Which arabica variety shapes Brazilian coffee flavor?

Brazilian coffee is generally low in acidity with a balanced bittersweet profile, a smooth mouthfeel, and a faint grassy aroma. Typica, the ancestor of all Arabica varieties, traces back to southern Sudan and Ethiopia and was commercially cultivated in Yemen by around the 7th century. The Dutch later carried it to the East Indies, and it reached Martinique in 1720.

Typica fruits ripen red, yields are low, and disease resistance is poor, yet its cup quality built its reputation. Bourbon arose as a genetic mutation of Typica, and Brazil's variety list also includes Catuai, Caturra, Mundo Novo, Pacas, Pacamara, Maragogipe, Geisha, Catimor, and the SL lines. Brazil has 21 states, 17 of them coffee-growing, with four states contributing 98 percent of output.

Brazil is a hugely important origin on the global coffee map, known for coffee with low acidity, a balanced bittersweet profile, and a smooth mouthfeel, often accompanied by a faint grassy aroma. This article starts with the history and classification of Brazilian coffee, systematically sorting out the origin and spread of Typica, a native Arabica variety, and further introduces the genetic lineage, yield characteristics, and cupping performance of common varieties such as Bourbon, Catimor, Catuai, Caturra, Geisha, Maragogipe, Mundo Novo, Pacamara, Pacas, Tekisic, SL-28, SL-34, and Villa Sarchi. The article retains Front Street Coffee's descriptions and recommendations of Brazilian bean flavors, making it suitable for enthusiasts who want to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between coffee varieties and flavor.

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Brazilian coffee is a general term for coffee produced in Brazil. This type of coffee has many varieties, most of which are not washed but sun-dried, and are graded according to the producing state and shipping port. Brazil has 21 states in total, 17 of which produce coffee, but the 4 largest producing states together contribute 98% of the country's coffee. Front Street Brazilian coffee has relatively low acidity at the start, which complements the coffee's own bitterness and sweetness, giving it a very smooth mouthfeel, with a faint grassy aroma as well; the overall profile is clean and fragrant with a slight bitter note, sweet and smooth, and the aftertaste is pleasant.

Introduction to Front Street Coffee Bean Varieties

Typica (also called Tiepika, English Typica)

Typica is the ancestor of all Arabica varieties. Legend has it that it came from southern Sudan, gradually multiplied in Ethiopia, and by around the 7th century AD was already being commercially cultivated in Yemen. The Dutch brought Typica to the East Indies, and it was also the first coffee variety introduced to the West Indies - Gabriel de Clieu planted it on the French island of Martinique in 1720.

The ripe fruit of Typica is red. This variety has relatively low yield and very poor disease resistance, but its excellent cup quality has made it world-famous.

Bourbon (English name Bourbon)

Bourbon is the product of a genetic mutation of the original Typica variety on Reunion Island, and is also the paternal or even grandpaternal variety of many popular Latin American coffee varieties - including Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, Mundo Novo, and others. Bourbon is still widely favored in Latin America today, and also crossed the ocean to Africa, taking root in Rwanda and Burundi. The ripe fruit of Bourbon is mostly red, with yellow or orange variants as well. Bourbon's yield is about 20%-30% higher than Typica's; although the flavor is slightly sweeter and sometimes better balanced, the coffees of these two varieties are generally very close.

Catimor (English name Catimor)

Catimor is a hybrid of Caturra and Timor - don't confuse it with Caturra and Catuai. This highly disease-resistant plant can resist coffee leaf rust, so it was widely planted in Latin American countries in the 1980s. Unfortunately, because the Timor variety (also called Arabusta) is the product of a natural cross between Typica Arabica and Robusta, although the latter can give it disease resistance, the delicate taste of the Arabica variety is lost as a result.

Catuai (English Catuai)

Brazil developed Catuai in the 1950s. It is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, with strong disease resistance and high yield. Similar to Caturra, Catuai's ripe fruit is also naturally divided into red and yellow (I personally prefer the former). Catuai is known for its rich acidity and is a common variety in most Central American countries.

