Arabica represents approximately 70 percent of the world's coffee production. The arabica plant is an evergreen, typically large bush with dark green, oval shaped leaves that can reach a height up to 20 feet.

On plantations it is kept at a height of about 2-3 meters to facilitate harvesting. After planting, arabica trees produce their first crop in three years. The arabica plant can successfully produce fruits for about 40 years. Primary, non-renewable branches grow from the trunk at an average distance of 15 cm.

The plants have taproots that are not very deep. The bright green leaves are shiny on top and darkl on the underside; the branches carry bouquets of 5-10 small, white flowers with 5 petals with an odoriferous fragrance that spreads over the plantations. The flowers give way to the coffee cherries of oval shape with two beans side-by-side. Each tree can produce 8-10 pounds of coffee a year, depending on climate conditions and other factors.