Coffea arabica or cafeto arábica is the oldest species cultivated and accounts for the 75% of the world coffee production. It produces fine and aromatic coffee, and needs colder environmental conditions. The cultivation of Arabica species is more delicate and less productive, and is reserved to highlands between 900 and 2,000 masl. Native to Ethiopia, this species is currently produced in countries such as: Mexico, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Java, Kenya, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Tanzania and Venezuela.

Coffea canephora or cafeto robusta is a caffeine-rich, strong and more acid drink, usually used to produce instant coffee or blends. Robusta is well suited to flat terrains, with higher yield. Native to the Belgian Congo (today Zaire), this species is nowadays cultivated in Africa (Ivory Coast, Angola and Zaire), India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Brazil and the Philippines. It is tougher than Arabica (hence its name “robusta”).