Types of Coffee Beans: List of Varietals

There is an astonishing array of types of coffee beans out there and it can be a little overwhelming.

Most people have heard of the main coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. You may have even heard of Liberica and Excelsa. But once you move beyond these top-level names, the list of coffee bean varietals is phenomenal.

After working with coffee for 15 years, we’ve decided it was time to make it a little easier. So, we’ve put together this easy-to-navigate list of coffee bean types, their characteristics, and their all-important taste profiles.

Read on to take your coffee bean knowledge to the next level:

Arabica (Coffea arabica)

Arabica coffee is the most popular coffee bean in the world, accounting for around 64% of global coffee production. It originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and has been exported around the world. Now, it makes up almost the entirety of the world’s specialty coffee market.

As the Arabica coffee plant originated in the highland areas of Ethiopia it requires high altitudes and is quite sensitive to high temperatures. It can also only be grown in what is known as the “Coffee Belt” – the equatorial regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

High-quality Arabica coffee beans should be sweet with chocolate, caramel, fruit, nut, and floral notes. However, the exact flavor profile depends hugely on the variety of beans, the growing location, and the processing method used.

Robusta (Coffea canephora)

Robusta is the most common variety of Coffea canephora and makes up around 34% of total coffee bean production. These days, most Robusta coffees are grown in Vietnam but it originates around the Uganda area in Eastern Africa.

Compared to other coffee bean varietals, Robusta has many things going for it:

• Easier to grow
• More tolerant of high temperatures and intense sunlight
• Higher resistance to disease and pests

The result is that Robusta coffee is much cheaper and easier to produce. But it also fetches a lower price.

Robusta coffee beans have a bitter, rubbery, grain-like flavor. They are also more acidic due to higher concentrations of caffeine and chlorogenic acid, as well as a lower sugar content.

That being said there are many high-quality Robusta coffees available. Millions of coffee drinkers around the world enjoy its bitter flavor, added to a dark, smoky roast.

Liberica (Coffea liberica)

It’s not that easy to find pure Liberica coffee these days. Of the roughly 2% of coffee production that is not Arabica or Robusta, Liberica makes up the vast majority.

Liberica originates in Liberia in West Africa. Here, the trees can grow up to 20m tall and produce significantly larger beans than Arabica or Robusta. However, it can’t tolerate much variation in climate meaning Liberica coffee cherries only really grow in Africa and Asia.

When coffee leaf rust decimated over 90% of the world’s Arabica stock, global coffee farmers needed a solution quickly. Many countries turned their attention to Liberica coffee plants with the Phillippines being the first to do so. Today, there are still a lot of Liberica plantations in the Phillippines.

Flavor-wise, Liberica has a very bold flavor similar in profile to Robusta, but it has a distinct smoky element. Some call it “liquid tobacco” so these rare coffee beans are probably not for everyone to be honest.

Liberica has a lower caffeine concentration than either Arabica or Robusta coffees. But due to a lack of distinctive characteristics, it is not always easy to find distinct Liberica from coffee farms.

Excelsa (Coffea dewevrei)

Until 2006, Excelsa was thought to be a coffee species in its own right. However, it has been reclassified as a variety of Liberica called Coffea dwerevei. Due to its very distinct characteristics, many people still consider it to be distinct from Liberica.

Originally from central Africa, it was identified in 1903 and has several key differences from C. arabica and C. canephora plants. For starters, it is a tree, rather than a shrub. So it requires vertical space to grow rather than spreading to the available space. It is also naturally lower in caffeine and is more disease resistant.

Excelsa coffee plants are mainly grown in India and South East Asia where they are often mixed together with the humble Robusta coffee bean.

It has fewer soluble solids than Arabica coffees so needs to be roasted at higher temperatures or for longer to release the flavors. At an optimal light/medium roast, Excelsa coffees have intense berry notes alongside other fruity flavors. Darker roasts release a sweet cream and chocolate style.

Ultimately the demand is incredibly small for Excelsa coffees. This coupled with the challenges of growing and processing the beans makes it unlikely to increase as a global coffee crop any time soon.

The varieties of C. arabica can be listed under four main groups:

• Ethiopian landrace
• Bourbon and Typica group
• Introgressed
• F1 hybrid

With a dizzying array of Arabica coffee beans, it makes things easier to put them into general groups first. This way, we can better understand some of their characteristics, as well as their genetic origins. 

This list of coffee bean varietals includes over 60 different types of Arabica coffee beans. You will find information on their history, ideal growing conditions, and their flavor characteristics. The flavors in the cup will vary greatly depending on the farm conditions so we’ve kept the characteristics as broad as possible.

We’ve listed the ideal growing elevation by latitude as many coffee merchants list coffee farm’s altitudes on their sales pages. This information will help you ensure you are getting the best coffee beans every time. As a guide, here’s a list of coffee growing countries in each band, all falling within the Coffee Bean Belt:

0-5º North & South: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, DRC, Burundi, Sumatra (Indonesia)

5-15º North & South: Central Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Panama, Peru, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Yemen, Tanzania, Malibar (India), Indonesia (except Sumatra), Papua New Guinea

15º to Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn: Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Thailand, Vietnam, South Brazil, North Australia

The variation in each coffee varietals’ characteristics can have a huge effect on how your cup of joe tastes. So knowing a little about what to look for will help you pick out the best whole bean coffee every time.

Most of the Ethiopian landrace C. arabica varieties originate from the forests of Ethiopia. They are associated with incredibly high-quality beans and low yields.

Ethiopian coffee is some of the most exciting coffee in the world and is a must-try for all coffee lovers. There are a huge number of “heirloom” varieties grown in Ethiopia today. Although how many are genetically distinct is unclear.

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Java		Large Beans	Medium Yield	Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant CBD Resistant	Rustic Bold fruit notes Slightly herbaceous finish	Learn More
Geisha		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant	Intensely floral and fruity	Learn More
Sudan Rume		Large Beans	Low Yield	CBD Resistant	Vanilla Tropical fruit Floral	Learn More

Java

As you can probably guess from the name, the Java coffee varietal is connected with the Indonesian island of Java. It was introduced to the island by Dutch colonialists in the early 19th century. Previously, this varietal was thought to be a descendant of Typica. However, genetic analysis has shown it is descended from the Ethiopian Landrace population called Abysinia. 

In the mid-20th century, Java coffee plants were taken to Cameroon. Here they noticed a partial resistance to coffee berry disease (CBD) – a problematic disease for coffee crops in Africa.

Growing Java coffee is a good option for smallholder farmers with few resources thanks to the combination of decent yields and tolerance to both coffee leaf rust and CBD. 

