Complete Guide to Coffee Varieties | Introduction to Ancient Coffee Varieties, Heirloom and Mutation Varieties with Flavor Characteristics

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Today we will learn about coffee varieties and common coffee cultivars

There are over 500 species of coffee trees and 6,000 varieties, most of which are tropical trees and shrubs. There are four main coffee tree species in the world, but only two have significant commercial value and are widely cultivated. The coffee beans produced by these two species are superior in quality to those from other coffee trees.

The first type is Arabica beans. World-famous Blue Mountain coffee, Mocha coffee, and others are almost all Arabica varieties. Another type is Robusta. The Robusta coffee tree originates from the Congo region in Africa. Different varieties of coffee beans have different flavors, but even trees of the same variety will produce beans with unique characteristics due to varying soil, climate, and other environmental factors. The other two species are Liberica and Excelsa.

Biologically, coffee varieties can be classified into Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. The most commonly consumed varieties worldwide are Arabica and Robusta. Liberica is often overlooked due to its limited production or inferior quality.

Generally, Arabica is primarily used for single-origin or specialty coffees, while Robusta is typically used to make instant coffee. Although Arabica can be classified as premium coffee and Robusta as secondary, such classification is not necessarily required. It's more appropriate to distinguish them based on your preferred taste preferences. In terms of flavor preferences, the United States and Japan tend to consume lighter coffee brewed with Arabica, while Europe prefers espresso made from a blend of Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica: Premium coffee beans with excellent flavor and aroma

Arabica is a representative variety originating from Ethiopia and is also produced in southern Africa, African countries, and Asian nations. It accounts for 70%-75% of the world's coffee production. Arabica has relatively weak resistance to pests and diseases, making high-altitude regions more suitable for cultivation. Arabica coffee beans grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters produce the highest quality.

Only high-quality beans produced through such meticulous cultivation, with balanced flavor, body, and aroma, can be certified as premium coffee beans, primarily used for single-origin or specialty coffees. The three most famous coffee varieties—Hawaiian Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Yemen Mocha—all belong to the Arabica species. Arabica green beans have a dark, narrow appearance. High-altitude Arabica varieties are considered the highest quality, characterized by rich flavors including sweetness, acidity, and aroma.

Robusta: Strong acidity with rich body

Robusta originates from the Congo region in Africa and accounts for 30% of the world's coffee production. The name "Robusta" means "robust," and indeed, this coffee tree not only has strong resistance to pests and diseases but can also survive in any soil type and even grow in the wild. Therefore, it can be cultivated in high-temperature regions, grows quickly, is easy to cultivate, and has the advantage of being inexpensive. It is mainly used for blending or as the primary ingredient in instant coffee. Some Robusta varieties from India, Africa, and Brazil have strong acidity, high caffeine content, and a richer body.

Recently, there has also been an Arabusta variety, which is a hybrid of Arabica that offers superior flavor and aroma.

Robusta beans have a plump, oval appearance. The green beans are light brown or yellowish-brown with grass-green and yellow luster. Compared to Arabica varieties, Robusta has a more fragrant but lighter flavor, characterized by less prominent acidity and stronger bitterness.

Excelsa

Excelsa is a variety discovered in 1904, originating from the Jari River basin in Africa. The cherries are small, and single plants have high yields, particularly making it a drought-resistant variety. The product has an intense aroma with a slightly bitter taste and is cultivated in limited quantities.

Typica

Typica: The oldest native variety of Ethiopia, from which all Arabica varieties have derived. Typica has bronze-colored top leaves and oval or slender, pointed beans. The flavor is elegant, but the plant has a weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield. Excellent estate beans such as Jamaican Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaiian Kona all belong to the Typica variety. The bronze color of Typica's top leaves is one of its distinguishing features.

Typica green beans have slightly raised ends and an oval shape. From the side, the beans appear thin and flat. Even when grown at different altitudes, the thickness variation on the sides of the green beans remains minimal.

Genetic Mutants - Typica Variants

Sumatra Mandheling

Indonesia's main coffee-producing regions include Sumatra Island, Java Island, and Sulawesi Island, with Sumatra's "Mandheling" being the most famous.

Mandheling is also known as "Sumatra Coffee." Coffee from the Tawar Lake area in the north can be called Aceh coffee or Tawar Lake coffee, while coffee from the Lintong and Lake Toba regions can be called Mandheling.

Mandheling has a rich flavor with intense body and vibrant, lively character. It is neither astringent nor acidic, allowing its body and bitterness to be fully expressed. Mandheling coffee beans might have the most unattractive appearance, but coffee enthusiasts say that the less attractive Sumatra coffee beans look, the better, richer, and smoother their taste.

