.
- Cafe Cubano – strong black coffee with demerara or cane sugar.
Cold Coffee Drinks
- Iced Coffee – an espresso shot with ice and milk in a ratio of 1:2:2.
- Frappuccino – an iced coffee with syrup, chocolate, caramel, and/or whipped cream.
- Cold Brew – black coffee that is steeped in room temperature water for several hours. The more you steep the coffee, the stronger it gets, losing its acidity and producing more caffeine.
- Nitro – a cold brew drink with bubbles; think of it as a coffee-based soda.
Find out the extensive list of coffee drinks in the post Types of Coffee Drinks Explained.
Brewing styles
- Drip Brew – a good old drip-style when hot water drips through grounded coffee to create a regular dripped black coffee.
- Pour Over – a more popular way of drip brewing
- Cold Brew – upon cold brewing, the grounded coffee is steeped with warm water. The coffee stands for a couple of hours and slowly unleashes all the flavors.
- Espresso – a brewing style when hot water pours through pressed grounded coffee to create a very strong and saturated drink.
Types of Coffee Makers
- Drip – a low-key and no-brainer coffee machine where you add water to a water tank, put ground coffee into a coffee filter, and the hot water drips through the coffee filter creating mild coffee.
- Espresso Maker – is a coffee machine that uses pressure to run water through a coffee filter to create a very strong drink
- Cezve – a single cup metal pot coffee maker.
- French Press – a pot with a press layer to push grounded coffee to the bottom of the pot. You can let the grounded coffee brew and then press the coffee pomace to the bottom to enjoy a smooth drink.
- Percolator – vacuum coffee maker that pretty much looks like a tall pot.
- Siphon – a two-chamber coffee machine that looks like a chemistry lab instrument. Basically, it is another vacuum coffee maker.
- Aeropress – a press coffee maker that is close to the French Press maker, but a little bit more advanced.
- Moka pot – a two parts metal coffee pot that is used on stovetops to brew strong coffee.
Final thoughts
There is a story behind each cup of coffee. Starting from the coffee bean and roast type to brewing style and drink type, there are so many options to enjoy coffee the right way.
I really hope that this guide helped you create a clear picture so that the next time you’ll make an educated choice towards your next coffee drink.