Caturra (English Caturra)

In the 1930s, people discovered a genetic mutation of Bourbon near the town of Caturra in Brazil, and named it Caturra. Caturra has a very high yield, and its compact plant also makes harvesting easier, but if grown at lower altitudes, this trait instead becomes its own greatest enemy - the coffee becomes quite light there, so the weight of the fruit itself can crush the plant to death. If grown at high altitude (above 1,200 meters), Caturra's coffee quality and yield can both be better guaranteed. Caturra is a common variety in the Central American coffee belt.

Geisha (English Geisha)

Geisha, whose fruit and leaves are slightly slender, is a genetic mutation of Typica and is said to be native to the small town of Geisha in southwestern Ethiopia. In the 1930s, Geisha seeds were sent to Tanzania, and in the 1950s they traveled to Costa Rica. These two countries are the only important Geisha-growing countries outside Panama - although Panama is Geisha's best spokesperson.

In Panama's high-altitude growing areas, Geisha, with its tropical flavors and characteristics of citrus and tea, has proven to the world that it is the undisputed queen of coffee varieties (translator's note: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is called the king of coffee). Everyone loves good coffee, and I sincerely hope Geisha can spread to other countries.

Maragogipe

Maragogipe is considered a natural genetic mutation of Typica, first discovered near Maragogipe (just one character different) in the Bahia region of Brazil. Maragogipe is known for its large coffee beans and is also the paternal variety of Pacamara.

Mundo Novo (English Mundo Novo)

Mundo Novo (also called Mundonovo) is a hybrid of Bourbon and Typica, first appearing in the 1940s, and is still widely popular in Latin American coffee-producing countries. Its disease resistance and yield are both superior to Bourbon and Typica, but the price is insufficient flavor complexity.

Pacamara (English name Pacamara)

Pacamara was developed by El Salvador in the late 1950s. It is a hybrid of Pacas and Maragogipe and is now very sought after. Similar to Maragogipe, although its size is large - usually twice the size of a standard Bourbon coffee bean - its yield is average. Pacamara's quality is widely praised; it has clean acidity and refreshing floral notes, and the higher the growing altitude, the more advantageous it is.

Pacas (English name Pacas)

El Salvador discovered the natural genetic mutation of Bourbon called Pacas in 1949. Its compact plant can withstand relatively low-altitude conditions, so people use it to cross with Maragogipe, which has the opposite characteristics.

Tekisic

The Salvadoran Coffee Research Institute (ISIC) began artificial selection of Bourbon plants in 1949. After 28 years of unremitting efforts, it finally developed the short-statured Tekisic variety in 1977, also known as the "improved Bourbon." Although Tekisic's yield is relatively low, the long breeding process has given it a very charming complex flavor and a fairly full body. Farmers in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala highly value this variety and try to use it to improve their own coffee quality.

SL–28

The "SL" in SL-28 stands for Scott Laboratories, a technology company hired by the Kenyan government from the 1930s onward to identify local coffee varieties most suitable for large-scale planting. SL-28, partly because of its strong blackcurrant flavor, has become a benchmark variety in several Kenyan growing regions. SL-28 is suitable for growing at high altitudes.

SL–34

SL-34 is slightly inferior in quality to its elder sister SL-28 (but by no means is it bad), yet it also has prominent acidity and berry flavors. Compared with SL-28, SL-34 performs better at low altitudes (even though its number is larger), and if planted at high altitudes, its resistance to heavy rain is also superior, so people mostly choose high-altitude planting methods. But both SL-28 and SL-34 are extremely susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Villa Sarchi

This short-statured variety is a genetic mutation of Bourbon, first discovered in the town of Sarchi in Costa Rica. Its branches form a steep angle with the trunk, and among the vast expanse of ordinary green leaves, its leaves are an interesting bronze color. Villa Sarchi's fruity flavor is excellent. In addition, its yield is high, and its disease resistance is also decent.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.