Caturra vs Catuai Coffee Beans: Understanding the Variety Differences and Flavor Profile

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There are many varieties of coffee. If you frequently drink South American coffee beans, you will certainly notice that many coffee varieties are labeled as Caturra or Catuai. So what exactly are these two coffee varieties with such similar names? FrontStreet Coffee will briefly describe the stories of these two coffee varieties in this article.

What is Caturra Coffee Variety?

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. It was discovered between 1915 and 1918 in a plantation in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A group of genes in the Bourbon planted in the plantation mutated, causing the plant to grow smaller (similar to dwarfism). This new coffee variety, which expressed itself in a new biological form, was called "Caturra" in the local Guarani language, meaning "small," and sometimes also referred to as "Nanico."

The Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil began selection in 1937. The Caturra selection process was called mass selection, meaning a group of individuals were selected based on excellent performance, the seeds of these plants were accumulated to form a new generation, and then this process was repeated. But interestingly, this variety was never officially released in Brazil, yet it had already become common in Central America.

Caturra's compact size allows plants to be planted more densely, and its secondary branches are closely spaced, enabling it to produce more fruit in the same space. This greatly increases yield per unit area. Additionally, because of its compact size, harvesting is also more convenient.

The most important advantage is that unlike ancient varieties such as Typica and Bourbon, it does not require shade trees and thrives in direct sunlight, which is why Caturra-type coffees are also called "Sun Coffee." Caturra is suitable for cultivation in areas at 700-1700m altitude and has stronger environmental adaptability than Bourbon varieties. The higher the altitude, the better its flavor quality.

Like Bourbon, it has the cyclical problem of production fluctuating every two years. It simultaneously possesses excellent acidity and aroma, with an overall bright profile and good sweetness.

What is Catuai Coffee Variety?

Catuai, as the name suggests, has a strong connection to Caturra. It is an artificially cultivated hybrid variety developed by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil, using Mundo Novo and Yellow Caturra, originally called "H-2077." Mundo Novo is the result of natural hybridization between Bourbon and Typica, first discovered in 1943 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Catuai inherited Mundo Novo's characteristics of high yield, strong disease resistance, and excellent cup quality, while also possessing Caturra's compact size, excellent acidity, and sun coffee attributes. Therefore, Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain. Due to its smaller plant size, it can be planted at double density during cultivation, and the dwarf plants make pest and disease treatment relatively easier. Catuai grows vigorously, is low in height, but is susceptible to leaf rust disease.

Because this coffee variety is so outstanding, it was named Catuai, meaning "very good" in Guarani. However, the variety initially called "H-2077" did not perform very well in cupping, only showing excellence in disease resistance, pest resistance, yield, and environmental adaptability.

Therefore, the São Paulo State Agronomic Institute conducted pedigree selection (continuous generational selection of individual plants) on "H-2077," which was widely promoted and planted in Brazil in 1972. Catuai's high yield also attracted Central American countries to introduce it for cultivation. However, research found that the productivity of Catuai transplanted to Central America seemed to have decreased.

Catuai's cupping performance is quite good. Catuai also comes in red and yellow fruit varieties, planted in different countries according to their characteristics. For example, Costa Rica introduced the yellow fruit Catuai in 1985. For instance, the Costa Rica Musician Series Beethoven offered by FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee bean product composed entirely of the Yellow Catuai variety. It has excellent acidity and a clean taste, importantly possessing fruity aromatics.

Why Do Caturra and Catuai Often Appear Together on Coffee?

Research conducted in Honduras and Costa Rica (tested by the Honduran Coffee Institute IHCAFe, selecting two lines to begin cultivation) found no significant productivity differences between Caturra and Catuai. Coffee estates in the Central American region had already planted Caturra as a replacement for Bourbon coffee, and then introduced Catuai for localized cultivation. Since Catuai already contains Caturra genes, their biological habits gradually became similar, making secondary classification within a coffee growing area increase labor costs. Therefore, when we purchase estate-level coffee beans from Latin America today, the varieties will often describe Caturra, Catuai, and others.

Today, Catuai is widely planted in Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and other Central American regions. For example, the Costa Rica Musician Series Bach and Mozart (Caturra, Catuai) offered by FrontStreet Coffee, Honduras Sweet Orange Estate's Catuai, Panama's Flower Butterfly (70% Gesha, Caturra, Catuai), and so on.

What Does Catuai Taste Like?

FrontStreet Coffee demonstrates using Catuai from Honduras Sweet Orange Estate:

FrontStreet Coffee: Honduras Sweet Orange Estate

Region: Honduras, Marcala region

Estate: Sweet Orange Estate

Altitude: 1425 meters

Variety: Catuai

Processing: Washed processing

To highlight the sweet orange aroma and pleasant acidity of this coffee during brewing, we use fine grinding, similar to fine sugar texture, with an 80% pass rate through a national standard 850-micron sieve. We choose a relatively high water temperature of 92°C, as high water temperature can extract the coffee's aroma and sweetness. We use a V60 dripper, which is a flow-through type that better highlights specific coffee flavors. This brewing aims to emphasize the orange-like sweetness.

This brewing still uses 15g of coffee grounds with a 1:16 ratio. After grinding, you can clearly smell the aroma of sunflower seeds and fresh berries. Pour in the coffee grounds, first inject 30g of water and bloom for 30 seconds. You can observe the coffee absorbing water, expanding, and releasing gas.

The second stage involves circular injection of 150g of water. The water injection after blooming is very important, as it basically determines the main flavor direction of this cup of coffee. Injecting water at a 1:10 ratio better highlights the coffee's sweetness. Wait for the coffee bed to drop slightly, then inject 60g of water to raise the coffee bed to the height of the second injection. End extraction when all coffee liquid has flowed into the lower pot, with a time of 2 minutes.

Flavor: Brewing this way, you'll smell the aroma released from orange peel and the scent of sucrose. On entry, you'll experience lemon acidity, orange sweetness, with a juice-like sensation. The aftertaste has brown rice tea flavor.

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