Typica Coffee Beans - Characteristics, Flavor Profile and Taste Description

FrontStreet Coffee: Typica Variety Introduction

Typica is the original variety of all Arabica coffee. It is said to have originated in southern Sudan, gradually thrived in Ethiopia, and was eventually cultivated in Yemen around the 7th century AD for commercial production. Typica was brought to the East Indies by the Dutch, and it was also the first coffee variety to reach the West Indies: Gabriel de Clieu planted it on the French island of Martinique in 1720.

The mature fruit of Typica is red. The variety yields relatively little and has extremely poor disease resistance, but its excellent cup quality keeps it popular around the world.

Arabica has two important subspecies: Typica, which some translate as Tiepika and which was widely cultivated in Central America in the past, and Bourbon, a mutant of Typica.

Typica is the original Arab coffee, known for its excellent aroma and acidity and widely loved. Early Dutch growers cultivated the tree in European greenhouses and spread it to Asia, Central America and beyond.

Because it is susceptible to leaf rust, needs many shade trees and yields little, bearing fruit only once every two years, Colombia, which once grew Typica on a large scale, has now mostly switched to the higher-yielding, sun-resistant Caturra or Colombian varieties. Pure Typica is now rarely available on the market. Through mutation and improvement, Typica has produced many varieties, and a great many fine coffees are its descendants, including the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain, Hawaiian Kona and Sumatran coffees.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Among all the varieties descended from Typica, Jamaican Blue Mountain is the most famous, and FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is the estate-grade expression of it. True Blue Mountain is grown only in defined areas of Jamaica's Blue Mountains, a range whose highest peak reaches 2256 meters, where year-round mist, wide day-night temperature swings, fertile volcanic soil and steady rainfall let the cherries ripen slowly and build up sugars and flavor. Annual output from the whole Blue Mountain area is under 2,500 tons, and Japan has historically bought more than 70% of it, which is why supply is so tight. Jamaica Blue Mountain green beans have been exported officially to China since 2003.

FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 comes from the historic Clifton Estate, where coffee has been grown since around the mid-18th century, at an average elevation of 4,300 feet (1310.64 meters). The best-known attribute of Blue Mountain is its balance: it has neither the sharp fruit acidity of some African coffees nor the heavy bitterness of a dark roast, but sits perfectly between sweet, sour, bitter and aromatic. The cup shows cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey and a light fruit note, smooth and round on entry, rich in sweetness through the middle and clean in the finish.

Brewed as pour-over, Blue Mountain is best at a 1:15 to 1:16 ratio with 85-88°C water and a medium-coarse grind, which highlights the cream, caramel and nut flavors while keeping the gentle acidity intact. It also works beautifully in a moka pot, where a slightly finer grind, hot water in the base, medium-low heat and removing the pot just as the coffee finishes flowing will emphasize the chocolate, caramel and nut notes and give a fuller body that stands up well in a latte or flat white.