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An Introduction to Colombian Coffee Varieties—Types of Coffee Beans from Major Coffee-Producing Countries

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Like Brazil, Colombia serves as a major coffee-producing country worldwide, with its exceptional geographical environmental conditions that seem tailor-made for coffee cultivation. Colombia has transitioned from relying on marijuana as its pillar agricultural industry to coffee as its agricultural cornerstone. With strong government support, especially after experiencing widespread coffee leaf rust outbreaks, Colombia has also embarked on the path of coffee variety diversification. Like other regions, Typica

Colombia: A Premier Coffee Growing Nation

Like Brazil, Colombia stands as one of the world's leading coffee-producing nations, with geographical environmental conditions so exceptional they seem tailor-made for coffee cultivation. Colombia transitioned from relying on cannabis as its agricultural pillar to coffee as its main agricultural product, receiving strong government support. Particularly after experiencing devastating leaf rust outbreaks, Colombia embarked on a journey of coffee variety diversification.

Typica: The Heritage Variety

As in other regions, Typica represents one of the longest-cultivated coffee varieties in Colombia, first introduced around the late 16th to early 17th century when a priest brought it from the French Antilles via Venezuela. Typica offers exceptional flavor with delicate floral notes, excellent acidity, and full body. However, due to low yields and high agronomic costs and technical requirements, most coffee farmers chose to plant higher-yielding coffee varieties instead.

Bourbon: The Refined Mutation

Bourbon, a mutation of Typica, is characterized by its rounder bean shape and superior acidity, exhibiting red wine-like characteristics. Bourbon was formally introduced to the South American continent in 1860, initially to Brazil as a replacement for low-yielding Typica, and subsequently spread to Colombia. However, Bourbon cultivation in Colombia remained limited, with only a few regions growing it. FrontStreet Coffee currently offers a Pink Bourbon from the Hacienda El Paraíso in Cauca department, which displays clean, clear flavors with lemon and cherry tomato-like acidity reminiscent of Kenyan coffee.

Caturra: The Compact Producer

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon. Its advantages over Bourbon include full sun exposure tolerance (no shade trees required), compact size (easier harvesting), and more productive branches (higher yields). In terms of flavor, Caturra is comparable to Bourbon. These characteristics made Caturra Colombia's primary coffee variety. Interestingly, Caturra was discovered at a plantation in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and subsequently screened by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo. However, experimental cultivation results in Brazil were not ideal. When Caturra reached Colombia, it thrived and was planted nationwide. FrontStreet Coffee currently features Caturra varieties in their Huayuena and Rose Valley offerings.

Colombia Variety: The Disease-Resistant Hybrid

To combat leaf rust, Colombia's National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé) developed the improved Catimor variety through multiple generations of backcrossing in 1980. Through multiple generations of evolution, the Robusta genetics became increasingly diluted. The Colombian government, emphasizing the differences from the original Catimor and to promote nationwide cultivation, named this variety "Colombia" after the country. The Colombia variety shows excellent performance in disease resistance and yield, but compared to Caturra, its flavor is somewhat lacking and is typically used for commercial commodity exports, making it one of Colombia's main coffee varieties.

Castillo: The Modern Solution

Castillo is a new generation of leaf rust-resistant coffee varieties jointly developed by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and Colombia's National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé). Cenicafé sought to further improve varieties to achieve higher coffee yields, greater resistance, and quality and flavor comparable to Caturra. After 23 years of research and testing, Cenicafé developed the fifth generation Castillo, which was officially promoted for commercial cultivation in 2005. Castillo is known for its smoothness, aroma, and citric acidity. According to blind taste tests conducted by Colombia's National Coffee Research Center, Castillo's flavor quality matches that of Caturra and Bourbon. Currently, Castillo cultivation is being promoted nationwide throughout Colombia.