You must know these coffee varieties!

In wine, the grape variety has a profound impact. You may know "Merlot" or "Chardonnay".

But people don’t know much about coffee varieties. You may know Gesha coffee, but do you know the difference between Bourbon and Typica? Or why these varieties are so important?

If you don’t know or are unsure about the answers to the above questions, don’t worry. This article will introduce you to coffee varieties, why these varieties are important, what the varieties actually represent, and the main varieties you must know.

Why is coffee variety important?

The importance of coffee varieties depends on who you are: coffee farmer, barista, roaster, consumer. If you are a consumer, you may wonder why we need to know this information. It is just another label on the coffee packaging. Compared with the country of origin, origin, roasting degree, and processing method, is the variety really that important?

If it’s so important, why do only some coffee packaging tell you the variety?

Simply put, the coffee variety affects the flavor. Some varieties, like Bourbon, are known for their sweetness, while others, like Gesha, are known for their tea-like qualities.

But coffee flavor is not only affected by the variety, but also includes growing conditions, processing methods, etc. The uniqueness of high-quality coffee is also the beauty of a cup of coffee.

Coffee roasters must understand coffee varieties because they not only affect the flavor characteristics, but also affect how you roast the beans. Different beans have different sizes, such as "elephant beans" are very large, while "mocha" is very small.

And since roasting beans is a physical process, how to transfer heat to the beans completely is key. You need to understand the physical composition of coffee (especially when making blends).

Varieties are crucial to coffee farmers. The variety you choose will not only affect the flavor characteristics and cupping scores of the coffee beans, but also the cold resistance, disease resistance and production capacity of the coffee trees. The altitude and temperature of the planting area are all related to these.

Another reason to understand varieties is that Arabica coffee has lower genetic diversity, which means it is more vulnerable to disease and climate change, and could theoretically become extinct in the future.

The most important key now is to combine or find more genetic varieties.

What do species, varieties, and cultivars represent?

Now that we know why varieties are important, let’s take a step back and look at what varieties are. The World Coffee Research Institute (WSR) points out that there are more than 100 varieties of coffee in the world, but the most important ones are Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

Specialty coffee shops rarely sell coffee other than Arabica, avoiding the rough and more bitter taste of Robusta, even if some shops offer "specialty Robusta". Liberian coffee is usually only circulated in the Philippines, Malaysia, etc.

Under the category of "species" is "variety", which is a variation of "species". For example, "Caturra" belongs to the Arabica species, and Nganda belongs to the Robusta species. "Cultivated species" are coffee varieties created by artificial cultivation.

Another thing that people may confuse is the difference between "variants" and "varieties".

Simply put, variety is a noun and variant is an adjective. However, since explaining both the vocabulary differences and the variety is complex, and this article is not an academic discussion of the variety, in this article we will just treat "variant" and "variety" as differences in words.

Coffee Varieties You Should Know

There are many varieties of coffee in the world, and we don't hope to explore them all here, however, here is a quick look at some of the Arabica varieties that are worth noting.

Typica - [Long-lived trees]

"Typica" coffee is the earliest discovered and most important coffee variety. This variety has existed for several centuries and has spawned many varieties. Notable "Typica" varieties include: "Java", "Elephant Bean", and the "Timo" hybrid (this hybrid will be mentioned at the end of the article).

The Typica variety was originally grown on Martinique Island. Currently, this variety is mainly grown in Central America, Jamaica, Hawaii Kona, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The World Coffee Research Institute defines this variety as: low-yield, high-quality coffee that is susceptible to leaf rust and pests. It is also often described as a clean, sweet and sour coffee.

The Typica coffee tree can grow up to 4-5 meters, with branches mostly growing horizontally and young leaves with bronze color. The trees themselves have a long life span, and there are even coffee trees as old as 50 years old.

The aroma and flavor of Typica coffee are relatively smooth, with a slight sour taste. When you take a sip, you can feel its pure and delicate taste and slightly medium alcohol content.

Bourbon - [characterized by a milder taste]

The Bourbon variety originated in Ethiopia. It is a natural variation of "Typica" that first appeared on Bourbon Island and later spread to East Africa and Brazil. "Bourbon" is a high-quality, medium-yield, and sweet coffee.

However, this variety has low resistance to leaf rust, coffee borer, and other diseases and pests. It is commonly grown in Burundi, Rwanda, and South America.

Bourbon coffee trees can reach a height of 4-5 meters. Their branches grow diagonally upward and their young leaves are green. Farmers usually cut the length of Bourbon coffee branches and leaves to about 2 meters to facilitate harvesting.