More recently, the varietal has been taken to Central America where coffee leaf rust is a problem. Whilst CBD is not yet an issue, farmers prefer to be prepared. This is where the high cup quality at high altitudes has been discovered.

Java is a good alternative to Geisha as it has high cup quality but requires less fertilizer. Plus it is resistant to disease, making it a very popular coffee bean. Today, Indonesia grows many different types of coffee beans and even has its own unique processing style – Giling Basah.

Geisha (Gesha)

Geisha coffee plants were taken from the forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s and initially studied in Tanzania. Then, in the early 1950s, they were taken to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) where Geisha was officially logged as a unique coffee varietal.

It was initially distributed throughout Panama as it had been identified as resistant to coffee leaf rust. But it was not initially popular with farmers due to brittle branches.

It wasn’t until 2005 when the Boquette family entered their Geisha coffee in the “Best of Panama” competition that this coffee bean varietal came to prominence. The competition was established to find the best quality lots from Panama and generate interest from buyers. The Geisha coffee received incredibly high marks and broke the record at the time for the most expensive green coffee per pound.

Since then, it has won several more awards. And now Geisha coffee is widespread across Panama and considered one of the best Arabica coffee beans in the world.

There are several varieties that claim to be “Geisha” coffee, all from the same area in the Ethiopian forest. But the Panamanian version is distinct and unique – T2722 is its official designation. It is written as either Geisha or Gesha as there is no set way to translate Ethiopian dialects into English.

Sudan Rume

The Sudan Rume (also referred to as Rume Sudan) variety was discovered in the Marsabit mountains of the Boma plateau in South Sudan. That was in 1940 but since then it has not been widely cultivated as a result of low yields.

Instead, Sudan Rume is mostly used as a parent or breeding plant for several Arabica coffee bean varieties grown today. It is coveted for its high cup quality and slight disease resistance but is definitely a case of quality over quantity.

As this variety is exceptionally rare, there is very limited information available. This is all part of the fun of Ethiopian coffee where there are a huge number of “heirloom varieties” grown, most of which are not genetically distinct and not much is known about them.

Typica lineage: Some of the coffee trees were taken to India and then onto Indonesia (more specifically, Java); or to the botanic gardens of Europe. The Europeans then took them to the Caribbean and Central/ Southern America.

Bourbon lineage: The other plants were taken to the island of Bourbon, now called Réunion, in the Indian Ocean where a natural mutation gave rise to the “Bourbon” variety. This was then introduced to the Americas through Brazil in the latter half of the 19^th century.

Both varieties of coffee beans were introduced to Africa in the 19^th century through various routes.

Typica and Bourbon coffees are associated with standard to high cup quality but are susceptible to disease. Today, over 97% of coffee cultivars are derived from Bourbon and Typica.

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Bourbon		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Sweet caramel notes Crisp finish	Learn More
Typica		Large Beans	Low Yield	No disease resistance	Fruity and floral Complex and elegant	Learn More

Bourbon

Bourbon is the original mutation from the island of Bourbon (now Réunion). Even today, it is still the most famous and possibly the most important of all the coffee bean varietals descended from it.

Coffee plants were taken from Yemen in the early 1700s to the island of Bourbon (now Réunion) in the Indian Ocean, hence the name. It didn’t leave the island until the mid-19^th century when missionaries were establishing plantations and missions in Africa and the Americas.

In the 1860s, Bourbon coffee plants were taken to Brazil. And, from there, it spread north into the rest of South and Central America where it is still farmed to this day. Here it was mixed with other Bourbon related varieties as well as Ethiopian Landrace varieties.

There are many Bourbon-like varieties in East Africa today but none are exactly the same as the Bourbon of Central and South America. The original Bourbon coffee has mostly been replaced by varieties descended from it which are more resistant to disease but it is still cultivated across much of the continent.

There are also red, yellow, and pink Bourbon coffee varieties which refer to the color of the berries produced on the plant.

Typica

The Typica coffee varietal originated in Ethiopia, probably in the southwest of the country, some time in the 15^th or 16_^th century.

From there it has been taken all over the globe: first to Yemen, then to India, and onto Java. The Dutch and French also took cuttings of the plant to the botanical gardens of Europe, from which it was transported across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, South America, and finally Central America.

Typica is known for it’s low yields, high cup quality, and susceptibility to coffee tree diseases. Along with Bourbon, it is the progenitor of many subspecies of Arabica coffee that have superseded it in many parts of the world.

You will still find plenty of Typica planted today though. It is most famously grown in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica, where it is simply known as “Blue Mountain” coffee variety. It is also known as “Sumatra”, “Creole”, and “Indio”.

Bourbon Varieties

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Caturra		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Sweet, like Bourbon varietal More fruit driven	Learn More
Villa Sarchi		Small Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Intense fruit sweetness Bright acidity	Learn More
Pacas		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Very similar to Bourbon varietal Slightly less sweet	Learn More
Venecia		Large Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Nutty aroma Sweet fruit finish	Learn More
Tekisic		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Sweet caramel notes Crisp finish Same as Bourbon varietal	Learn More
SL28		Large Beans	Very High Yield	No disease resistance	Immense complexity and acidity Reminiscent of summer berries	Learn More
K7		Large Beans	High Yield	Tolerant of Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD	Sweet fruit notes Moderate acidity	Learn More
KP423		Medium Beans	High Yield	Tolerant of Coffee Leaf Rust	Some sweet notes Good body Low complexity	Learn More
Jackson 2/1257		Large Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Maple syrup/ brown sugar notes	Learn More
Bourbon Mayaguez 71		Large Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Cranberry and brown sugar	Learn More
Bourbon Mayaguez 139		Large Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Blackcurrant, orange, and sugar cane	Learn More

Caturra

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon coffee variety. It was discovered in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil in the early 20^th century.

There is a single mutation that causes the plant to grow much smaller than Bourbon plants. Its name, Caturra, comes from the Guarani word meaning “small”. The small size drew coffee farmers’ interest as they could plant the Caturra trees much closer together, producing more fruit without needing more land.

During the 1930s, it went through what is called “mass selection”. This is where a group of plants are selected due to better performance and their seeds form the new generation. This process is then repeated many times to get the desired characteristics every time.

The selectively bred Caturra coffee bean was introduced to Guatemala in the 1940s but wasn’t widely planted until much later. It spread throughout Central America and was, at one stage, the most important variety in the region. It was also used as the standard against which all other new cultivars were tested.

The ability to plant in very high densities and in direct sunlight meant that Caturra was instrumental to the coffee industry becoming much more intensively farmed in the second half of the 20^th century.

It is also a parent of the “Catimor” line of coffee cultivars, used to breed a group of dwarf, coffee leaf rust resistant plants.

