Typica Coffee Beans: One of the Oldest Varieties - Characteristics, Aroma and Mild Flavor

FrontStreet Coffee: Typica Variety Introduction

Typica, spelled differently in different translations and sometimes written Tipica, Tibika or Tipica, is an old variety of small-grained coffee with weak resistance to pests and disease, low yield and difficult cultivation. As a result, its price is much higher than ordinary small-grained coffee. It originates from Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plant is relatively robust but not tolerant of strong light. The top leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, which is why it is called red-top coffee.

The branches of Typica are relatively thin with large internodal spacing. When the tree bears fruit, the cherries hang like strings of beads with obvious gaps between each one. The leaves are small with thin flesh.

Typica means "typical": it is the representative variety of Arabica and the first variety to be transplanted from Yemen to India, Indonesia and Central and South America, where it flourished everywhere.

The ancient Typica is characterized by larger, more pointed beans, but after being transplanted to the New World it produced many different forms, including more oval and smaller-grained Typica.

Typica coffee beans have a very balanced flavor profile, and a mild smoothness is their greatest characteristic. The acidity of Typica is neither sharp nor variable, which makes it suitable for those who dislike acidity. However, if Typica is cultivated below 1000 meters altitude or in overly high temperatures, it can easily develop woody flavors.

This variety is considered the prototype of all variants and genetic selections. The Netherlands was the first country to spread coffee worldwide for commercial cultivation, and Typica was the variety involved. Typica fruit is usually red, and its cup quality is outstanding, although its yield is lower than that of other varieties. Many coffee-producing countries still grow Typica, which goes by different names in different places, such as Criollo, Sumatra and Arabigo.

Knowledge Point: The two ancient varieties, Typica and Bourbon, have been cultivated in the varied environments of the New World for three hundred years, creating thousands of variants and hybrid varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Typica began in Ethiopia, and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian lineup is the ideal way to taste the old-genetics character the variety is known for. FrontStreet Coffee Washed Yirgacheffe is the classic starting point, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clean, tea-like finish, at a price that makes it many drinkers' first specialty coffee.

For something more distinctive, FrontStreet Coffee Kafa Forest is grown in the shade of the Kafa forest at 1400-2100 meters, where the wild setting, microclimate, red soil and ample rainfall give the trees an ideal environment. Roasted medium-light, it is floral on the grind and bright with lemon acidity on the palate, followed by sweet orange and bergamot, with a gentle melon and nut sweetness in the finish and a green-tea-like body.

If you prefer a fruit-forward cup, FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Huakui is one of the most popular specialty releases on the menu. Grown in the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, across a 200-hectare farm using the traditional natural method, the cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days with regular turning and hand-sorting of defects. Roasted medium-light, it shows a subtle fermented-wine aroma, florals, citrus and mango, a full body, honeyed sweetness and a long finish.