What is the cultivation history of the Catimor variety? Are Yunnan Catimor coffee beans good to drink? What are their advantages and disadvantages?

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FrontStreet Coffee · Catimor: Cultivation History and Characteristics

What is the cultivation history of the Catimor variety? Is FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Catimor coffee bean good to drink? What are its advantages and disadvantages? How should it be brewed?

Most of the coffee currently planted in Yunnan is Catimor. This variety is a hybrid between the Bourbon lineage Caturra (from the Arabica species) and the Robusta species. The reason for planting this variety is that Catimor possesses Robusta genes, making it more disease-resistant than older single varieties, and it also has higher yields. Compared to delicate older varieties that have poor disease resistance and low yields, farmers naturally prefer to plant Catimor, which has created a Catimor trend throughout Yunnan.

The International Perspective on Catimor

From February 26-28, 2001, the Thailand Royal Project Foundation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization jointly hosted an event in Chiang Mai called "The First Asian Regional Round-Table on Sustainable, Organic and Speciality Coffee Production, Processing and Marketing." During the conference, Dr. Ernesto Illy, owner of Italy's Illy Coffee Company, mentioned in his speech "Factors Affecting Green Coffee Bean Quality" that Catimor coffee has poor quality. Although its 25% Robusta coffee genes enhance rust resistance capabilities, the quality is affected and diminished.

To improve the poor cupping reputation of Catimor (also known as Catidimo or Catimor), botanists from various countries in recent years have returned to cross-breeding Arabica with Catimor across multiple generations, attempting to reduce the Robusta heritage while enhancing the elegant flavors of Arabica. This has led to the development of new-generation Catimor varieties, including [CatimorH528], [CatimorH306], as well as Costa Rica's [CatimorT5175] and [CatimorT8667]. However, Costa Rica has abandoned Catimor cultivation, focusing instead on the Caturra variety and exporting improved Catimor to Asian producing countries. There are countless Catimor lineages, with different cupping results and characteristics. Despite years of improvement, Catimor has still not reached the top thirty in international cupping competitions. Catimor's greatest fatal flaw is that it performs comparably when cupped alongside low-altitude Caturra, Catuai, or Bourbon beans, but when planted at high altitudes, its cupping results are clearly inferior to Bourbon, Catuai, or Caturra. Whether Catimor can achieve premium status remains to be seen. We hope that one day a super Catimor suitable for high-altitude cultivation can be developed, stunning the specialty coffee world.

Technical Characteristics of Catimor

Catimor comes from a hybrid of Timor and Caturra, developed in 1959 by Portugal's Coffee Leaf Rust Research Center (CIFC), with research focusing on disease resistance and high yield. Catimor is high-yielding, with short plants that can be densely planted, and has reddish-brown new leaves. The Robusta genes inherited from Timor enable Catimor to better resist coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust, while also having stronger pest resistance. However, this is also why its cup performance is often criticized. Catimor fruit matures quickly and yields are high, requiring adequate fertilization and shade. Additionally, Catimor's high yield corresponds to a relatively shorter commercial lifespan, averaging only ten years. When planted at low altitudes, Catimor's cup performance shows no clear advantages or disadvantages compared to other commercial varieties. When planted above 1,200 meters altitude, Catimor's cup flavor is clearly inferior to Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai. Catimor was originally developed in 1959 and began being 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. Periodic coffee leaf rust crises in Central and South America have also promoted the application of Catimor.

Developed in Portugal in 1959 through hybridization of rust-resistant Timor and Caturra. It is early-maturing with strong disease resistance and much higher yields than other commercial varieties. For this reason, diligent fertilization and attention to shade are required. The descendants of Catimor T-8667 are relatively shorter, but have large fruit and seeds. Catimor line T-5269 is very strong and suitable for planting in areas with altitude 600-900 meters and annual rainfall exceeding 3000mm. T-5175 has strong productivity and vigorous plants, though it may have some trouble at too high or too low altitudes. In low-altitude areas, its quality is similar to other commercial varieties, but above 1,200 meters, its quality is much better than Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

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

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

Flavor Profile

Multi-layered and overall clean, with a relatively light body. The aftertaste has a persistent caramel sweetness with a hint of bitterness.

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