Although this variety is similar to Typica, Bourbon is stronger than Typica and produces more coffee. Coffee brewed with Bourbon has a milder taste and the right ratio of acidity and body.

Why do you need to know the Bourbon variety? This is the same reason as Typica: because it is the first discovered coffee tree species, and the Bourbon variety also extends to many other varieties.

Ethiopian Heirloom - [There are more than 3,000 types of coffee beans belonging to this category]

Although most coffee varieties come from Typica or Bourbon, coffee originally came from Ethiopia, and the Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK have confirmed that 95% of coffee genes come from Ethiopia.

There are more than 3,000 varieties of coffee beans grown in Ethiopia alone, and people usually choose a few varieties to plant. As for the native Ethiopian coffee trees, it is difficult to distinguish them because both the shape of the trees and the appearance of the leaves are quite complex.

When you see “Ethiopian Native” on a bag of coffee, it means the coffee is likely wild or comes from farmland with little human intervention.

The beans from the Yirgacheffe region have a unique and rich aroma and are the highest quality coffee beans among the native species of Ethiopia. The coffee beans of the native species of Ethiopia vary in size and aroma depending on the origin, such as Sidamo, Harrar, Jimma, Limu, Teppi and Kaffa.

Timor Hybrid - [Controversial hybrid]

Timo is a controversial coffee because it is a natural blend of Arabica and Robusta with a higher proportion of Robusta. This property gives Timo resistance to cold and leaf rust, but the cost is that its flavor and aroma are poorer.

For this reason, this unique coffee is used to graft many cultivars, particularly the "Katimo" and "Sachimo" varieties.

The Catimo is classified as a hybrid of the Caturra and the Timo, and the Sachimo is a hybrid of the Verasachi and the Timo. Examples of these breeds include the Castillo, the Columbia, and the Mashayesa.

Specialty coffee buyers often avoid coffees related to the Timo hybrids, but some producers, especially those in lower altitudes where leaf rust is more susceptible, believe that reducing the risk of disease is more important than coffee quality and price.

Gesha/Geisha - [Variety with very low yield]

The Gesha variety originated from the Gesha Mountains in Ethiopia, and then spread to Central America via Costa Rica. It is currently planted in small quantities in Panama, Malawi, Kenya, and Guatemala. However, it was not until 2003 that it became popular in Panama, and since then, the Gesha produced in Panama has become the most well-known coffee variety in the coffee industry.

Most finalists in coffee competitions use this kind of coffee. Last year, the bidding price for green beans reached US$803 (about RMB 5,549.93) per pound. "Gesha" has become synonymous with excellence and uniqueness.

The characteristic of Gesha coffee trees is that the distance between each branch growing from the trunk is relatively wide, and the green beans are long beans. "Gesha" has a very unique flavor: tea feeling, with the aroma of jasmine, orange blossom and bergamot, and delicate floral fragrance.

This coffee is best grown at high altitudes (the World Coffee Research Institute recommends an altitude of at least 1,400 meters). It has low productivity and requires careful care. Although it will get high prices in bidding, as long as producers grow Gesha outside of Panama, they will see the terrible thing of it dying from unsuitable climate and soil.

Yemeni species - [a species native to Yemen]

Yemen coffee is probably a variety that originated from Ethiopia. Since Yemen has been planting this variety of coffee trees since ancient times, it is called the native variety of Yemen. Yemen coffee has a variety of rich aromas, including the sweetness of the fruit, spicy flavors, and herbal aromas.

F1 Hybrids - [New varieties with strong disease resistance and high productivity]

The "F1" hybrid is a new coffee variety with high-quality flavor, strong resistance to leaf rust, and high productivity. It is usually only cultivated in advanced nurseries. It is worth noting that the "F1" hybrid includes the Centroamericano variety, which recently won the Cup of Excellence competition in Nicaragua.

The most important thing about "F1" hybrids is that they are generally more expensive and more difficult for producers to obtain. They are propagated (that is, replicated) in large quantities in laboratories at tissue culture farms rather than bred from seeds, and their seeds (F2 or second generation) are not of the same good quality as the parent "F1" line, which means that farmers cannot rely on the performance of the coffee trees. For this reason, the World Coffee Research Institute recommends that producers only purchase seedlings from reputable farms.

Caturra - [Suitable for intensive planting]

Caturra is a variety discovered in Brazil in 1935. It is a high-quality mutation of Bourbon. The tree is short, usually only 2 meters tall, with a thick and short trunk and many branches and leaves, but it has ordinary production capacity, ordinary quality and ordinary bean size. Caturra can adapt to a variety of planting environments.

