Do Catimor Coffee Beans Taste Good? What Are the Advantages and Characteristics of Catimor Coffee Cultivation?

Understanding Catimor Coffee: Characteristics and Cultivation

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Is Catimor coffee bean good in flavor? What are the cultivation advantages and characteristics of Catimor coffee? Is Catimor a hybrid coffee variety?

Coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family, genus Coffea, which consists of evergreen shrubs. There are about forty species in the Coffea genus, but only three have commercial value: Coffea Arabica, Coffea Robusta, and Coffea Liberica. These three varieties are known as the "three major native coffee species."

Arabica accounts for about 70-80% of world production and is in high demand for specialty coffee. Robusta accounts for 20-30% and is mainly used for instant and canned coffee, with caffeine content twice that of Arabica. Liberica, due to its susceptibility to leaf rust disease and poor flavor, is only traded domestically in West African countries like Suriname, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, and is not popular worldwide.

Catimor's flavor is slightly inferior to Typica (though Typica grown at low altitudes can sometimes be inferior to Catimor). Catimor has good disease resistance and high yields. It was introduced from Kenya in 1991 and is now widely cultivated in the Lujiangba area. We purchase from coffee farmers and production bases, selecting washed Catimor from altitudes above 1400 meters.

Catimor is not a pure Arabica lineage. It is a hybrid of Timor (which belongs to the Robusta species) and Caturra (a variety of Bourbon). Therefore, Catimor has 25% Robusta bloodline, and its Robusta heritage determines its flavor defects: insufficient aroma, overall bitterness, tendency to develop astringency and stimulating moldy flavors.

Catimor is a high-generation variety with medium-short plants, vigorous growth, and stable secondary characteristics. The crown's terminal buds and young leaves are emerald green, the entire plant has dark green leaves, and the plant shape is columnar. It has short internodes, many branches, vigorous growth, wide adaptability, strong drought resistance, and some cold resistance. Under medium management levels, the average dry bean yield exceeds 200 kilograms.

Challenges in Coffee Cultivation

Coffee faces many challenges during growth, such as humidity, frost damage, pests and diseases, among which "leaf rust disease" causes the greatest damage. All things in nature evolve through natural selection, and coffee trees are no exception.

Therefore, the "Typica species" and "Bourbon species" mentioned in this article belong to the "species" category under the biological classification "kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species." Below this, they can be sequentially classified into "subspecies," "varieties," and "cultivars," which include both naturally occurring mutant varieties and artificially cultivated varieties for special needs.

Generally, what we see on the market as Arabica species is just a very general classification. The actual varieties are not subdivided, and we can only know that their upstream ancestors are Arabica species.

Origin and Development of Catimor

Catimor comes from the hybridization of Timor and Caturra. In 1959, it was developed by the Portuguese Coffee Leaf Rust Research Center (CIFC), with research focused on disease resistance and high yield.

Catimor is high-yielding with short plants that can be densely planted. New leaves are reddish-brown. Inherited from Timor's Robusta genes, Catimor can better resist coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust, while having stronger pest and disease resistance. However, this also leads to frequent criticism regarding its cup performance.

Catimor fruit matures quickly with high yields, requiring sufficient fertilizer supply and shade. Additionally, Catimor's high yield corresponds to a relatively shorter commercial lifespan, averaging only ten years. When grown at low altitudes, Catimor's cup performance shows no clear advantage or disadvantage compared to other commercial varieties. When planted above 1200 meters altitude, Catimor's cup flavor is significantly inferior to Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai.

Catimor was initially developed in 1959 and began to be promoted in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. With its disease resistance and high yield, it secured a place among Central and South American coffee varieties. The recurring coffee leaf rust crises in Central and South America also contributed to the promotion of Catimor.

Catimor in Yunnan, China

All coffee planted in the Pu'er region of Yunnan is of the Catimor variety. Baoshan City introduced Typica and Bourbon as early as the 1950s, which locals call "old varieties." Because these old varieties have lower disease and pest resistance and yield, and are more labor-intensive to manage, coupled with no significant advantage in market purchase prices, coffee farmers have switched to planting the new variety Catimor in recent years.

From the botanical perspective of coffee, Yunnan small-grain coffee has genetic similarities to the recognized excellent Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona coffees.

This variety belongs to high-yield and stable-yield varieties. Trial planting results in different ecological types have proven that as long as they are planted according to high-yield cultivation techniques, high yields will be obtained, with an average yield of over 150 kilograms per mu, and small areas can reach over 400 kilograms.

Yield Performance Data

1. Baoshan City State-owned Lujiang Farm planted 12.6 mu in March 1991. The site had no shade, with irrigation once during the dry season. Management and fertilization levels were medium to high. It bore fruit in 1993. The average yield per mu in the 93/94 season was 75 kg, 350 kg in 1994/1995, and 225 kg in 1995/1996, with a three-year average of 217 kg per mu, 36% higher than Typica and Bourbon (which averaged 160 kg per mu).

2. Yunnan Province Dehong Tropical Agricultural Science Research Institute planted 30 mu in 1991, with no shade and no irrigation. Fertilization and management levels were medium. The average yield per mu in the 93/94 season was 304.3 kg, 294 kg in 94/95, and 222.5 kg in 1995/1996, with a three-year average of 273.6 kg per mu, 82% higher than S288 (which averaged 150 kg per mu).

3. Ning'er County Coffee Company Gaitian Coffee Base planted 50 mu in July 1998. The site environment had no shade, management level was medium, fertilization level was low, but soil fertility was relatively high. It began bearing fruit in 2000. The average yield per mu in 2001/2002 was 285 kg, 340 kg in 2002/2003, and 293 kg in 2003/2004, with a three-year average of 306 kg per mu, 53% higher than PT and 91% higher than P4 (PT averaged 200 kg per mu, P4 averaged 160 kg per mu).

Flavor Profile

Flavor: Gentle acidity of mature cherries, medium to high body, with cookie and chocolate flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommends Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90 degrees
Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during pouring extends the extraction time, better extracting the nutty and chocolate flavors from the back end.

Flavor: Multi-layered, overall clean, relatively light mouthfeel, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste, with a hint of bitterness.

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