Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a berry-like fruit, maturing bright red to purple when ripe and ready to pick. The two commercially available varieties are Robusta and Arabica. Arabica beans produce a superior quality coffee, revealing the greatest flavor and aromatic characteristics of the region where they were grown. Interestingly, they typically contain half the caffeine of the Robusta beans. While Robusta plants are easier to farm and produce a higher yield than Arabica, they have more bitter notes than Arabica beans. Robusta finds its way into instant coffee and expresso blends where it promotes the formation of “crema”. Approximately one third of the coffee produced is Robusta.