Origini e principali varietà del caffè
Questo breve articolo proverà a presentare le origini e le 5 principali varietà di una bevanda calda che è parte integrante della cultura italiana, che in certi ambiti è anche conosciuta come “il vino d’Arabia” e che tempo addietro la Chiesa la definì come “la bevanda del diavolo”, un intruglio che in media viene consumato con più di 2 miliardi di tazzine al giorno in tutto il mondo e che noi lo lavoriamo e lo amiamo espresso, ma in ogni angolo del pianeta è possibile trovarlo in diverse modalità, gusti e quantità. Di cosa stiamo parlando? Ormai è lampante… del nostro, amatissimo caffè!
Partiamo innanzitutto dalle basi, ovvero specificando che il caffè è ricavato da una pianta, precisamente da un arbusto appartenente alla famiglia delle Rubiacee (un gruppo di angiosperme che comprende oltre 600 generi e 13.500 specie), genere Coffea e classe dei dicotiledoni. Ci sono diverse specie (quasi 130) ma sicuramente le due più famose sono l’Arabica e la Canephora, da cui prende vita – tra le altre – anche la Robusta. In arabo si chiama qahwa ( قهوة), il cui significato è “eccitante” o “rinvigorente”. Ci potrebbe però essere un’alternativa in merito all’origine del nome. In un’intervista a Focus, il presidente e fondatore della torrefazione Caffè Moak, Giovanni Spadola, spiega come le prime piante di Coffea arabica siano state reperite a Caffa (o Kaffa), un tempo un regno dell’Etiopia. Successivamente il termine si è “evoluto” nella lingua turca, dove si conobbe come “qahvè”.
È una bevanda veramente speciale, nella top 3 delle materie prime commercializzate nel mondo, equivalente a circa il 4% del commercio internazionale di prodotti agroalimentari e da noi in Italia è rigorosamente servito espresso (al bar) o fatto con la moka (se a casa), quest’ultima un prodotto inventato nei primi Anni 30 da Alfonso Bialetti. In un altro articolo proverò ad elencare diverse tipologie di caffè serviti nel resto del mondo, ma adesso concentriamoci sulle 5 principali varietà di questa pianta veramente speciale.
Arabica
È giusto iniziare subito dall’Arabica, fonte della miscela amata da milioni in tutto il mondo. Trova la sua origine più o meno nella parte orientale del continente africano, in particolare in Etiopia (dove tra l’altro gli abitanti sono dei fedeli consumatori di caffè). Predilige un clima tropicale / sub-tropicale, trovando il suo habitat naturale nelle altitudini montane, quindi dagli 800 metri in su fino a circa 2.200 metri. Il chicco è stretto e allungato, a forma ovale, con il solco longitudinale che crea una piega sinuosa e lungo con un taglio a S, sviluppandosi idealmente nell’intervallo di temperatura che va dai 15° ai 24°; in più il seme ha una lunghezza che non supera i 12 millimetri (minimo 8). Ha una riproduzione autogama e autofertilizzante, con un tempo di maturazione che può andare dai 6 ai 9 mesi. Tra le principali varietà dell’Arabica troviamo il Bourbon, il Gesha, la Typica, il Mondo Novo e il Maragogype. Si tratta dell’unica specie della Coffea con 44 cromosomi invece di 22, una caratteristica che porta ad un profilo organolettico più complesso rispetto agli altri tipi di caffè, ma anche un contenuto di caffeina minore rispetto alla Robusta. Il caffè prodotto al 100% con Arabica è delicato, con una gradevole acidità e dei bei sentori fruttati.
Canephora
Canephora condivide con le altre specie di Coffea il numero di cromosomi, cioè 22 e vede nella Robusta la sua varietà più diffusa, ma ne conta altre, come la Nganda. Anche tale specie vede le sue origini nel continente africano, precisamente in Uganda ed in altre parti centrali ed orientali. Una delle differenze principali rispetto all’Arabica è l’altitudine nella quale cresce: in pianura e fino ad un massimo di 800 m, quindi è più facile da coltivare, da raccogliere ed è anche più produttiva. Ha meno oli rispetto all’Arabica (solo 10-12% del chicco contro il 15-17% dell’Arabica) e trova la sua temperatura ideale tra i 23° ed i 30°. A livello di maturazione invece impiega un po’ di più rispetto all’Arabica, tra i 9 e gli 11 mesi. Questi fattori influiscono sul suo prezzo che è minore rispetto all’Arabica. Il chicco è piccolo, tondo e con un taglio dritto nel mezzo, arrotondato con un taglio lineare. L’espresso preparato con un’alta percentuale di Canephora è il tipico espresso da bar del Centro e del Sud Italia: corpo denso, un retrogusto amaro sostenuto e un’importante dose di caffeina, che può essere fino a 4 volte in più rispetto all’Arabica. Infine la schiuma è densa e color nocciola, ed è una delle cose alle quali tanti italiani non riescono a rinunciare.
