Detailed Guide to Common Coffee Varieties from Global Growing Regions (Part 2)

With the continuous development of the coffee industry, coffee varieties have been cultivated through transplantation, mutation, and hybridization, giving birth to many new coffee varieties. Currently, many coffee varieties are descendants of Typica and Bourbon.

Caturra

The name "Caturra" comes from the Guaraní language, meaning "small," because this variety is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. Due to a single gene mutation, the entire plant is relatively small, shorter than Bourbon. However, the spacing between branches on the trunk is small, so the foliage is denser, and the fruits cluster tightly.

Additionally, Caturra shares similarities with Bourbon in its leaves - both have wavy-edged top leaves that are green. The coffee cherries are also round, primarily red in color, though yellow varieties can appear. The coffee beans are uniform in size and oval-shaped. Thanks to the small plant size, it can be densely planted, resulting in higher yields. It's suitable for high-altitude cultivation but is susceptible to coffee diseases and pests.

Around the early 20th century, the Caturra variety was discovered in a botanical garden in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and was then sent to the São Paulo State Agricultural Research Institute (IAC) in Campinas for research. Although Brazil's growing conditions were not suitable for Caturra cultivation, due to its characteristics of dense planting and high yields, it was introduced to Guatemala in the 1940s. Later, it was introduced to American countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, and Panama. It has now become one of the most important coffees in Central America and is often used as a "benchmark" for testing new coffee varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee offers a washed Colombian Huilan coffee, which represents an entry-level selection with mild, soft fruit acidity, featuring nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors. The overall balance is excellent with noticeable sweetness.

Catuai

The name "Catuai" also comes from the Guaraní language, meaning "very good," and was initially called "H-2077." It is an artificially cultivated hybrid variety developed by the São Paulo State Agricultural Research Institute (IAC) in Campinas, Brazil, using Mundo Novo and Yellow Caturra. Mundo Novo itself is a natural hybrid of Bourbon and Typica.

Therefore, Catuai inherits these characteristics: small tree form, dense branches, high yield, green leaf tips, slightly curved leaf edges, tightly spaced fruits, primarily red cherries, average-sized oval coffee beans that are smaller than Caturra. It's suitable for high-altitude cultivation and has strong disaster resistance, but is susceptible to leaf rust disease.

After pedigree selection in Brazil, Catuai was widely planted there, and later introduced to Central American countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. FrontStreet Coffee offers Catuai coffee beans from the Elida Estate, processed using the natural method. When brewed, you'll notice a slight wine aroma from the natural processing, with flavors of peach, raisin, and orange. It has caramel-like sweetness, a green tea-like mouthfeel, and high clarity.

Catimor

Caturra is a natural variant of Bourbon, while Timor is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta. Catimor is a hybrid between Timor and Caturra, resulting in the first generation F1 hybrid group. Therefore, Catimor is not a single variety but a group of varieties with similar ancestry that needs to be characterized through selection.

Catimor inherits characteristics from both varieties: the overall tree form is small with many branches, dense fruit nodes, and the coffee beans are long, thick, and large with slightly upturned ends. The leaf tips are green, and it can be planted at lower altitudes. Due to its Robusta heritage, it has some resistance to coffee leaf rust and wide adaptability, but is susceptible to the fungal disease Ojo de Gallo (Chicken Eye).

The creation of Catimor is related to coffee leaf rust disease, which devastated several coffee-producing countries in the 19th century. To combat this disease, Portugal's Coffee Leaf Rust Research Center (CIFC) continuously researched and developed Catimor in the 1950s, distributing it to various countries for selection and cultivation. Currently, it is grown in China's Yunnan province, Honduras, El Salvador, and Indonesia (where "Ateng" is the local name for Catimor).

FrontStreet Coffee's PWM Golden Mandheling comes from the Gayo Mountains in Aceh, North Sumatra. Using the wet-hulled method, it has flavors of toasted bread, pine, cocoa, and slight herbal notes. The mouthfeel is clean and balanced, with a caramel sweetness in the aftertaste.

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