Coffee Varieties and Characteristics: Catuai vs. Catimor - Are Hybrids Superior?

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Caturra and Catuai Varieties

The genus Coffea contains more than 120 species, typically evergreen shrubs or small trees with horizontal branches and opposite leaves. The fruit holds two seeds, one with a flat side and one with a groove - and yes, those seeds are the coffee beans we roast. Most Coffea plants prefer tropical forest habitats. Only about 25 species are cultivated for coffee production, and only 4 are used as commercial coffee: Coffea liberica, Coffea canephora, Coffea arabica and Coffea dewevrei.

Caturra

Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, with higher yield and better disease resistance than Bourbon. The plants are shorter, which makes harvesting convenient, but like Bourbon its production fluctuates from year to year. It does not require shade trees and can thrive in full sun, which is why it is sometimes called the "sun bean." Caturra suits cultivation at altitudes of 700-1,700 meters, and flavor quality improves at higher altitudes while yield falls. A yellow-fruited variety of Caturra also exists, though its flavor does not match that of Yellow Bourbon.

Catuai

Catuai is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, inheriting Caturra's advantage of a short plant. It addresses two weaknesses: it improves on the drawbacks of Mundo Novo, and its fruit is firm, which overcomes the fragility typical of Arabica beans. Unfortunately, its flavor is less complex than Caturra's. Catuai also comes in red and yellow fruit varieties, with red fruit statistically winning more awards.

Knowledge of coffee tree varieties is fundamental. Bean information usually includes a description of the tree variety, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different varieties helps build a basic picture of a bean when roasting, brewing or cupping it.

Knowledge Point

Arabica coffee is generally believed to originate in the Ethiopian highlands and is widely distributed across tropical regions. Through repeated mutation and breeding, it has given rise to a great many varieties.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share unreservedly simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month we offer three coffee promotions with significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Since variety is the theme here, it makes sense to taste what the classic Arabica families actually produce. FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate is the earliest discovered Yellow Bourbon, a mutation of the Red Bourbon line. Its beans carry the aromas of cream, peanut, toasted bread and sugarcane, rich and cleanly sweet, and they work in a pour-over, a moka pot or an espresso machine. The estate itself sits in Mogiana near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds the cherries.

For an old, pure Arabica type, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is Typica - one of the archetypal Arabica varieties, and one of the first to spread from Yemen to India, Indonesia, Central America and South America. Typica's flavor is remarkably even, mild and smooth, with an acidity and aroma that are full and pure rather than sharp; its great weaknesses are poor disease resistance and low yield. After more than 200 years in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, Jamaican Typica has evolved somewhat better disease resistance, particularly against coffee berry disease, though it loses its characteristic clean, delicate fragrance outside Jamaica.

And to see what an heirloom landrace can do, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gerdin Cooperative is graded G1, Ethiopia's highest grade, and washed in the classic way. It shows elegant white florals, citrus and orange notes and a green tea character - a vivid example of what the Arabica family can express.