Other Caturra Varieties

1. Caturra Amarelo – Produces yellow Caturra cherries thanks to a recessive gene. These coffee cherries can ripen faster and drop earlier than those of red Caturra. However, the taste quality is considered to be a bit weaker than red Caturra.

2. Caturra Velmelho – Good cup quality and yield but berry production drops heavily after a few years.

3. Caturra Lerdo – A mutation discovered recently in Costa Rica, however the taste quality is low.

Villa Sarchi

Like Caturra, Villa Sarchi (also known as La Luisa or Villalobos Bourbon) is a natural mutation of the Bourbon plant that causes it to grow much smaller. It was discovered in Costa Rica in the 1950/60s and underwent a process of “pedigree selection”. In other words, individual plants were selected through successive generations to produce the optimal Villa Sarchi coffee bean variety.

Mostly grown in Costa Rica, these beans are best known for being well adapted to very high altitudes and strong winds. The name is taken from the town of Sarchi, Costa Rica, where it was bred.

Villa Sarchi is probably better known for being one of the parent varieties for the Sarchimor group of coffee beans. It was used to breed coffee leaf rust resistant cultivars that still had a good yield and cup quality.

Pacas

Like Caturra and Villa Sarchi, Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon which causes dwarfism.

It was discovered by the Pacas family in El Salvador in 1949. At this time, it was selected for a pedigree breeding program by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) in 1960.

Similar to the other Bourbon types of coffee beans, the main benefit of Pacas is that it can be planted more densely. The result is higher yields per hectare of land than the original Bourbon variety. It also thrives better in higher altitude growing conditions and is slightly more resistant to disease than Bourbon. Although it’s not enough to be considered a “disease resistant” variety.

Venecia

Venecia is a natural mutation of Bourbon that is well suited to areas with high rainfall. During the dry season, its harvest falls much later than other Bourbon varieties.

The Venecia varietal was selected for pedigree breeding in Costa Rica. However, it’s rarely planted as it’s very susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Tekisic

The Tekisic variety was specially selected and developed by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC). Starting with a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety in 1949, it took them 28 years of selective breeding before it was ready for commercial use in 1977.

The result is a variety that has a very good cup quality potential and a higher yield than Bourbon at high altitudes. The only downside is that it isn’t resistant to the major coffee diseases.

The name, Tekisic, is a combination of the Nahuatl word “tekiti” meaning “work”, and ISIC.

Along with Bourbon, this variety accounts for 70% of the coffee production in El Salvador. It is also very important to the coffee industry of Guatemala.

SL28

SL28 is the most well-known and highest-rated variety of coffee beans to come out of the Scott Agricultural Laboratories (now the National Agricultural Laboratories). These were set up by the colonial British government in Kenya in 1922.

The building’s name comes from its history, not its present-day use: During World War I, they were used as a sanitorium and war hospital and were named after the Scottish missionary working there, Dr. Henry Scott.

At the Scott Laboratories, individual tree varieties selected between 1935 and 1939 were given the “SL” prefix. There were 42 initially selected but only 16 or so remain in use today.

SL28 has now spread across East Africa and into Latin America. It was initially selected for its resistance to drought and for being particularly hardy – the plant can be left for decades untended and still be productive. Unfortunately, it is still susceptible to disease but its superb cup quality and yield make it a very important coffee variety for many coffee farmers.

Other SL Varieties:

The following is a list of other SL coffee varieties that are still found. Unfortunately, there is limited information available on many of them:

• SL1: Created from the first variety of trees selected at Kenya’s Scott Laboratories. This variety is hypersensitive toward hostile environments.
• SL2: A variety originating from a tree in Wispers Plantation near Nairobi. Similar to Harrar types of coffee beans, this variety has leaves with coppery tips but smaller berries.
• SL3: Bred from French Mission coffee from the Ona plantation in Kenya’s Solai region. It is very similar to SL2 – both varieties have low productivity and are hypersensitive toward coffee leaf rust disease. However, SL3 has a lower cup quality than it’s parent plant.
• SL6: A variety bred from one Kent tree, SL6 has medium-wide leaves with coppery tips. Due to its high productivity, this variety was a big favorite of the Scott Laboratory whilst they were testing the plantations.
• SL9: The origin of SL9 is unknown but coppery leaves indicate that the variety has been influenced by Columnaris, a type of coffee plant brought in from Puerto Rico in the 1920s. At moderate altitude, the productivity of this variety is good but the plant is highly susceptible to coffee berry disease.
• SL10: Originating from Harrar, Ethiopia, SL10 has higher productivity than its ascendants but the cup quality doesn’t measure up to expectations.
• SL14: See Typica varieties – jump ahead here
• SL26: A cross of two young SL3 plants, SL26 performs well at low altitudes. This variety has small leaves with green tips, indicating the Bourbon influence.
• SL34: See Typica varieties – jump ahead here

K7

K7 is used in breeding programs in Kenya and Tanzania due to its tolerance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease.

It was released in 1936 from Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya after 5 generations of selection for disease tolerance. Today, it is still found widely planted in Kenya and Tanzania but is rarely found outside of this region.

There was also a variety called K20 that was bred in Kenya from high-growing French Mission trees on Kiambu Kentmere plantations. The purpose of breeding K20 was to raise the cup quality, but the plant was highly receptive to coffee berry disease so it isn’t used for making commercial coffee.

KP423

KP423 was selected from the Kent population which is thought to descend from the original Bourbon seeds brought out of Yemen. Kent was cultivated in Southwestern India and first brought to East Africa in the 1920s as part of an intensive coffee bean selection process that was focused on quality and yield.

After being released in Tanzania in the 1940s, KP423 made it’s way north to Uganda where it is still a very important variety in Arabica coffee growing regions. It is tolerant of coffee leaf rust but highly susceptible to coffee berry disease.

Jackson 2/1257

Often referred to as Jackson coffee beans, the Jackson 2/1257 variety of coffee was named after a Mr. Jackson who lived in Mysore, India. He was a coffee farmer in the early 20^th century and found some trees on his farm that appeared to be resistant to coffee leaf rust. Although this resistance has since been lost, they were brought to breeding centers in Kenya and Tanzania.

Now, this coffee varietal is mostly found in Rwanda and Burundi although it isn’t entirely clear how it got there. Most likely, it was either through Kenyan farmers or another breeding center in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bourbon Mayaguez 71 & 139

Both Bourbon Mayaguez 71 and Bourbon Mayaguez 139 are commonly grown in Rwanda and Burundi. They are products of the same collection of Bourbon coffee bean varieties that came from Central America, through Puerto Rico to a germplasm institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1930s.

