Typica Coffee and Bourbon Coffee: How to Identify Different Coffee Varieties

Introduction to Coffee Varieties

You may or may not know what coffee trees look like, what Typica coffee trees are like, or how Bourbon trees appear. There are numerous coffee varieties, but it's not always clear how they differ. Beyond variations in flavor and profile, there are distinct physical differences between the plants.

Aside from the diverse forms of coffee trees, even the coffee flowers they produce vary in appearance due to different varieties. Let's examine the characteristics of these different varieties.

How to Identify Different Coffee Varieties

There are hundreds of coffee varieties, but approximately 70% of the world's coffee production is Arabica coffee. Although Arabica is more fragile than Robusta, its taste and aroma make it more attractive to most consumers. There are many Arabica varieties, with a few that are commonly grown for specialty and commercial use. FrontStreet Coffee uses certain physical characteristics (also known as phenotypes) to identify plants, but not as a comprehensive reference.

First, we can understand and identify them from these aspects: plant size (tall or compact), leaf tip color (green or bronze), plant shape (conical or round), leaf shape (elongated or wide), shape and size of cherries and beans (elongated, round, or other, and small, medium, large, or very large), cherry color (red, yellow, orange, or even pink), branch angle, distance between branches (short or long), and distance between nodes on the same branch (short or long).

It's not always necessary to use all these characteristics to identify a variety, as some varieties have one distinctive feature.

Typica Coffee Tree Characteristics

Typica has distinctive characteristics and is probably the easiest variety to identify. The plant has a conical shape with a main vertical trunk that can reach 5 meters. This height indicates that the distance between branches and between nodes on the same branch is longer than other varieties.

The lateral branches form angles of 50 to 80 degrees with the vertical stem. Neither the trunk nor the branches are very thick. The leaves, cherries, and beans are typically elongated, and the leaf tips are bronze when young. Compared to other Arabica varieties, the leaf surface is smoother with fewer wavy edges. Typica cherries mature to bright red.

Bourbon Coffee Tree Characteristics

Bourbon has the same size and conical shape as Typica but is denser with more secondary branches. The main trunk is larger, and the branches appear thicker, making the plant more robust than Typica. The distance between branches and nodes is also slightly shorter. This increased density means Bourbon produces about 30% more fruit than Typica.

The leaves are wider than Typica with a wavy-edged, uneven texture. Young leaves are usually green but sometimes can have bronze tips. The cherries are round and mature to a range of red, orange, or yellow colors.

Caturra Coffee Tree Characteristics

Many varieties are descendants of Bourbon and Typica. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that is much shorter and significantly denser than its relative. It has smaller distances between branches on the trunk and many secondary branches, making Caturra a more compact plant than either Typica or Bourbon.

Otherwise, it has similar characteristics to Bourbon. Its large leaves have wavy edges and green tips. The cherries are also round, average-sized, and mature to red or yellow.

Catuai Coffee Tree Characteristics

Catuai is a hybrid cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. Just as Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, Mundo Novo is a natural mutation of Typica. In Catuai, you can find characteristics from both Typica and Bourbon. The plant is relatively short, with lateral branches forming close angles with the main branches. It's rare to see secondary branches at the top of the plant, making Catuai more umbrella-shaped than Typica and Bourbon, which have conical shapes.

Catuai leaves are wavy and typically have green tips. The fruit doesn't easily fall from the branches, making this a good choice in regions with strong wind and rain.

Pacamara Coffee Tree Characteristics

Pacamara is a cross between Pacas and Maragogipe varieties, created by the Salvadoran Coffee Research Institute (ISIC) in 1958. It's not considered a stable variety, meaning the plants are inconsistent from one generation to the next. However, it has been widely developed.

Pacas is another mutation of Bourbon, and Maragogipe is a mutation of Typica. The latter has very large cherries, which it passed on to Pacamara. The fruit size and distinctive pointed leaves make Pacamara easy to identify. These leaves can have green or bronze tips. The plant is compact with a conical shape. The distance between branches and nodes on the branches is short, making it a dense plant. The trunk and branches are similar to Bourbon trees because they are thicker and less flexible than most other varieties.

Geisha Coffee Tree Characteristics

We can easily identify this highly popular variety worldwide by its branch angles and plant shape. Geisha coffee trees have branches extending toward the sky at 45 to 50-degree angles at the top. Geisha plants are tall with great distances between branches and nodes, and the trunk and branches are thin, somewhat like Typica. The leaves are smooth and elongated, and the cherries are also elongated in a similar way to Typica cherries. In my experience, the main obvious difference between Geisha and Typica is that the former has an umbrella or flat top, while Typica has a conical shape.

Mature Geisha cherries taste completely different from other varieties. They have citrusy, sweet, and jasmine-like floral elements. Different varieties of coffee not only differ in flavor and profile—they are also visually different plants.

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