Four types of Mandheling have been collected:

• Gold Mandheling
• Sumatra Island, Mandheling Longberry, Timtim Belangele (also known as Horse Face Mandheling)
• Lintong Mandheling Grade -1
• Emerald Mandheling (from Aceh Province, Sumatra)

Above: Gold Mandheling green beans

Above: Timtim Mandheling full natural processed green beans, which are a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta, called Timor, known as Timtim variety in Indonesia.

TimTim (TimTim) — This is the Timor Hybrid, which translates to Timor Hybrid, meaning a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta. The familiar Catimor variety was developed through further hybridization with this variety.

Tim Tim — Horse Face Mandheling Longberry

Tim Tim is a bean from Indonesia. Due to its elongated shape, many people call it horse face bean, while others call it longberry Mandheling. In reality, Tim Tim is not a pure variety but a natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta coffee trees. This variety was discovered on Timor Island in the 1940s and was cultivated due to its natural disease resistance. In the Americas, this variety is called Hybrido de Timor, abbreviated as Tim Tim. In Indonesia, this variety is also known as Bor Bor.

Above: Lintong Mandheling G1. Although graded as Grade-1, it still cannot escape the high defect rate characteristic of Indonesian beans, with approximately 8% defective beans.

Above: Emerald Mandheling (from Aceh Province, Sumatra), 19 screen+, with green, plump, and crystal-clear green beans, resembling emeralds.

Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain: The world-famous Blue Mountain, which is extremely difficult to obtain, comes from the Typica family.

The history of Jamaican coffee dates back to the 18th century when the British introduced coffee trees to Jamaica and planted them in the Blue Mountains. These are further divided into high-altitude Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Jamaican High Mountain coffee, and Jamaican Prime coffee, with different grades determining different prices.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Both Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain coffee are each divided into four grades. From highest to lowest quality: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB (Peaberry). According to CIB standards, only coffee grown at altitudes above 666 meters can be called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee;

Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans

Coffee grown below 666 meters in the Jamaican Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain coffee. It is second only to Blue Mountain coffee in quality and is known in the industry as the brother variety to Blue Mountain coffee. Due to the extremely limited production of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, if you want to taste Jamaican-flavored coffee, Jamaican High Mountain coffee is your best choice.

Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans

Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain range is called Jamaican Prime Coffee. Previously, Chinese coffee professionals generally had the misconception that only coffee grown in the Blue Mountain region above 1,800 meters could be called Blue Mountain coffee. In fact, on the mountain peaks above 1,800 meters in the Blue Mountain range, there is only one estate: Amber. It is owned by someone of Chinese descent with the surname Lyn (林), whose ancestors came from Guangdong, China. The estate has only 30 hectares of land and very limited production. Blue Mountain coffee is mainly distributed across five mountain regions: John Crow, St. John's Peak, Mossman's Peak, High Peak, and Blue Mountain Peak.

Hawaiian Kona

Kona: Although grown at altitudes of only a few hundred meters, Kona from the Big Island of Hawaii benefits from gentle sea breezes and fertile volcanic soil, possessing exceptionally clean acidic aroma and sweetness. It rivals or even surpasses the higher-altitude Blue Mountain coffee.

Maragogype

Maragogype: A mutant of Typica, with very large, long, slightly twisted fruits. The plant has long internodes and large leaves. Yield is relatively low.

First discovered in 1870 in the Maragogype producing area of Bahia state, northeastern Brazil. The beans are at least three times larger than regular Arabica beans, hence the name. Maragogype has poor flavor at low altitudes but produces better flavor at high altitudes with mild acidity and pleasant sweet aroma. (Left side of image shows Maragogype)

Right side of image shows Maragogype

Pacamara

Pacamara: A hybrid variety of Pacas and Maragogype, with beans second only in size to Maragogype. It is an excellent variety developed in El Salvador in the 1950s and has achieved impressive cupping results in recent years.

Kent

Kent: A Typica hybrid variety discovered in India with high yield and strong disease resistance, but has never achieved good cupping scores.

Bourbon

Bourbon: A variant of Typica after it was transplanted to Yemen in early coffee history (pre-coffee era), with bean shape changing from slender to round. In 1715, the French transplanted the round-shaped Yemen Mocha beans to Bourbon Island on the east coast of Africa (renamed Reunion Island after the French Revolution), which is how it got the name Bourbon. Bourbon's round beans were辗转transferred to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727. In 1732, the British transplanted Yemen Mocha to St. Helena Island (where Napoleon was later imprisoned), which were also round Bourbon beans. Bourbon is the consistent winner in American specialty coffee cupping competitions.