They both require very similar growing and soil conditions, but Bourbon Maraguez 139 has a higher yield and cup quality. Therefore, it is the more prevalent variety grown across the region today.

Typica Varieties

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Mibirizi		Large Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Notes of herbs, honey, and butterscotch Exceptional acidity	Learn More
Maragogipe		Very Large Beans	Low Yield	No disease resistance	Very receptive to local influences Pleasant dry acidity	Learn More
Nyasaland		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Intense floral aroma Almond notes	Learn More
Pache		Large Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Very smooth Gentle acidity	Learn More
Harrar Rwanda		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Fruity, heady aroma Floral toned acidity Wine-like style	Learn More
SL14		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Orange and tea	Learn More
SL34		Large Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Full-bodied Fruit and nut flavors Good acidity	Learn More
POP3303/21		Medium Beans	High Yield	Coffee leaf rust resistant CBD tolerant	Floral aroma Sweet fruitiness	Learn More

Mibirizi

Mibirizi is the oldest Arabica coffee variety in Rwanda and remains an important bean for smallholder farmers in Rwanda and Burundi to this day.

The origins of Mibirizi are not well known or documented. However, the most likely story is that the Colonial German administration brought it to Rwanda in the 1910s. The seeds introduced came from Guatemala, Central America and were imaginatively named “Guatemala”. Guatemala (the country) exclusively grew Typica coffee plants at this point so the new cultivar must be descended from the Typica variety.

This cultivar was introduced to Catholic missions across Rwanda but was particularly successful in Mibirizi, West Rwanda. It quickly became – and still is – very important to the region despite being susceptible to disease. This was as a result of its drought resistance, ability to grow with minimal additional fertilizer, and the exceptional cup quality.

Maragogipe

Maragogipe (also seen as Maragogype) is a natural mutation of Typica, originally found in the 1870s near the Brazilian city of Maragogipe. You will often see it referred to as Elephant Coffee or Elephant Beans due to the enormous beans it produces – they are the largest types of coffee beans in the world.

It is also one of the parents of the more common Pacamara variety.

You won’t find Maragogipe grown on a commercial scale due to lower yields and a high need for space. But Elephant bean coffee beans are highly sought after in the specialty coffee market due to their perceived higher quality flavor although they are not the easiest to roast. However, this quality is very much farm dependent rather than a universal rule.

Nyasaland

Brought to modern-day Malawi (called Nyasaland at the time) in 1878 from Jamaica, Nyasaland is one of the oldest Arabica varieties in Africa. It was initially a major part of the burgeoning coffee industry in Malawi in the 1880s but the industry declined due to the climate being too hot and dry for Typica varieties to grow. Plus there was an abundance of pests that were harmful to coffee plants.

Inexperienced farmers also failed to manage yields properly, causing huge drop-offs in production. This ultimately led to the abandonment of coffee growing in Malawi.

Nyasaland was taken to Uganda in 1910 but farmers there also struggled with the variety. Robusta was a much more successful coffee tree in much of Uganda and its widespread planting boosted the country’s coffee industry.

Recently there has been a resurgence in the growing of Arabica varieties, including Nyasaland, around Mount Elgon in Uganda. As a result, this has become an important coffee variety for smallholder farmers there.

Pache

Pache is a natural mutation of Typica which resulted in a much smaller plant. These dwarf trees have greater yields as they require less land so can be planted at a much higher density.

This mutation was first found in Guatemala in 1949 on a farm in Naranjo, Santa Rosa. Pache then underwent mass selection (where individuals are chosen for their superior qualities) and, from there, spread across Guatemala then onto other parts of Central and Southern America.

Harrar Rwanda

Harrar coffee was first brought to the Rubona Research station from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1950s. It performed very well across various trials and was eventually released to farmers in 2003.

There are many Harrar varieties of coffee, but Harrar Rwanda is distinct and has been gene sequenced showing that it’s descended from Typica.

In Rwanda, you will still find some Harrar Rwanda grown today. However, it is no longer recommended by the government as it dies back after a relatively short time and thus has a short productive life.

SL14

SL14 is one of the many variations of coffee beans to come out of the Scott Laboratries in Kenya. This particular variety is favored for its tolerance to drought and colder conditions having been selected from a single tree that was labeled “Drought Resistant II”.

Today, this variety is still important to the coffee industry’s of both Kenya and Uganda. However, it is very susceptible to coffee berry disease especially at lower altitudes.

SL34

This Scott Labs variety has a confusing history:

It was originally thought to have come to Kenya through a “French Mission”. French Missionaries called Spiritans established a mission at Taita Hills in Kenya in 1893 where they planted Bourbon seeds from Réunion.

“French Mission Coffee” was a name used for any Bourbon beans in Africa as they were spread through a network of missionaries. These missionaries distributed them to any settlers willing to grow coffee plants.

It was initially thought that SL34 descended from a tree at this original mission, however genetic testing shows that it is, in fact, descended from Typica.

SL34 has exceptional cup quality potential. However, it is highly susceptible to coffee berry disease and is only really found in Kenya.

POP3303/21

POP3303/21 is descended from trees from the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica, brought to Rwanda via Malawi in the late 19th century.

A population of these trees was selected from a plantation in Cyangugu, west Rwanda in 1972 as they displayed a tolerance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. They were then cultivated and carefully selected, with the POP3303/21 variety being released for commercial farming in 2003.

With a high yield, tolerance to drought, coffee berry disease, and resistance to coffee leaf rust, this variety is very important for Rwandan coffee farmers. However, it is prone to die back more quickly than other varieties.

Bourbon and Typica Varieties

These varieties were created by crossing descendants of both Bourbon and Typica coffee beans to create the following cultivars:

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Mundo Novo		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Very sweet Low acidity Very full bodied	Learn More
Catuai		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Fruity and herbal Bitter finish	Learn More
Pacamara		Very Large Beans	Medium Yield	No disease resistance	Jasmine-like aroma Juicy citrus Rich, complex finish	Learn More

Mundo Novo

Mundo Novo is a natural cross of Bourbon and Typica which was found in Mineiros do Tietê, São Paulo in Brazil. The seeds from these plants were cultivated in the Mundo Novo municipality (hence the coffee variety’s name), which is now called Urupês.

After it’s discovery in 1943, selections were made and the cultivar was released for farmers in 1952. Newer varieties were released in 1977 and it remains an important coffee variety for Brazil and Peru to this day. Although, it is not very prevalent throughout Central America.

Overall, Mundo Novo is a very vigorous and productive variety although it matures very late.

