What is Java Coffee? How Much Does Bolivian Java Coffee Cost?

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The Java Coffee Variety: A Hidden Gem

Common coffee varieties we often hear about include local landraces, Catuai, Catimor, Bourbon, Gesha, and others. However, there's one variety that might be less familiar to you: Java! FrontStreet Coffee encountered a batch of Java variety coffee from Bolivia, a paradise for coffee cultivation. This variety amazed FrontStreet Coffee with its floral notes and citrus flavors, reminiscent of Gesha coffee.

Java Variety's Gesha-like Characteristics

Locally known in Bolivia as "long bean," this variety gets its name from its elongated bean shape. Its official name should be Java, a fascinating coffee variety whose name strongly suggests connections to Indonesia. In reality, Java originated as a coffee tree species from Ethiopia's primeval forests, collected by local communities and then transmitted through Yemen to Indonesia, where it was named Java. Initially, it was widely believed that Java was a branch of Typica, but genetic comparison later revealed that Java is actually from the Ethiopian coffee variety Abysinia.

Java's Global Journey

After Indonesia, Java first spread to the nearby Timor island archipelago, then to East Africa's Cameroon, where it was first released to farmers for cultivation in 1980. Its introduction to Central and South America was led by breeding expert Benoit Bertrand, who introduced it to Costa Rica in 1991 through CIRAD (the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement). Panama was the first Central American country to officially recognize the Java variety, while its introduction to Bolivia came through Nicaragua.

Characteristics of the Java Variety

True to its name, the long bean variety features elongated fruits and seeds. Its young shoots are bronze-colored, and the plant grows quite tall but yields low production. Due to its outstanding flavor profile that rivals Gesha, along with stronger resistance to leaf rust and coffee berry disease, it's highly suitable for small-scale farmers to cultivate.

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