Bourbon is a sub-variety produced by Typica mutation, belonging to the oldest existing coffee varieties along with Typica. When green fruits mature, they turn bright red.

Genetic Mutants - Bourbon Variants

Red Bourbon

After coffee trees flower and bear fruit, the color change of coffee cherries typically follows: green > slightly yellow > slightly orange > mature red > darker red when fully ripe. Therefore, some people call it "Red Bourbon." In fact, Red Bourbon is what we generally refer to as Bourbon. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has better aroma, brighter acidity, and sometimes even exhibits wine-like flavors.

To put it simply, Bourbon is a coffee tree variety belonging to the Arabica species that typically bears red fruits, called Red Bourbon. In addition, there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but better quality.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is a hybrid of Bourbon with other varieties. Due to its lower yield and less resistance to wind and rain, it has not been widely cultivated. However, when grown at high altitudes, it exhibits excellent flavor characteristics and has become more common in recent years. Yellow Bourbon, with yellow fruits when ripe, was first discovered in Brazil and is now mainly grown there. It is generally believed to be a mutation resulting from hybridization between red-fruited Bourbon and a Typica variant called "Amerelo de Botocatu" that bears yellow fruits.

Flavor characteristics: sweet and smooth fruit sweetness, distinct nutty flavors, balanced and gentle acidity, clean and mild bitterness, with rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavors, bright and refreshing mouthfeel.

Pink Bourbon

Pink Bourbon, as the name suggests, produces romantic pink coffee cherries when ripe. It belongs to an extremely rare new variety developed through hybridization of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. The reason Pink Bourbon is considered rare is mainly because maintaining this beautiful pink color is extremely difficult. Sometimes, orange Bourbon cherries are harvested because the final color of coffee cherries is determined by recessive genes in the pollen grains. Among the selected pollen grains for hybridization, there are both yellow genes leaning toward Yellow Bourbon and red genes leaning toward Red Bourbon, all of which are recessive genes that easily interfere with each other.

Currently, Pink Bourbon can be found in Colombia and Guatemala. Taking this batch of Pink Bourbon coffee as an example, there are approximately 1,800 coffee trees, each producing about 1.8kg of fresh cherries per harvest season. After processing to remove pulp and skin, about 0.36kg of coffee beans is obtained. In a normal harvest season, the total production of this coffee is less than 650kg.

Flavor characteristics: sweet orange, sugarcane sweetness, pleasant fruit juice sensation, cherry tomato.

Bourbon Pointu (Laurina)

Bourbon Pointu: Discovered in 1810 on Bourbon Island, the bean shape changed from round to pointed, with caffeine content only half that of regular coffee; but with low yield and weak constitution, extremely precious (mostly cultivated in laboratories).

Bourbon Pointu has two other names: Laurina and Leroy, but neither is as well-known as Bourbon Pointu. It is called Pointu Bourbon because the beans are slender with pointed ends, while the original Bourbon (sometimes called Round Bourbon) has shorter beans with a somewhat oval outline.

Due to its good flavor and low caffeine content (less affecting sleep), Pointu Bourbon was favored by people as early as the 18th century. Many celebrities, such as King Louis XV of France and novelist Balzac, were its "fans." During the two hundred years from the 18th to 19th century, Pointu Bourbon was widely cultivated on Bourbon Island, reaching a peak of 4,000 metric tons annually in 1800. However, a series of disasters followed, including hurricanes, fire ants, and leaf rust disease, leading to gradual reduction in cultivation. Finally, in 1942, the last batch of Pointu Bourbon shipped back to France was only a pitiful 200 kilograms. After that, Pointu Bourbon disappeared without a trace, not even mentioned in official documents. After the 1950s, no one grew coffee on Réunion Island, and the island's agriculture completely shifted to other crops such as sugarcane. Coffee and Réunion Island were no longer connected, and Pointu Bourbon was recognized by the coffee industry as "extinct."

Given that this variety disappeared for half a century until it reappeared 8 years ago, on the international market, Bourbon Pointu from its place of origin, La Reunion Island, sells for over 500 yuan per 100 grams. Afterward, Colombia also began to grow this variety, and only Camilo Merizalde, the source of beans for multiple WBC champions, dared to take on the transplantation of this variety. Therefore, this coffee bean, with a global annual production of only a few tons, commands a high price.

