What is the Liberica Excelsa Coffee Variety? Flavor and Taste Characteristics of Large Bean Coffee

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When discussing major coffee varieties, people naturally think of Arabica/small-fruited coffee (Coffea arabica) and Robusta/medium-fruited coffee (Coffea canephora/robusta). Currently, the global coffee supply depends on these two species, with the former accounting for 55% and the latter 45%.

However, in 2021 and 2022, insufficient global stocks of these two crop varieties led to a significant increase in coffee prices, with Arabica coffee prices even doubling in the short term. The reason was that climate change caused droughts in various growing regions, resulting in crop failures. This also reflects the connection between weather disturbances and market prices, as well as coffee's vulnerability to abiotic stressors.

As global temperatures continue to warm, it will further lead to a reduction in coffee's plantable range. The problem of insufficient coffee supply in the future has become an issue that research scholars are continuously studying and discussing. For this problem, researchers have proposed three solutions: (1) migrating coffee to climatically suitable regions, (2) adjusting coffee cultivation methods, and (3) developing new coffee crops,重新关注那些被遗忘/未被充分利用的物种

Liberica Coffee: A Potential Solution for a Warming World

On December 15th, the academic journal "Nature Plants" published an article about Liberica/large-fruited coffee (Coffea Liberica) potentially becoming a major crop again in this warming world and era of supply chain disruptions.

Liberica originally grew in the low-altitude forests of Liberia on the West African coast, and its name comes from its place of origin, Liberia. This variety was not discovered and cultivated until the 19th century. Due to its excessively tall trees, harvesting is very difficult, so it has never been widely cultivated.

Beginning in the late 1870s, it emerged as a substitute for Arabica coffee in South Asia (especially Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia). At that time, Arabica coffee in these regions was suffering from the highly destructive leaf rust disease, which eliminated most of the local Arabica coffee by the end of the 19th century.

Liberica not only has good disease resistance but is also drought and heat tolerant, making it easy to cultivate. At that time, many in the industry believed that Liberica could replace Arabica and open up new frontiers in coffee cultivation. However, due to its poor flavor, its quality and taste were not welcomed by coffee sellers and consumers. By the early 20th century, with the introduction of Robusta and the expansion of Arabica cultivation, the Liberica variety was gradually forgotten, and few people mentioned this variety afterward.

The Rediscovery of Excelsa

Until recent years, researchers found that many coffee farmers in African regions began to grow a variety of coffee called Excelsa. The fruit size of this variety is similar to Arabica, and it can produce mild, smooth coffee with low acidity and bitterness but with an equivalent amount of caffeine. Currently, at least 200 farms in Uganda are growing Excelsa coffee.

This variety was discovered as early as 1903 and was identified in 1940 as a natural variant of Liberica, so Excelsa also belongs to the large-fruited coffee varieties.

Excelsa has the disease resistance and drought tolerance of the Liberica variety, as well as the ability to withstand low temperatures and even frost. Its yield is also higher than the Arabica variety. In terms of flavor, Excelsa does not have the extreme bitterness of Liberica. Its taste is mild, somewhat similar to the flavor of Ethiopian native coffee varieties, with soft fruity acidity, cocoa, nuts, and maple syrup notes, very close to the flavor of the Arabica variety.

Benefits for Coffee Farmers

Many coffee farmers who grow Excelsa say that the reason for choosing it is that it is a native variety, and the local terroir environment is very suitable for the variety's growth. Secondly, this variety has strong disease resistance and high yields, with each tree able to produce 30-60 kg of coffee fruit, equivalent to 4.3-8.6 kg of coffee beans per tree, which means more/stable income for growers.

Future Potential of Liberica Varieties

Researchers believe that in a changing climate, Liberica/large-fruited varieties (at least) offer the potential to grow commercially viable, perhaps high-value coffee in warmer conditions (and at lower altitudes) than Arabica. At the same time, they would also be more climate-resilient than Robusta varieties.

Although Liberica (including Excelsa) has an insignificant share in the global coffee market, the lower optimal altitude of Excelsa could be an indirect solution for farmers affected by climate change. Perhaps Liberica varieties (including Excelsa) may become the main force in future coffee supply.

Image source: Internet

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