Coffee Beans

There are two main types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica accounts for 60% of the world's coffee, while Robusta accounts for around 40%.
Arabica can be grown in cool climates at altitudes above 1,000 meters, while Robusta can be grown in hot, humid conditions at lower altitudes.
Arabica has a rich acidity, aroma, and sweetness, while Robusta has a strong bitter and astringent taste and can sometimes have an earthy flavor.
Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc. use Arabica, while Vietnam and Indonesia use Robusta.

When you go to a coffee shop, you'll most likely find blended coffee on the menu.
Even the regular coffee sold in supermarkets often has the word "blend" in its name.
A blend is coffee made by combining beans from multiple origins and types.
Blending makes it possible to combine acidity, bitterness, richness, and aroma to create a flavor that can't be achieved with a single bean.
By blending beans from Ethiopia, which have a strong acidity, with beans from Brazil, which have a strong bitterness, it is possible to create a well-balanced flavor.

Single origin coffee is not a blend, but rather made using beans from a single country, region, or farm.
It can be referred to by country, such as Brazil or Ethiopia, by region, such as Alta Mogiana in Brazil or Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, or even by farm, such as Farm Bau in Brazil or Farm Metad in Ethiopia.
In this way, single origin coffee is a style that celebrates the individuality of the place of origin.

Coffee is sold in both whole beans and ground form.

Ground coffee is originally beans that have been ground up.

With beans, you buy them, then grind them into powder and brew them yourself to drink.

Why are some coffees sold as whole beans and others as ground?

Beans stay fresher longer. Ground coffee increases the surface area, oxidizing faster and losing flavor and aroma more quickly.

Whole beans, on the other hand, help preserve flavor and aroma for longer.

Major convenience stores have a large number of stores, with Starbucks having 2,000 stores in Japan and 7-Eleven having 20,000.
Starbucks is a major cafe chain and has the largest number of stores in Japan, but the huge distribution network of convenience stores far surpasses even those of major cafe chains.
FamilyMart has 16,000 stores and Lawson has 14,000, so if each of these stores had a cafe, they would be the largest cafes.
The beans supplied to these stores by roasters are also on a large scale.