Catuai

Catuai was created by the Insituto Agronomico (IAC) of São Paulo State in Campinas Brazil by crossing the compact Caturra variety with the highly productive Mundo Novo. This gives a coffee plant that is far more productive than Bourbon, partly due to its smaller size, allowing it to be planted much more densely.

There are yellow and red-fruited varieties of Catuai coffee a when it was first created in 1949, it was considered to have a very good cup quality. However, this has now been downgraded and is considered to only have a good cup quality.

The Catuai variety was released in Brazil in 1972 after a pedigree selection process. From there, it spread into Central America and is still very important to coffee farmers in Honduras and Costa Rica, with a smaller proportion in Guatemala.

National coffee agencies frequently use Catuai as part of the breeding process for new coffee varietals. Their goal is to create cultivars that can be planted as densely as Catuai but which also have greater disease resistance and/or a higher cup quality.

Pacamara

The Pacamara cultivar is a cross between Maragogipe and Pacas that underwent incomplete pedigree selection in El Salvador. It is still mostly only grown in El Salvador where it dominates the annual Cup of Excellence competitions.

There is a similar variety in Nicaragua that likely arose from a natural cross of Caturra and Maragogipe which is called Maracaturra. The Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural technology attempted to select for quality and yield but the experiments were interrupted by political unrest in the 1970s. As a result, the variety has never been stabilized so is not a type of coffee bean you can purchase or try.

The “Timor Hybrid” comes from a naturally occurring cross of C. arabica and C. canephora (i.e. Arabica and Robusta coffees). It was discovered on the island of Timor in the 1920s, and then cultivated to produce hundreds of variations of the original plant.

These variations have been crossed with C. arabica varieties to try and create the desired combination of yield, cup quality, and disease resistance. The resultant varietals can be separated into three main groups:

Catimors: A large group of introgressed coffee varieties that include Caturra as one of the parents.

Sarchimors: Villa Sarchi was crossed with Timor Hybrids to create a wide range of new varietals. These have been placed in a group called the Sarchimors which makes up most of the other Introgressed varieties grown today.

Other Introgressed Varieties: There are a couple of introgressed coffee varieties that do not contain Caturra or Villa Sarchi as an ancestor. As there aren’t many of these they are in their own group and simply labeled as “Other”.

Catimors and Sachimors are not varieties themselves. Instead, they are a group of varieties that share the same genetic lineage. Generally speaking, the varieties are of a lower cup quality but have higher disease resistance.

Catimors

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Catimor 129		Large Beans	Very High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to CBD	Full-bodied Spicy notes	Learn More
T8667		Medium Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Lack of complexity Citrus and chocolate	Learn More
T5175		Medium Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	No complexity Chocolate and citrus notes	Learn More
Lempira		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Sweet citrus Low acidity Delicate body	Learn More
Costa Rica 95		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Light citrus Nut aromas Low acidity	Learn More
Catisic		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Some sweet fruit Low acidity	Learn More
IHCAFE 90		Medium Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Light nut flavors Low acidity	Learn More
Oro Azteca		Medium Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Sweet fruit notes Medium body Low acidity	Learn More
Fronton		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Bread and faint citrus Weak bodied and thin	Learn More
Anacafe 14		Very Large Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Some stone fruit notes Medium body Low acidity	Learn More

Catimor 129

Sometimes also referred to as Nyika after the area of the same name in Malawi, where it is predominantly grown. Catimor 129 is a selection from a Caturra and Timor Hybrid 1343 cross in Colombia that was brought to Africa through Kenya in the 1970s.

It was later brought to Malawi in the 1990s and selected for release to farmers in 2006 due to its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. This was part of a scheme by the EU to replace the Geisha and Agaro varieties for higher-yielding ones. It also allowed the farmers to control the diseases without having to spray with expensive fungicides.

T8667

Catimor T8667 is the name given to a Timor Hybrid and Catimor cross that came to Central America from Brazil in 1978. It is a rather short plant with big berries and seeds.

The “T” stands for “Turrialba”, where the CATIE research institute that developed the T8667 variety is located.

T8667 is an important plant used in the breeding of other Central American Catimors such as Lempira, Costa Rica 95, and IHCAFE 90. Many private farms conducted their own “mass selection” programs with T8667 to breed coffee leaf rust resistance coffee plants ideal for their region.

T5175

Developed at IHCAFE but never officially released for farmers, T5175 has the same lineage as T8667. It has also been instrumental in the breeding of other Catimor varieties.

Despite being well adapted to low altitudes and producing very high yields, the cup quality of T5175 is very poor. Plus, it requires a lot of fertilizer and is not stable from one generation to the next. All of this means it isn’t a particularly useful type of coffee bean for farmers to grow. Any benefit from disease resistance and ruggedness may be lost in future generations which is too much uncertainty.

There is a third Catimor “T” variety, the T5269 which is similarly not well utilized in the global coffee market. It is a strong plant that adapts well to growing at altitudes between 2000 and 3000 feet (600-900m) above sea level with annual rainfall of more than 120 inches (3000mm).

Lempira

Lempira is a cross between Caturra and Timor Hybrid 823/1.

It went through pedigree selection at the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) in Honduras. Today, this coffee varietal is mostly found in Honduras but there are small amounts in existence in other parts of Central America. It is well adapted to thriving in high temperatures and acidic soils, plus it has a very high yield making it a good choice for local coffee farmers.

Costa Rica 95

Just like Lempira, Costa Rica 95 is a cross of Caturra and Timor Hybrid 823/1. This cross was pedigree selected by the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica which is where individual plants are specifically selected from successive generations of the varietal.

Costa Rica 95 is particularly well suited to very warm climates and acidic soils, where it will produce high yields. However, the cup quality is poor.

Today, this variety can mostly be found as part of Costa Rica’s thriving coffee industry. The honey processing method, pioneered in Costa Rica, creates some gloriously sweet and exciting brews and is how you will most likely experience the Costa Rica 95 varietal.

Catisic

Another Caturra and Timor Hybrid 823/1 cross, this time selected by the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research. Their goal in cultivating Catisic was to create a high-yielding coffee variety that was well adapted to hotter climates and more acidic soils.

IHCAFE 90

IHCAFE 90 is a pedigree selected cross of Timor Hybrid 832/1 and Caturra, created at the Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE). It is very similar to the Catimor T5175 in that it’s well adapted to lower altitudes and has a high yield but suffers from poor cup quality and requires a lot of fertilization.

Oro Azteca

Oro Azteca is the selection of Caturra and Timor Hybrid 832/1 from INIFAP (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agricolas y Pecuarias), Mexico. As with the other selections of this cross, it is well adapted to hotter climates and more acidic soils.

Compared to some of the other Introgressed coffee varieties, it also has a superior cup quality.

