I have often written on the blog that there are 2 coffee species cultivated in the world: Arabica and Robusta. The former is considered better, and its cultivation accounts for around 70% of global harvests, while Robusta, which makes up 30% of harvests, is regarded as an inferior coffee. This is generally true, but… not entirely. First of all, Arabica cultivation accounts for about 70% (but not the full 70%), while Robusta accounts for about 30% (also not the full 30%). Around 1–2% of global cultivation consists of lesser-known species: Liberica and Arabusta (a cross between Arabica and Robusta). Secondly, and this is what this article is about, Arabica has at least 120 different varieties and cultivars, such as Bourbon, Caturra, or Mundo Novo…
The situation with coffee is similar to, for example, apples. One might say that an apple is just an apple. But an apple can also be an Antonovka, Cortland, Gloster, Jonagold, or McIntosh. Coffee, or more precisely its species known as Arabica, also has many varieties. Not all of them are suitable for cultivation everywhere coffee can be grown. Some are similar to each other, while others are completely different. Some varieties may produce coffee that is slightly acidic, with citrus notes, while others produce coffee with chocolate notes and natural sweetness. Some varieties came into being as a result of natural evolution and the adaptation of coffee shrubs to the conditions in which they were planted, while others are the work of human hands.
The original Arabica variety was Typica. At the beginning of the 16th century, it made its way from Yemen to Asia, and then to the countries of Latin America. Typica is the base from which many other coffee varieties were developed. Its shrubs have a conical shape with a vertical trunk and reach about 3.5–4 m in height. Typica produces relatively low yields, but their quality is very high. It is cultivated in many parts of the world, although for years it has been gradually replaced by more efficient varieties.
The second Arabica variety is Bourbon. Like Typica, it also comes from Yemen. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was taken from there to the French island of Réunion, located east of Madagascar. At that time, Réunion was called Bourbon — and that is where the name of this variety comes from. Bourbon produces around 20–30% higher yields than Typica, but they are still lower than those of more productive varieties. The fruit of this variety is red-yellow, and the beans are relatively small. Their quality, however, is excellent. Bourbon itself also has several sub-varieties, such as Red Bourbon or Yellow Bourbon. In the постоян offer of Single Origin roastery we have an excellent Yellow Bourbon from Brazil.
Typica and Bourbon are the 2 main Arabica varieties. Other varieties, as well as all hybrids, are derived from them. As I mentioned at the beginning, there are more than 120 of them. Below I will describe the most interesting ones.
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Mundo Novo – a natural hybrid between Typica and Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in the 1930s. It is a hardy, disease-resistant variety. Mundo Novo produces high yields, but it matures somewhat later than other varieties. It performs well on plantations located at altitudes from 1000 to 1700 m above sea level.
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Caturra – also a Bourbon mutation discovered in Brazil in the 1930s. It has small shrubs, which is why it is sometimes considered a dwarf variety, although it produces higher yields than Bourbon. Its beans have light acidity and moderate flavor intensity. It can grow at lower altitudes: from 500 m to 1700 m above sea level.
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Catuai – a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. It produces high yields and is popular in regions with strong winds because its fruit holds onto the branches very well.
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Catucai – a cross between Catuai and the Icatu variety. Hardy and resistant to various diseases, including so-called “coffee rust,” which is the bane of many growers. It performs well in places with periodic water shortages.
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Pacas – a Bourbon mutation similar to Caturra, discovered in El Salvador in 1949.
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Pacamara – a cross between Pacas and Maragogype (the so-called “elephant coffee”). It originates from El Salvador. It produces low yields, but the beans are relatively large.
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Maragogype – the so-called “elephant coffee.” It is a mutation of the Typica variety, whose shrubs have huge leaves but rather low yields. Maragogype is sought after by connoisseurs, however, because its beans are very large (up to 2.5 cm), with a balanced flavor and natural sweetness. In the offer of Single Origin roastery we have a wonderful Maragogype from Mexico.
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Maragaturra – a rare cross between Maragogype and Caturra. It was created to obtain a cultivar with large beans and high yields. However, it is not particularly popular.
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Ethiopian Heirloom – a collection of varieties originating from Ethiopia, from the Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar regions. These are bright coffees with a complex flavor profile and citrus notes. All of these varieties are the legal property of the Ethiopian government and cannot be cultivated anywhere outside that country. In the Single Origin offer, there is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Sidamo.
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Charrier – an exceptionally interesting variety, discovered recently in Cameroon. It is probably the only naturally caffeine-free variety in the world (normally decaf coffee is obtained through a decaffeination process). It was named after Professor André Charrier, who spent 40 years working in the coffee agriculture sector on behalf of the French Research Institute for Development.
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SL28 – created in the 1930s by researchers working for the Kenyan government, whose task was to create a coffee of high quality and high yield. They succeeded only halfway, because SL28 is rather low-yielding, but of excellent quality. At the same time, it is both acidic and sweet, and enjoys great popularity among connoisseurs.
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Geisha – a variety grown mainly in the Boquete region of Panama, of very high quality and with an enormously complex flavor profile, with notes of tropical fruit, citrus, plums, and chocolate. The highest-rated coffees of this variety reach prices of up to $400 per 1 kg (of green beans).
As you can see, there are quite a lot of Arabica varieties (and I have listed perhaps 10% of them). Today, the deciding factor when a farmer chooses which variety to plant is disease resistance, especially resistance to so-called “coffee rust” (the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, which destroys coffee leaves), which is a major problem. Other factors include crop size and quality (in general terms, whether the coffee tastes good), resistance to pests (some varieties are more popular with all sorts of bugs, others less so), as well as the speed of ripening.