Liberica
Arabica e Robusta possono essere paragonate al duopolio tra Pepsi e Coca Cola, a quello tra Nike e Adidas o a quello tra Apple e Samsung. Sono loro due a contendersi la stragrande maggioranza del mercato mondiale. Tuttavia ci sono anche molte specie minori ed una di queste è la Liberica, il cui nome deriva dalla nazione d’origine, ovvero la la Liberia (ma pare sia nata anche in Costa d’Avorio), e costituisce circa il 2% del caffè prodotto nel mondo. La sua è una pianta robusta e resistente ai parassiti che richiede temperature elevate e abbondanti precipitazioni; i chicchi invece, che sono più grandi rispetto a quelli di quelli di Arabica o Canephora, hanno un tempo di maturazione di circa 1 anno. Sovente è consumata in forma liofilizzata in diversi Paesi asiatici e dell’America Latina. A livello gustativo richiama molti aspetti della Canephora ma è anche più forte, con un retrogusto affumicato.
Excelsa
Passiamo adesso ad una varietà molto meno diffusa nel mondo, la Excelsa. Fu scoperta in Africa nel 1903 da una nuova specie di alberi del caffè e venne chiamata con il nome di Coffea Excelsa. Solo un secolo dopo, nel 2006, i botanici hanno pensato che questa specie fosse in realtà una varietà di Coffea liberica e che il suo nome scientifico corretto fosse Coffea liberica var. dewevrei. La varietà è chiamata tutt’oggi Excelsa da coltivatori e commerciali ed è valutata molto accattivante. In comune alla Liberica ha la resistenza alle malattie (come i vitigni Piwi nel campo vitivinicolo) e anche ai climi più estremi e rigidi, avendo capacità di adattamento a terreni e a climi asciutti . La pianta di per sé ha un fusto alquanto alto, mentre a livello di grandezza e semi somiglia particolarmente alla Robusta; con la Liberica invece è accomunata dalle crescita e dalle foglie. Ha dei rendimenti molto variabili e volatili, rendendo la sua commercializzazione decisamente imperiosa e complicata, ma dal punto di vista gustativo è assimilabile alla Liberica. La sua principale diffusione è, nelle miscele, in diversi Paesi dell’Asia, in modo tale da conferire al caffè maggiore complessità anche grazie alla sua acidità.
Stenophylla
Eccoci a trattare ora una specie in pericolo di estinzione a causa dei cambiamenti climatici, dei parassiti e delle malattie, ma anche perché richiede nove anni per giungere a maturità e fruttificare. La pianta, di contro, è molto resistente alla siccità date le sue origini in Sierra Leone ed è un albero densamente ramificato, sempreverde, alto fino a 5,5 – 6 metri. Presenta foglie opposte con margine seghettato e apice acuminato. L’infiorescenza si compone di piccoli fiori pentameri, bianchi e a forma di stella. Quando la drupa raggiunge la maturità assume un colore violaceo. Non ama le basse temperature: infatti non sopravvive a quando si raggiungono 1° o 2°, perciò la sua diffusione al di fuori dell’area tropicale di origine è molto limitata. Questa varietà cresce sulle cime delle colline, nella foresta pluviale, tra i 300 ed i 700 m di altitudine. Ha un ciclo produttivo legato a doppio filo alla distribuzione delle piogge: quando c’è la stagione secca la pianta ha una crescita molto lenta, con le gemme fiorali che vanno quasi in letargo, poi con le prime piogge la pianta si reidrata, riprende la crescita e fiorisce.
Come detto all’inizio, il mondo del caffè è sconfinato, essendoci più di 600 generi appartenente alle Rubiacee, con oltre 13.500 specie, ma per cominciare ad avvicinarsi al mondo del caffè credo sia adeguato iniziare dalle varietà più o meno diffuse a livello commerciale. Sicuramente con l’Arabica e la Canephora (precisamente con la Robusta) andremmo ad analizzare la grandissima maggioranza di questo settore, il vero e proprio duopolio a base di caffeina, ma in ogni caso ci sarà sempre qualcosa da approfondire.
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