Fronton

This Caturra/Timor Hybrid cross originates in Campinas, Brazil, and was later introduced to Puerto Rico where it is still widely grown.

Fronton’s first year of production is year 2, rather than 3 or 4 for which is the case for most coffee plants. It is well adapted for low to medium altitudes and is also resistant to coffee leaf rust. This makes it a very popular variety with smallholder coffee farmers in Puerto Rico.

Anacafe 14

Anacafe 14 is a natural cross of a Timor Hybrid 832/1 and Caturra crossed with Pacamara. It was first discovered around 1980 in the department of Chiquimula, Guatemala by farmer Francisco Manchamé.

After a few rounds of mass selection, a few plants were selected for their superior qualities and their seeds were bulked to create a new generation. This was done by the National Coffee Association of Guatemala (ANACAFÉ) and released to farmers in 2014.

The cup quality of Anacafe 14 is best when the coffee plant is grown at altitudes above 4250 feet (1300m). That said, there is some inconsistency with this variety.

Sarchimors

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Sarchimor T5296		Very Large Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD	Stone fruit Floral with caramel notes	Learn More
Cuscatleco		Large Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to Nematodes	Sweet spice Caramel and almond	Learn More
Parainema		Large Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to Nematodes Tolerant of CBD	Herbaceous notes Refined sweetness	Learn More
Limani		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Fresh citrus Some nut notes Can be astringent	Learn More
Obata Rojo		Large Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Mild and citric Lemon and cocoa	Learn More
IAPAR 59		Medium Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to Nematodes	Plum and caramel Full bodied Mild acidity	Learn More
Marsellesa		Medium Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD	Citrus and floral aromas High acidity	Learn More

Sarchimor T5296

Sarchimor T5296 was created in response to the threat of coffee leaf rust in South America. It is a cross of Timor Hybrid 832/2 and Villa Sarchi.

There are 2 pedigree selections of T5296 grown in Central America: Paranaima and Cuscatleco, created in Honduras and El Salvador respectively. But it has mostly been used to cross with Ethiopian Landrace varieties to create F1 hybrids.

This is where Sarchimor T5296 excels: as a coffee breeding plant. But, for coffee farmers, it is not recommended as it isn’t stable from generation to generation.

Cuscatleco

Cuscatleco is a pedigree selection of the Sarchimor T5296 variety created in El Salvador by the Fundación Salvadoreña para Investigaciones en Café (PROCAFÉ). It is particularly well suited to being grown at medium altitudes and is resistant to some of the major coffee plant diseases.

Parainema

Another pedigree selection of Sarchimor T5296, this one was selected by Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE), Honduras. As with Cuscatleco, Parainema is well suited to medium elevation growing and is resistant to some diseases

Limani

Limani is an elusive Puerto Rican coffee variety, created by crossing Villa Sarchi and Timor Hybrid 832/2.

Estación Experimental Agrícola (EEA) in Puerto Rico created this selection using a population from Brazil. It was then released for commercial farming in 1994 as it showed resistance to coffee leaf rust and good yield potential. But it has since proven to be difficult to predict exact results from this coffee plant.

Even from the release in 1994, there have been coffee trees labeled as Limani that don’t show the characteristics you’d expect, especially with regards to disease resistance. Farms with “true” Limani coffee will find success mainly at medium altitudes.

Obata Rojo

Obata Rojo is a pedigree selection of a Villa Sarchi and Timor Hybrid 832/2 cross made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil. It was initially released in Brazil in 2000. More recently, it was brought to Costa Rica by the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) where it was released for commercial use in 2014.

Overall, Obata Rojo is a high yielding variety with resistance to coffee leaf rust.

IAPAR 59

A pedigree selection from another cross using Timor Hybrid 832/2 and Villa Sarchi. This selection was made by Instituto Agronômico do Paraná (IAPAR) in Brazil. IAPAR 59 is high yielding and has some disease resistance but it has a lower cup quality than Obata Rojo.

Marsellesa

This is the same cross as IAPAR 59 and Obata Rojo, but Marsellesa was selected by the CIRAD-ECOM joint partnership in Nicaragua, primarily for leaf rust resistance. This variety has a notably high acidity in the cup and, like the others, is well suited to medium altitude growing.

Other Introgressed Varieties

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Batian		Very Large Beans	High Yield	Tolerant of Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to CBD	Full-bodied and sweet Complex Good acidity	Learn More
RAB C15		Large Beans	Very High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to CBD	Floral aromas Bright berry notes	Learn More
S795		Large Beans	Medium Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Brown sugar and maple syrup Subtle cocoa notes Mellow acidity	Learn More

Batian

Created in Ruiru, Kenya by the Coffee Research Institute, Batian is a high-yielding variety that is resistant to disease and produces very good cup quality.

Batian was selected from fifth-generation seeds of the male line of some Ruiru 11 offspring. It is a composite variety, meaning it mixes more than two genetic lines. The varieties involved in the original crosses are SL28, SL34, Rume Sudan, N39, K7, SL4, and the Timor Hybrid.

It was released in Kenya in 2010 and is ideal for smallholder coffee farmers due to its disease resistance, tall height, and high yield. This means it needs minimal management and can deal with adverse weather conditions.

RAB C15

Released by the Rwandan Agricultural Board (RAB) in 2015, RAB C15 is a tall, high-yielding variety that is resistant to disease and grows very vigorously.

It is a selection of the Indian Sln.6 variety that was created by breeders at the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) and released to farmers in India in the 1970s. Then, in 2010, it was shared with Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

Sln.6 was originally a cross of the Kent variety with a C. canephora clone S.274 which was then backcrossed with the Kent variety.

S795

S-795 (Selection 795) originated in India at the Balehonnur Coffee Research Station. It is a cross of the Kent variety and a naturally occurring C. arabica and C. liberica hybrid known as S-288.

Often referred to as “Jember coffee beans”, S-795 is very important in Indonesia where it was distributed by the Jember Coffee Research Center in Surabaya. It was bred for resistance to coffee leaf rust but is also very easy to grow and has a high cup quality. In Indonesia’s 2021 “Cup of Excellence” competition, 12 of the top 26 coffees contained S795, with the coffee beans placing 18th and 25th being entirely S795.

This is the most popular Arabica coffee variety to come out of India’s CCRI and is still widely cultivated today.

The reason these types of coffee beans exist is in an attempt to get the best characteristics of different coffee bean varieties. For example, trying to create a variety with high cup quality, high yield, and disease resistance.

With the F2 generation, the seeds of F1 plants tend to “segregate”. This means that the traits present in the F1 generation are more inconsistent in this generation so coffee farmers can’t rely on their presence.

