How Much Does Typica Coffee Cost? Price of a Cup of Typica Coffee and What Yunnan Specialties Are Worth Buying

The Lineage of Typica Coffee

The Rubiaceae plant family has no fewer than 500 genera, and the Coffee genus is one of them, made up of evergreen shrubs.

Within the Coffee genus there are dozens of species, but most have no economic value. Only three possess significant economic worth.

Those three are Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora (also known as Robusta), and Coffea liberica.

Humans have cultivated Arabica coffee trees for 300 years, developing 40-50 new varieties from them. These descend primarily from two main varieties: Typica (Var. Typica) and Bourbon (Var. Bourbon).

Over time, new coffee varieties have multiplied. Perhaps because there are too many to remember, it is worth stressing here that while old varieties may yield less, they often possess superior flavor.

New varieties frequently prioritize yield and disease resistance, which often diminishes flavor characteristics.

Typica Coffee Variety (Var. Typica)

Typica is the original Arabica coffee. Early on the Dutch brought these Arabica trees and cultivated them in European greenhouses before spreading them to Central and South America, Asia, and beyond. Many later varieties developed from these trees, so most specialty coffee varieties are its descendants.

Bourbon Variety

In the 18th century the French planted seedlings on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, then known as "Bourbon Island." A mutation occurred there, producing beans with curved shapes and smaller seeds, suited to high-altitude cultivation.

More importantly, these beans offered superior flavor, becoming a cornerstone of the coffee world and a treasure of the specialty coffee market.

Except for the Ethiopian variety (Var. Ethiopica), all Arabica coffee in the world today descends from these two varieties.

Other Notable Coffee Varieties

Maragogipe Variety

A descendant of Typica coffee, this mutation occurred in the Maragogipe village of Brazil. It produces yellow fruit with very large beans.

Catuai Variety

A hybrid between Mundo Novo and Caturra. The red fruit is called Catuai Vermelho, while the yellow fruit is called Catuai Amerelo.

Mundo Novo Variety

A descendant of Sumatra coffee and Bourbon varieties.

Caturra Variety

A descendant of Bourbon; originating in Brazil, it offers high yields and does not require shade.

Santos Variety

A descendant of Bourbon; first cultivated in Brazil.

Mokka Variety

A descendant of Bourbon; first cultivated in Java.

Timor Variety

A natural hybrid between Arabica and Robusta, sharing 44 chromosomes with Arabica.

Kent Variety

A mutation that occurred in 1911 at the Kent coffee plantation in the Mysore region of India. It resists leaf rust disease and is now widely cultivated throughout India.

Colombia Variety

A hybrid between Timor and Caturra; it offers high yields.

Arabusta Variety

Created in Ivory Coast by hybridizing Arabica (female) and Robusta (male); it does not require shade.

Catimor Variety

A hybrid between Caturra and Timor; it resists leaf rust disease.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste this lineage for yourself, look to Yunnan. Baoshan is one of the four major coffee-producing regions in China's Yunnan Province. Yunnan Typica coffee, Baoshan small-bean coffee, is a specialty of Baoshan's Lujiang region and a national geographical indication product, ranking among the finest coffees both nationally and globally. As a pure ancient Arabica variety, Typica, it has uniform, plump beans, a fresh and rich fragrance, and a mellow mouthfeel with a full body and no harshness. It shares its variety with the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee.

It has earned global recognition for its exceptional quality: in the late 1950s it was rated first-grade on the London market and given the name "Lujiang No. 1," and at the 1980 National Coffee Conference it was unanimously recognized as "the crown of national coffee."

FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Typica offers full assurance in both brand and quality. More importantly, it provides exceptional value at only 69 yuan per 227-gram package. At 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package makes 15 cups of coffee, costing less than 5 yuan a cup. If you want a clearer, more defined cup from the region, FrontStreet's 2013 Sun-Dried Typica uses the oldest post-harvest method, sun-drying, roasting medium for a more balanced body with citrus and berry notes, a hint of fermented wine, caramel sweetness, and a creamy finish.