Introduction to Coffee Bean Varieties - New World: A Natural Hybrid of Typica and Bourbon

Coffee is a craft best learned by tasting widely and comparing notes with other drinkers.

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to New World Varieties

The Origin of Coffee

The coffee industry long treated Robusta as Arabica's ugly sister, but when scientists compared their genetics they found that Robusta is in fact one of Arabica's parents. Arabica's most likely birthplace is southern Sudan, where Robusta cross-pollinated with another coffee species, Eugenioides, to create the entirely new Arabica. The new species then branched out and spread to Ethiopia, where it continued to propagate, which is why Ethiopia has long been considered the birthplace of coffee.

Having originated in Ethiopia, Arabica spread to many regions and, through repeated mutation and hybridisation, gave rise to a large number of varieties. Some were improved for quality and flavour, others for environmental adaptability, disease resistance and yield. Today dozens of varieties have been developed, mainly Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Pacamara, Catimor, Maragogipe, Mundo Novo, Kent, Amarello, Variedad Colombia and others.

Mundo Novo

Mundo Novo, also known as New World, is a natural hybrid of Typica and Bourbon. It yields heavily, is strongly built and resists disease well, which is why it is so widely planted.

Caturra

Caturra is a mutation of Bourbon with a relatively high yield. It grows shorter, which makes it easy to harvest, and comes in both red-fruited and yellow-fruited forms.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research establishment devoted to sharing coffee knowledge with enthusiasts. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee, and we also hold three coffee promotions with significant discounts every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Varieties like Caturra and Mundo Novo end up in the cup across Latin America, and Colombia is one of the best places to taste what they can do. If you want a straightforward introduction, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia Huila is a solid place to start. Huila province, in the southern Central Cordillera, is the country's most famous specialty region: a hilly landscape ringed by mountains and planted above 1,500 meters, where the most important rivers meet and bring abundant water and humidity. Roasted medium-dark, FrontStreet's washed Huila pushes dark chocolate and nutty sweetness to the front with moderate oils and a full body, and it is equally at home as a pour-over, a French press, a moka pot or an espresso base for an Americano or a latte.

For a variety with more exotic fruit and a modern processing method, FrontStreet Coffee's Frontera Estate Sidra uses an anaerobic natural process. Colombian coffee was traditionally washed almost without exception, but recent years have brought a wave of experimental processing, and anaerobic fermentation is one of the most striking. It goes by several names - carbonic maceration among them - but it simply means fermenting in a low-oxygen or oxygen-free environment, usually inside a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank where temperature, time and pH can all be controlled. The best-known variations are anaerobic natural and anaerobic washed. With the Frontera Estate Sidra, the oxygen-free fermentation converts far more tropical fruit aroma, and roasted medium-light it delivers a complex, intensely fragrant cup of passion fruit, grape, apricot and dried fruit through pour-over, cold brew, drip bags or a moka pot.

If you prefer your coffee as an espresso or a milk drink, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is the one to keep on the shelf. It was put together for anyone with a home espresso machine or a moka pot, and it combines the creamy nuttiness of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate bittersweetness of Colombian coffee. The extraction shows fine golden crema, it makes a rich, smooth latte with milk, and it is very friendly to beginners while also serving as the base for a standard Americano, cappuccino or mocha.