What Coffee Varieties Are Mainly Grown in Costa Rica? Introduction to Obata, H1, and Villa Sarchi Varieties

Costa Rica's Premium Coffee Heritage

Costa Rica coffee has long been renowned for its premium quality. Although the country's total coffee production is not large, it places great importance on cultivating high-quality Arabica coffee beans, believing that only by producing premium coffee can it establish a firm foothold in the international market.

Therefore, in 1989, the Costa Rican government passed a law prohibiting the cultivation of low-quality coffee beans, making the country the only one in the world where growing any coffee variety other than Arabica is illegal.

Initially, the coffee varieties cultivated in Costa Rica were primarily Caturra and Catuai. The Costa Rica Tarrazú coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee's entry-level selection series are made from Caturra and Catuai varieties, processed using the washed method. When brewed, they offer light fruit acidity with sweet orange, nut, and honey flavors, and a smooth aftertaste.

Diversification Beyond Traditional Varieties

Although Caturra and Catuai varieties in Costa Rica offer high quality and yield, they are highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust disease. At one point, Costa Rica's coffee production was reduced by at least half due to coffee leaf rust. Therefore, in recent years, Costa Rica has begun cultivating more different coffee varieties through introduction and research. What coffee varieties does Costa Rica now grow besides Caturra and Catuai?

Villa Sarchi

Villa Sarchi was first discovered in the 1950s in the city of Sarchi, northwestern Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. Genetic identification revealed that this variety is a natural mutation of Bourbon, similar to Caturra, both possessing a single gene mutation that results in dwarf plants with small intervals between fruits, thus yielding higher production. However, this variety also has poor disease resistance and is susceptible to leaf rust, nematodes, and berry disease.

However, this variety adapts well to high-altitude growing conditions and exhibits good quality when planted at high elevations. Additionally, its fruits can withstand strong winds without falling easily, making it very suitable for cultivation in Costa Rica, where 80% of coffee growing areas are located at elevations between 800-1600 meters. It offers bright citrus acidity and complex fruity aromas. Currently, this variety has been introduced to Honduras for cultivation but has not been widely planted in Costa Rica. Furthermore, this variety has been hybridized with Timor to cultivate the important leaf rust-resistant variety T5296 (Sarchimor).

CENTROAMERICANO-H1

This variety, abbreviated as H1, is a first-generation (F1) hybrid variety, bred from crossing T5296 (Sarchimor) with Rume Sudan (an ancient wild variety discovered in the Rume Valley of the Boma Plateau in Sudan). Due to possessing genes from the rust-resistant T5296 variety, H1 has strong resistance to leaf rust but is susceptible to nematodes and other pests.

Additionally, the H1 variety has extremely high yields. In breeding evaluations, H1 coffee production was 22-47% higher than other Central American varieties. When planted at high altitudes with proper management, it demonstrates excellent quality. Currently, F1 hybrid varieties are relatively new in coffee agriculture. In the past 15 years of breeding, only a few coffee varieties (H1 being one of them) have been commercially available for farmers, and only in certain countries and regions.

Obata

This variety originally comes from Brazil and was developed through lineage selection by the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC) of Brazil. It was released in 2000 as a hybrid of Timor and Villa Sarchi. Thanks to its Timor heritage, it has strong resistance to coffee leaf rust and is suitable for planting at medium to low altitudes. Additionally, like Villa Sarchi, it features dwarf plants with high-yield characteristics. This variety was introduced to Costa Rica by the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) in 2014 and released for cultivation.

Additional Varieties

Currently, besides the varieties mentioned above, Costa Rica has also introduced and planted Geisha from Panama, SL28 from Kenya, and the Ethiopian native variety ET47, among others.

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