Where have the Arabica coffee beans gone?




QUESTION:

Has there been a calamity in the supply of Arabica? Used to bry the house brand of WalMart, which was labeled "100 percent Arabica". Now it only says "100 percent coffee". The taste is shot. Bought a Don Pedro brand labeled Arabica; it was good, but now can't find it. Checking other brands fails to find a 100 % Arabica. Can you shed any light on this?

Thanks, Bob


ANSWER:

Bob, hi

Good question. The simple answer to your question can be seen in this chart.

rising price of Arabica coffee beans



The text is a little small, but basically, you can see how the price of Arabica coffee beans has risen a great deal between 2006 and today.

It used to be that supermarket coffees boasted they were 100% Arabica, and pretty much all gourmet coffees still are.

But faced with this huge price increase, the supermarket coffee distributers have had to replace some of their Arabica beans with Robusta coffee beans.

In other words, to keep the price of their products at a reasonable level, they have been changing their blends to include more of the less expensive Robusta beans.

The trouble is, as you say, people can taste the difference and are not happy!

Comments for Where have the Arabica coffee beans gone?

Click here to add your own comments

Prices down - why still no pure Arabica ?
by: Vancouverite

Struggling to find 100% Arabica coffee. Organic, Fair Trade etc all that crap but no pure Arabica anymore.

Arabica world prices have gone back to normal levels so when will the industry return back to the times great coffee was 100% Arabica ?
Decrease the Demand
by: OldDotte

Just like higher gas prices - if you stop drinking coffee, the price will go down.
Interesting
by: Northcoast Cafe

Very interesting! Good question and perfect answer! It seems as if the prices have increased significantly this year alone. The gap between grocery store and gourmet is widening. I have noticed a grocery store in my area is roasting their own beans! I dont know that they are qualified but I wonder if it is to keep costs down as well.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Questions about Coffee.

Sign up for the Coffee Culture Newsletter...

At Coffee Detective, we explore coffees, coffee gear and coffee-making best practices. Our companion publication -- The Coffee Culture Newsletter -- explores the cultures, the rituals, and the human story of coffee.

A FREE issue at least twice a month & shorter notes in between.


Sign up for the Coffee Culture Newsletter...

At Coffee Detective, we explore coffees, coffee gear and coffee-making best practices. Our companion publication -- The Coffee Culture Newsletter -- explores the cultures, the rituals, and the human story of coffee.

A FREE issue at least twice a month & shorter notes in between.