Archived flavor description: bright acidity, blueberry and vanilla notes, velvety smoothness.

SL28, SL34

Kenya's "SL28" and "SL34": Bourbon descendants selected and cultivated in Kenya by French and British missionaries and researchers in the early 20th century. Over the past century, they have adapted to Kenya's high-phosphate soil, nurturing Kenya's characteristic acidic aroma spirits. Top-quality Kenyan coffees all come from these two varieties, but when transplanted elsewhere, they lose their distinctive character.

Kenyan coffee grades are divided into seven levels based on bean size, and six levels based on flavor quality from top to bottom. Kenya's best coffee grade is Peaberry (PB), followed by AA++, AA+, AA, AB, etc., in sequence. Premium coffee has bright luster, delicious taste, and a slight wine aroma. In terms of flavor, "Kenya AA" is particularly well-regarded.

Grading based on bean size:

Kenya's best coffee grade is Peaberry (PB), followed by AA, AB, etc., in sequence.

PB (Peaberry): This is a grading for small round beans. This refers to coffee cherries that grow only one bean instead of the usual two.

AA: This is a more common grade, with larger coffee beans, size above 18 screen or 7.22 millimeters. These beans typically command the highest prices.

AB: This grade combines A (size 16 screen or 6.80 millimeters) and B (size 15 screen or 6.20 millimeters); it accounts for about 30% of Kenya's annual coffee production.

Caturra

Caturra: A single-gene mutation of Bourbon discovered in Brazil in the 1950s. It has better yield capacity and disease resistance than Bourbon, with shorter plants that facilitate harvesting. Unfortunately, it shares the same problem as Bourbon—bearing fruit one year and resting the next. Its flavor is comparable to or slightly worse than Bourbon beans.

However, it has stronger adaptability and can be grown at high density without shade trees, thriving even when directly exposed to intense sunlight. Therefore, it also has the name "Sun Coffee."

Caturra is suitable for low altitudes of 700 meters up to high altitudes of 1,700 meters, but the higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though bean production relatively decreases. There are also yellow Caturra variants in Central and South America, but their reputation is not as good as Yellow Bourbon.

Catuai

Catuai: A hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra,可以说是混二代. It inherits the advantage of Caturra's short plant height while also compensating for the weakness of Arabica fruits that are easily damaged by wind. The fruits are solid and don't easily fall off when exposed to strong winds. The biggest regret is that its overall flavor is somewhat more monotonous than Caturra.

Catuai also has red and yellow fruit varieties, with red fruits being more likely to win awards than yellow ones. Catuai, Caturra, Mundo Novo, and Bourbon are the four major主力 coffee varieties in Brazil.

Pacas

Pacas: A Bourbon variant discovered in El Salvador. In 1935, Salvadoran coffee farmer "Don Alberto Pacas" selected high-yield San Raymond Bourbon varieties to plant on his farm. In 1956, his coffee trees produced more fruit than other trees of the same variety. University of Florida professor "Dr. William Cogwill" determined that this was a genetic mutation of Bourbon and named it "Pacas."

Pacas has high yield and good quality, making it quite popular in Central America. Currently, 68% of El Salvador's coffee belongs to Bourbon varieties, with Pacas accounting for 29%. It is similar to Brazil's Caturra and Costa Rica's Villa Sarchi. Today, Pacas constitutes about 25% of El Salvador's coffee production. With high yield, it has always been popular. It produces coffee with high sweetness, similar to Bourbon but with brighter acidity.

Pacas seedlings

Villa Sarchi

Villa Sarchi: A Bourbon variant first discovered in Costa Rica in the 1960s. It has frequently appeared on cupping excellence lists in recent years, making it a dark horse with promising prospects. This is a precious variety developed through hybridization of Red Bourbon trees. It is resistant to strong winds, prefers high-altitude environments, and possesses excellent acidity with various complex fruit notes. It has high sweetness, bright and delicate citrus acidity with deeper raisin and nut aromas, offering high complexity and excellent balance.

Also a dwarf Bourbon variety discovered in Sarchi village in western Costa Rica's valleys. Suitable for high-altitude organic cultivation, with lively fruit acidity and distinct caramel flavors.

Hybrid Variants

Mundo Novo

Mundo Novo: A natural hybrid of Bourbon and Sumatra Typica, first discovered in Brazil. High yield and disease-resistant, it was widely planted in Brazil in the 1950s and was hailed as the new hope of the Brazilian coffee industry; however, the trees are tall, making harvesting difficult.