This means F1 hybrids must either be cloned seeds or grown from cuttings as the seeds of F1 hybrids will not necessarily have the same traits as the parent plant. Farmers buying F1 seedlings must be careful to only buy from trusted sources.

F1 Hybrids can be broken down into two categories: Introgressed and Not Introgressed. Introgressed F1 Hybrids have characteristics from two distinct species like Robusta and Arabica. Wheras Not Introgressed F1 Hybrids are made by crossing only varieties of Arabica coffee beans.

The particular coffee types/ coffee variety chosen can make a big difference to what you get in your cup. It will also determine the farmer’s ability to build a successful coffee farm in their area. As technology gets more advanced, we will probably see more F1 hybrids being released to increase cup quality, yield, and disease resistance as well as the genetic diversity of the world’s coffee crop. With global warming becoming more and more of an issue for coffee growers, new varieties will be instrumental in ensuring the long-term viability of their livelihoods.

Introgressed F1 Hybrids

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Ruiru 11		Large Beans	Very High Yield	Tolerant of Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant to CBD	Citrus and currants Floral with winey characteristics	Learn More
Centroamericano		Large Beans	Very High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD	Stone fruit and sweet spice Berries and chocolate Citrus finish	Learn More
Nayarita		Large Beans	High Yield	Tolerant of CBD	Floral aroma Chocolate and nuts	Learn More
Evaluna		Large Beans	High Yield	Tolerant of CBD	Liqueur-like qualities Full bodied Delicate fruit finish	Learn More
Mundo Maya		Large Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD Resistant to Nematodes	Rich bold aroma Berry fruit notes Complex finish	Learn More
Milenio		Large Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust Tolerant of CBD	Watermelon and dark chocolate	Learn More
Starmaya		Large Beans	High Yield	Resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust	Mild tropical fruits Sweet notes Orange and lemon acidity	Learn More

Ruiru 11

The Coffee Research Station in Ruiru, Kenya created Ruiru 11 in 1968 in the wake of the devastating coffee berry disease epidemic that destroyed nearly 50% of the Kenyan coffee crops. Ruiru 11 is the result of an intensive breeding program in the 1970s to develop varieties that would be resistant to CBD.

The breeders were aiming to create a coffee plant that was compact to allow for intensive farming but had the high cup quality associated with the taller varieties. A process like this takes many years to get right with breeders crossing lots of different varieties to get the best characteristics of each.

The male parent of Ruiru 11 was bred for CBD resistance (coming from Rume Sudan, Timor Hybrid lines, and K7) and cup quality (coming from N39, SL28, SL34, and Bourbon).

Whereas the female parent was bred to add more protection against CBD as well as coffee leaf rust. They also wanted dwarf stature to allow for more intensive cultivation and higher yields, so they used some Catimor plants to achieve this.

The problem with Ruiru 11 is that to breed the desired F1 generation, the mother plants must be hand-pollinated with male offspring from the first cross, creating hybrid seeds. This means it is very hard to keep up with the demand for seeds as this is obviously very labor-intensive.

Centroamericano

The Centroamericano varietal is a cross between the leaf rust resistant Sarchimor T5296 and the Ethiopian Landrace variety, Rume Sudan. It was bred as part of a wider effort in Central America to increase the genetic diversity of coffee plants. The driving factor was that traditional American coffee plants have a very narrow genetic range, making them much more susceptible to disease.

Centroamericano was created by a consortium including a French research group (CIRAD), a regional network of coffee institutes (PROMECAFE), and a coffee genebank in Costa Rica (CATIE). In 2010, it was released for Central American coffee farmers.

In addition to being resistant to coffee leaf rust, Centroamericano is a high-yielding variety that has shown the ability to have very good cup quality when grown at high altitudes.

Nayarita

Nayarita is a hybrid cross of the leaf rust resistant Naryelis (Catimor-type variety) and an Ethiopian Landrace variety known as Accession ET26 which was stored at the CATIE facility in Central America. The selection was made by ECOM-CIRAD in Nicaragua.

Whilst the leaf rust resistance hasn’t been maintained, the high cup quality and high yield qualities have been. Plus, there is some tolerance to coffee berry disease (CBD) so it is still planted by farmers today.

Evaluna

Similar to Nayarita, Evaluna is made from a cross of Narylis and an Ethiopian Landrace variety from CATIE known as Accession ET06. (Yes, the people who name the different types of coffee beans have a wild imagination).

As with some other F1 hybrids, this is part of a larger program of genetic diversification of coffee plants in Central America. Although the resistance to coffee leaf rust isn’t present in this variety, the high yield and cup quality make it a valuable variety for farmers.

Mundo Maya

Mundo Maya is a cross between the rust resistant Sarchimor T5296 and an Ethiopian Landrace variety known as accession ET01. The selection of this variety was done by ECOM-CIRAD in Nicaragua. In addition to being resistant to leaf rust, it is also tolerant of coffee berry disease, and resistant to some nematodes.

This particular varietal is well suited to cultivation in forest conditions. This makes it ideal for coffee farmers who practice shade growing and other evironmentally friendly growing practices. It has also shown excellent cup quality when grown above 4265 feet (1300m).

Milenio

Another cross that is well suited to forest conditions, Milenio also has very good cup quality above 4265 feet (1300m) of elevation. However, it does need high-quality soil in order to thrive.

This varietal is created from a cross of Sarchimor T5296 and the Ethiopian Landrace variety, Rume Sudan. Sarchimor T5296 was used for disease resistance with the cup quality coming from Rume Sudan.

Starmaya

Starmaya is the only F1 variety in the world that is propagated by seed as opposed to cloning or other complex lab-based methods.

In the late 1990s, scientists figured out that if the male parent of the cross was sterile then the seeds would have to be the original male x female cross, backcrossed with the female parent creating the desired F1 cross in the seeds. This means that F1 seeds can be created at the farms which is obviously much cheaper and easier than creating F1 seeds in the labs.

A sterile Ethiopian Landrace variety found on a farm in La Cumpida, Nicaragua was crossed with Marsellesa (for leaf rust resistance). After good performance in field testing, it was released for farmers under the name Starmaya. Though it is propagated by seed, around 15% of the trees planted won’t be the same as the rest of the crop in terms of look or characteristics.

Not Introgressed F1 Hybrids

Variety	Potential Cup Quality	Bean Size	Yield	Disease Resistance	Flavor Profile
Casiopea		Large Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Very floral on the nose Strawberry/raspberry notes Long, complex finish	Learn More
H3		Large Beans	High Yield	No disease resistance	Chocolate and sweet spice	Learn More

Casiopea

Casiopea is a cross of Caturra and the Ethiopian Landrace variety, accession ET41 (part of the Ethiopian Landrace collection at CATIE). This coffee variety was bred as part of the wider scheme to increase genetic diversity across coffee plants in Central America.

