How to Identify Catimor Coffee Beans by Appearance Are Catimor Coffee Characteristics Inferior Products of Robusta Genes?

FrontStreet Coffee's Introduction to Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee

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Catimor is not a pure Arabica variety. It is a hybrid of Timor, which carries Robusta genetics, and Caturra, and because Caturra itself is a natural mutation of Bourbon, Catimor also carries Bourbon lineage. Compared with older varieties, it lacks aroma and flavor depth and tends to show relatively noticeable grassy and earthy notes. Its strengths, though, are disease and pest resistance, easy management and high yield. At its best it can produce 350kg of green beans per mu, more than twice the yield of older varieties, and it has become the main variety cultivated in Yunnan's coffee regions.

Catimor was developed in 1959 by Portugal's Coffee Leaf Rust Research Center (CIFC) as a hybrid of Timor and Caturra, with the research focused on disease resistance and high yield.

Catimor is high-yielding, with short plants that can be densely planted, and its new leaves are reddish-brown.

The Robusta genes inherited from Timor let Catimor resist coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust, and give it stronger overall pest and disease tolerance. That same lineage is also what critics point to when they question its cup quality.

Catimor fruit matures quickly and yields heavily, so it needs a generous supply of fertilizer and shade. Its heavy cropping also comes with a relatively short commercial lifespan, averaging only ten years.

Planted at low altitude, Catimor's cup quality shows no significant difference from other commercial varieties. Planted above 1,200 meters, its cup is clearly inferior to Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai.

Catimor was first developed in 1959 and began to be promoted in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. Its disease resistance and high yield earned it a place among Central and South American coffee varieties, and the periodic coffee leaf rust crises in those regions further drove its adoption. Catimor beans are oval in shape with a straight center line.

One more piece of history: in 1892, the French missionary Father Tian successfully cultivated coffee at a place called Zhukula in Yunnan, where 4 coffee trees more than 90 years old still stand today.

FrontStreet Coffee's Philosophy

In short, FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to help more people fall in love with coffee. We also hold three low-price coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Catimor dominates Yunnan's coffee regions, but it is far from the only thing the province has to offer. For an easy introduction to Chinese Arabica, FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small-bean coffee comes from the Baoshan region and is washed and medium-roasted. It highlights caramel while keeping some acidity, so it expresses the terroir of Yunnan clearly, with soft nutty and chocolate notes and a light plum acidity at a very approachable price.

If you want a more defined Yunnan cup, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan sun-dried Typica is the step up. Typica is one of the oldest and purest Arabica varieties, and growing it in Yunnan echoes the region's earliest coffee trees, which were also Typica brought in by a French missionary. Processed naturally and medium-roasted, it has more weight and a more pronounced sweet-tart balance, with citrus and berry notes, a hint of fermented wine aroma, caramel sweetness and a creamy finish.

For espresso drinkers, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa blend pairs Yunnan small-bean coffee with Brazil Cerrado. Brazil supplies the mixed-nut aroma and balance, while Yunnan supplies the chocolate and citrus. The result is an Americano with a balanced sweet-tart-bitter structure and a nutty, brown-sugar sweetness, and a latte with the smooth, creamy texture of almond.