The best coffee bean in the world is the coffee Arabica, better known as an Arabica bean. The Arabica bean is grown in Hawaii, Africa, Latin America and Asia. But not all Arabica beans can be considered as gourmet coffee beans.

Arabica coffee beans are grown throughout the world within what is called the Bean Belt; that band of tropical land around the middle of the world between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. Arabica beans that are considered the best in the world, the gourmet, are grown at elevations up to 6,000 feet above sea level in rich, dark volcanic soil. The volcanic soil is rich in minerals and nutrients and its content encourages better drainage. The higher the elevation the better chance of the bean being considered a gourmet coffee bean.

Harvesting the highest quality bean is based on what is called selective picking. The coffee cherries are not all picked from the tree at the same time, but rather only at their point of precise ripeness. Quality conscious owners will pick a tree numerous times versus stripping the plant of non-ripened fruit.

Gourmet coffee is traditionally grown under shade trees that allow for a slower growing coffee tree that produces a far superior coffee bean. The shade tree method allows for the coffee bean to develop greater sugar content with less caffeine.