In fact, World Coffee Research describes Caturra as "average yielding" which is a bit inaccurate. It is very susceptible to leaf rust and pests, and is commonly seen in Brazil and South America, but Caturra is very productive, about three times that of Typica. The green beans are smaller, with an average screen size of 16.

Catuai - [One of the most widely grown varieties in Brazil]

Catuai is a hybrid of New World and Caturra, combining many of the characteristics of Caturra: average yield, average quality, average bean size, susceptible to leaf rust and insect pests, and a short tree.

Catuai appeared in the 1949s and has a very high yield. This variety is suitable for planting in areas with strong winds and rains, but because the fruits tend to fall from the branches, they still need to be fertilized with plenty of fertilizer. The cup quality of Catuai is quite good, but the overall flavor is still relatively bland.

Maragogype - [Suitable for planting in plateaus]

The Elephant Bean variety was discovered in Bahia, Brazil in 1870. It is a mutation of the Typica variety. The Elephant Bean coffee tree is taller, even taller than other coffee trees such as Bourbon and Typica.

The seeds of this variety are larger, but the yield is rare. Although the beans of the Elephant Bean variety are larger and more valuable, if the planting altitude is not high enough, the brewed coffee does not have a particularly unique aroma.

Kent - [a strong variety that is resistant to rust]

The Kent variety is a mutation of the Typica variety that grows in India. It was discovered in the 1920s at the Doddengudda estate owned by an Englishman named Robert Kent in the Mysore region of India.

Kent coffee was very popular among growers in the 1940s because it is resistant to rust. Currently, Kent coffee is mostly grown in Tanzania and has a very high cup quality. The aroma of Kent coffee is fuller and deeper than that of Bourbon coffee.

Pacas - [mostly grown in El Salvador]

Pacas is a variety found in the Pacas estate in El Salvador in the 1956s. It is a mutation of the Bourbon variety. The green beans are smaller in size, with more branches and leaves growing on the trunk and with narrower spacing.

Since the fruits of the Pacas species mature more quickly, the yield is larger. The Pacas species is suitable for planting in lowlands, and its drought tolerance makes it adaptable to sandy soil.

The higher the Pacas is planted, the better its quality. The coffee brewed from this variety has a strong aroma. In addition to El Salvador, some areas of Honduras also grow Pacas.

Mundo Novo New World species - [a variety with a relatively fixed fruit ripening period]

The New World variety was discovered in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the 1943s. It is a natural cross between the Bourbon and Sudora varieties. The New World variety is also one of the most planted varieties in Brazil. This variety has strong growth and is resistant to pests and diseases, so the yield is also high. The aroma of the coffee brewed from the New World variety is milder.

Acaia - [Variety suitable for mechanical harvesting]

Among the New World species developed by the Capinas Agricultural Experiment Station in Brazil, the ones with larger seeds are the Acai species. The Acai species is the same as the New World species, with tall trees and short branches and leaves. If you look down from a high place, you can find that the diameter of the whole tree is also smaller. The aroma of the coffee brewed from the Acai species is roughly the same as that of the New World species.

Pacamara - a variety with low yield

Pacamara is an artificial cross between Pacas and Maraco. Its leaves are dark green with wavy edges. Pacamara is not produced in large quantities and is only grown in small quantities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The coffee brewed from this variety is similar to Typica, with a clean aroma and a mild taste, but with a lower body.

SL28—[mostly grown in Kenya]

SL28 is a variety discovered and bred in 1935 by Scott Laboratories (then the institution responsible for coffee research in Kenya).

SL stands for Scott Laboratories, and the numbers in the variety names represent the characteristics of each variety. SL28 is drought-tolerant, suitable for plateau cultivation and has a high yield. The coffee brewed from SL28 has a stronger acidity and body, and its cupping quality is also quite high.

SL34—[Extremely high yield and drought tolerant]

SL34 is a variety bred by Scott Labs in 1935. The coffee brewed from SL34 has a richer acidity and body, with a variety of different aromas, and its cupping quality is also extremely high.

The above is just an introduction to the many wonderful species in the world. There are still many noteworthy species, and new species are constantly emerging, with no end in sight.

Producers need to be more cautious about coffee varieties, and understand the planting requirements and risks of each variety through observation. When planting new varieties, they should consider them slowly and start by planting them on a small scale on the farm.

For coffee lovers, try as many varieties as possible, pay attention to their differences, and compare different varieties grown in the same producing area, or the same variety grown in different producing areas. When you know how the variety affects the flavor of coffee, you will love coffee more deeply.