Nicaragua Java

Nicaragua Java variety: Today's Java variety, which is also a rare long-bean variety. It was first successfully cultivated in Nicaragua by Lemon Tree Estate. The Java variety originates from the Typica lineage. Java's Typica once suffered a severe leaf rust outbreak that nearly wiped it out. Lemon Tree Estate unintentionally obtained a bag of seeds, and after planting and growing seedlings, they took the young plants to experts for identification, only to discover it was the Java variety. In 2007, Lemon Tree first participated in COE with this variety and surprisingly won second place in that year's Nicaragua COE, with the bidding price even surpassing that year's champion.

In Indonesia, the main coffee variety in the West Java producing region is S795 (also known as Jember). This variety was spread to the island by the Jember Coffee Research Center, so locals call it by this name. It is a hybrid of the Typica mutant Kent and S-288, with strong resistance to leaf rust disease and prominent sweetness.

Maracaturra

A hybrid variety of Maragogype and Caturra cultivated in Guatemala (Maragogype × Caturra). After winning the championship in Nicaragua's 2009 COE, it received greater recognition. It combines Maragogype's rich fruit flavors with Caturra's elegant acidity, featuring high body, full floral aroma, and high sweetness.

Arabica Varieties

Geisha

Geisha: A derivative variety of the Typica family, exported from Geisha Mountain in southern Ethiopia in 1931 (Geisha has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for geisha). It remained obscure in many countries until it was transplanted to Panama in the 1960s, only to frequently win cupping competitions starting in 2005.

｜Geisha, also called艺妓

Geisha has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for geisha, hence it is also called Geisha coffee; because the tree variety is taller than typical coffee trees, it was originally planted in a small area within the estate and used as a windbreak.

｜Geisha, is a variety

First, the Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 from the Geisha forest in Ethiopia and later sent to Kenya's Coffee Research Institute. It was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936; Costa Rica introduced it in 1953.

｜Red Label, Green Label, Blue Label

Only Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha has the distinction of [Red Label, Green Label, Blue Label]:

• Red Label (Special-Geisha): Collection of Hacienda La Esmeralda's top batches, all grown at altitudes above 1,600 meters (even above 1,900 meters), with cupping scores of 90 points or above;
• Green Label (Private Collection-Geisha): Geisha from different plots within Hacienda La Esmeralda's estates, grown at altitudes of 1,600-1,800 meters;
• Blue Label (Geisha 1500): Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda's estates, grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters;

｜Geisha, unique floral and fruit aroma

Among many coffees, floral aroma and intense tropical fruit sweetness are consistent characteristics of Geisha.

Arabica and Robusta Hybrids (Interspecific Hybrid)

Timor

Timor: A natural hybrid variety discovered in Timor-Leste, an island nation at the eastern end of the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. It has 44 chromosomes, closer to Arabica; but its flavor is unremarkable. Timor has low acidity and lacks distinctive characteristics, often used in Taiwan to reduce costs in blends. However, East Timor also has washed processed high-altitude pure Typica beans. Before purchasing, it's essential to clarify whether it's the hybrid variety or pure washed Typica beans, as the quality difference is significant—the former is unremarkable, while the latter is stunning.

Catimor

Catimor: In 1959, the Portuguese hybridized Brazilian Caturra with Timor to cultivate the second-generation hybrid Catimor, which has extremely strong disease resistance and yield capacity. However, its flavor is inferior, making it an important commercial variety today. To improve Catimor's poor cupping reputation, botanists from various countries have recently begun backcrossing Arabica with Catimor multiple times to reduce the Robusta lineage.

Icatu

Icatu: A multi-generational hybrid improved variety from Brazil that has placed in the top ten of Brazil's "Cup of Excellence." In the past, Arabusta, a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta, improved yield and disease resistance but always had poor coffee flavor. Scientists then hybridized Arabusta with Arabica varieties like Caturra, Mundo Novo, and Bourbon across multiple generations, gradually reducing the undesirable flavors of Robusta while enhancing Arabica's richness, thus creating the excellent multi-generational hybrid variety—Icatu.

Ruiru 11

Ruiru 11: A hybrid variety developed in Kenya in 1985 that prioritizes yield over quality. It's a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta. To date, it cannot be considered specialty coffee; therefore, many suppliers specializing in fresh-roasted specialty coffee, such as Fresh, do not carry these varieties. However, even some suppliers of imported premium coffees mix these hybrid beans into blends to reduce costs. From the above genetic mutants (whether natural or scientific products), their flavor is closely related to specific regional conditions.

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