Whilst Casiopea doesn’t have the disease resistance of the introgressed F1 hybrids, it does show exceptional cup quality at altitudes over 4265 feet (1300m). It is also a high-yielding option.

H3

H3 is another Caturra cross, this time with Ethiopian Landrace variety, accession E531. As with Casiopea, genetic diversity is the goal and there is no disease resistance, although the yield and cup quality are both excellent.

This H1 hybrid variety is unusual in that it falls somewhere between dwarf and full height. That said, this doesn’t really impact planting density or yield.

There are conflicting accounts on the exact region but it is thought to come from either the Highlands of Harrar (east Ethiopia) or the Highlands of Kaffa (south). In terms of the drink’s origin, there are many myths, but do we know that by the 15th century, drinking coffee was popular in Yemen.  

Carl Von Linné, a Swede and father of the modern taxonomy system for classifying living organisms described C. arabica, naming the plant Coffea Arabica or “Arabian Coffee”. At the time, Europeans didn’t know the plant’s origins but because they bought it from Arabia they assumed that was coffee’s place of origin.

Typica and Bourbon are considered the two oldest C. arabica coffee bean types. Typica is almost certainly the oldest as Bourbon is a natural mutation of Typica. Today, most modern Arabica coffee beans are descended from Typica, Bourbon, or both.

In 1862, Robusta (a type of C. canephora) was discovered by two British explorers – Richard Burton and John Speake. They were in Uganda searching for sources of the Nile River when they discovered the plant being used by the Buganda tribesman for one of their rituals.

Emil Laurent later rediscovered it in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Around the turn of the 20^th century, many different varieties of C. canephora were taken to Java, Indonesia to study. Robusta coffee beans, therefore, became the main variety of C. canephora in Indonesia.

From 1905-1910, Robusta coffees were planted around the globe, replacing much of the dominant C. liberica and C. arabica plants. The rapid expansion was down to its resistance to coffee leaf rust which had been devastating crops since 1886.

The name “Robusta” comes from a Belgian company that used the name to market their coffee.

• Can grow up to 20ft (6m) in height
• Will produce a crop in its 3rd-5th year, depending on the type of coffee beans being grown
• Has dark green, sinewy oblong leaves that are leathery to touch (younger leaves can be bright green on bronze)
• Produces white flowers that grow in clusters and smell like jasmine blossoms

The flowers on C. arabica take 6-9 months to develop into berries (9-11 months for C. canephora, 10-12 months for C. liberica). The exact time depends on variety, weather conditions, growing altitude, level of shade, and many other conditions that vary greatly from farm to farm.

Technically, coffee plants produce drupes, not berries. However, they are often referred to as cherries due to their resemblance to the fruit. Each coffee cherry has 2 seeds, although around 5% produce only one seed known as a peaberry. After processing, the seeds are known as coffee beans.

One hectare of land can support 2500 to 3300 C. arabica trees and each tree produces 3.3 to 5.5lbs (1.4-2.5kg) of cherries per year. However, it is only possible to get around 19% of that weight in green coffee beans. So 100lbs of cherries will provide 19lbs of green coffee.

C. arabica grows in two climate zones: subtropical and tropical.

In the subtropics (latitudes of 16-24°), there is a clear wet and dry season and growing heights tend to be slightly lower. This climate means the coffee plant will flower in the rainy season and the ripened cherries can be harvested and processed in the dry season. There will then be a short, cooler period before the next blossom.

The most excellent Arabica coffees from the subtropical zone are grown away from large bodies of water. The dry season allows for slower drying of the cherries, giving a fuller body with medium to light acidity.

In the tropical zone (below 10° latitude), growing heights tend to be much higher, resulting in large variation in temperatures and intensity of sunlight. Frequent rain gives constant blooming and thus two harvests per year. The main harvesting period will be determined by when the “monsoon” season is, with another following a period of less rain. Both harvesting periods will last around 4-5 months.

Higher altitudes create more complex flavors in the coffee and higher acidity. If temperatures drop below 4°C the plant can be damaged or die. But constantly hot and wet conditions cause the blossoms to die which greatly reduces the crop capacity and quality.

Found in the tropical zone (below 10° latitude), C. Canephora grows at much lower altitudes than C. arabica. It can tolerate high temperatures and moisture much better than C. arabica but is almost much more susceptible to the cold.

Generally speaking, you’ll find the best Robusta coffee beans grown in low-lying areas which are too hot and wet to grow the higher-quality Arabica coffee varieties.

You could probably quite happily say there are only 3 – Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica (four if you include Excelsa). However, as you tumble deeper into coffee wonderland, you realize this is a gross over-simplification of the vast diversity of coffee beans grown around the world.

Don’t get us wrong, it would be a fairly insane endeavor to attempt to memorize all the different Arabica varieties along with their traits and flavor profile. But being able to look up a list of coffee varietals to see if the coffee beans you’re buying are actually going to be high-quality and enjoyable to drink, seems very useful to us.

So why not bookmark this page for the next time you are shopping online for coffee and they start listing the types of coffee beans available? Use it as a quick reference to see what you might be getting in your cup.

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4. William H. Ukers (2007), All About Coffee, Martino Fine Books, CT
5. Jean Nicolas Wintgens (2009), Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sustainable Production, Wiley-Vch Verlag GmbH Co., Germany
6. Judd, Campbell, Kellogg, Stevens (1999), Plant Systematics, A Phylogenetic Approach, Sinauer Associates, MS
7. David Roche & Dr. Robert Osgood (2007), A Family Album, Roast Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007 Issue
8. Willem Boot (2006), Variety is the Spice of Coffee, Roast Magazine, May/June 2006 Issue
9. Clifford M.N. and Willson K.C. (1988), Coffee:  Botany, Biochemistry and Production of Beans and Beverage, Croom Helm, London, 1985
10. Coffee Research Institute (2006), Arabica Coffee Bean Varietals, Available at: www.coffeeresearch.org/agriculture/varietals.htm (Accessed August 2021)
11. World Coffee Research, Variety Catalog, Available at: https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/arabica/varieties (Accessed August 2021)
12. Wikipedia, List of Coffee Varietals, Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coffee_varieties (Accessed August 2021)

Matt Woodburn-Simmonds

Matt's coffee obsession started in 2006 when working as a Barista. A tendency to turn up to work hungover kickstarted his coffee journey which quickly turned into a love affair. As he moved on to work as a Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, the obsession continued to grow. Now, his passion is helping others to enjoy better coffee at home.