A varietal from the Metu Bishari selections made in the forests of the Illubabor Zone in western Ethiopia in 1974. The Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) selected it (alongside a few others)for its resistance to coffee berry disease.
This is a new varietal! We’ll add more details here soon.
Ateng is a commonly used name that describes Catimor varieties planted on Sumatra and other Indonesian islands.
Batian is the latest variety to be developed in Kenya, it is named after the peak of Mount Kenya
An Ethiopian Heirloom or landrace varietal, endemic to the Bale area.
A name sometimes used in Indonesia to commonly refer to the Timor Hybrid varietal.
A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.
Castillo is named after the researcher Jamie Castillo, who helped develop the varietal in 2005 by Cenicafe, Colombia’s coffee research centre
A hybrid variety of the Caturra and the Timor Hybrid (resistant to coffee leaf rust due to its Robusta genetic roots).
Catimor and Sarchimor are examples of introgressed species. Plants which possess traits and genetics from multiple species (arabica and robusta genetic material)
Created by the Instituto Agronomico do Campinas in Brasil, Catuai is a hybrid varietal between Caturra and Mundo Novo.
Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.
Chiroso is most likely a mutation of the Caturra variety, which historically has been planted around Urrao in Colombia.
Discovered in Inza, Cauca (Colombia), when a coffee tree was found to look very different from the typical coffee grown in the region, it presents strong similarities to the Bourbon Aruzi but it’s still being researched.
Heirloom (or sometimes Landrace) is an umbrella term that refers to all the coffee varietals endemic to Ethiopia.
An exceptionally high quality variety that is grown throughout Central America, Geisha is named after the town of Geisha in Ethiopia where the seeds originated
An exceptionally high quality variety that has grown in popularity, Gesha is named after the town of Gesha in Ethiopia where the seeds originated.
Developed in the 90s by the Honduras Coffee Research Institute, IHCAFE 90 is a hybrid of Caturra and Sarchimor
The varieties known as Jackson, Kent, Coorg, and Mysore—all originating from the same region in India—are most likely late descendant of the first coffee seeds out of Yemen brought to India by Baba Budan in 1670. Recent genetic tests have confirmed that Jackson is related to the Bourbon genetic group.
The Java varietal has lineage from Ethiopian Heirloom varietal – selected and transplanted to Cameroon in the mid-20th century; then introduced to Costa Rica in 1991.
An Ethiopian sub-varietal that falls under the umbrella of Heirloom/landrace category, called as such in the Yirgacheffe area but referred to as Kudhum in Guji.
Maragogype is a natural mutation of Typica, named after the town in which it was discovered – Maragogipe, Brazil.
Marsellesa was developed through a hybrid of Sarchimor and Caturra. It’s highly valued for its high quality in the cup and resistance to leaf rust (thanks to its Sarchimor heritage)
A cross between Timor Hybrid and Villa Sarchi, this coffee was originally developed in Brazil and in 2014 was introduced into Costa Rica by the local coffee institute, ICAFE
A cross-breed between Pacas and Maragogype, developed in El Salvador in 1958
A natural mutation of the Bourbon variety
Pache is a natural mutation of Typica, originally discovered in Guatemala in farms of El Brito, Santa Cruz Naranjo and Santa Rosa.
A relatively unusual hybrid created in the 1980’s by IHCAFE, Honduras’ national coffee research centre
Pink Bourbon is an Ethiopian Heirloom variety (or subvariety)—though, until very recently (~2023), it was thought to be a rare and spontaneous hybrid/mutation of Red and Yellow Bourbon.
Released in 1985, Ruiru 11 is a disease resistant varietal developed in Kenya
A Sarchimor (hybrid of Villa Sarchi and Timor) developed in cooperation with Finca Volcán Azul in Costa Rica. It is named after the nearby town of San Isidro
Sidra (also known as Sydra or Bourbon Sidra) is a new hybrid varietal, made of Red Bourbon and Typica and combines characteristics of these two varieties. It has acquired the sweetness and the body of Red Bourbon and the bright taste and acidity of Typica.
SL28 was developed in 1931 by Scott Laboratories to suit the growing conditions in Kenya. The varietal is known for its exceptional cup quality
Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, the SL34 varietal was designed to be high yielding with good cup quality.
Released in 2002 as part of Colombia’s efforts to combat leaf rust, it is a hybrid of bourbon, typica and timor.
Also sometimes called ‘Timor Hybrid(s)’.
According to World Coffee Research, “Timor Hybrid is a natural cross between C. arabica and C. canephora (Robusta) that appeared spontaneously on the island of Timor in 1920s. Its Robusta genetics conferred rust resistance into the variety.”
Considered to be one of the ‘genus’ varietals from which all other varietals have mutated from
Mejorado is a very unique variety mainly grown in Ecuador.
Recent genetic testing by World Coffee Research demonstrated that Typica Mejorado is a hybrid of Bourbon and Ethiopian Heirloom/Landrace—it’s not a descendant of the Typica lineage, even though it’s taken the name of ‘Typica Mejorado’.
The cup profile is meant to have a more refined sweetness and body and a higher quality acidity compared to the regular Bourbon variety.
Also known as “Variedad Colombia”, this varietal was developed by Colombian researchers at Cenicafe by crossing Caturra and Timor Hybrid
Natural mutation of Bourbon discovered in Costa Rican village Sarchi
This variation of Caturra is caused by a recessive gene and tends to ripen faster than Red Caturra, often presenting light floral flavours.