How Did Caturra Coffee Beans Grown in Brazil Change Specialty Coffee?

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety, first found between 1915 and 1918 on plantations in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The mutation produced a short plant, and locals named it "Caturra," meaning "small" in the Guarani language. It suits dense planting, gives high yields, and grows well in direct sunlight without shade.

The variety adapts more easily than Bourbon and can be planted from 700 to 1700 meters, with higher altitudes improving flavor. Its cup shows bright acidity and sweetness: washed lots bring citrus-like brightness, while sun-dried lots show berry notes. Beans from Colombia's Huila region, roasted medium, taste of nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and soft citrus acidity.

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety, first discovered between 1915 and 1918 on plantations in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Due to a genetic mutation that caused the plant to be short, locals called it "Caturra" in the Guarani language, meaning "small." This variety is not only suitable for dense planting, high yield, and easy harvesting, but also has the characteristic of thriving in direct sunlight without the need for shade, hence it is called "sun coffee." Caturra has stronger environmental adaptability than Bourbon, can be planted at altitudes ranging from 700 to 1700 meters, and the higher the altitude, the better the flavor. Its cup profile is known for bright acidity and sweetness; under traditional processing methods, it has pronounced acidity and aroma, sun-dried processing presents berry notes, and washed processing brings citrus-like bright acidity. The Colombia Huila region daily coffee beans currently sold by Front Street Coffee are exactly the Caturra variety, which after medium roasting exhibits a balanced flavor of nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and soft citrus acidity.

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What is the Caturra coffee variety?

Caturra is a natural mutated descendant of the Bourbon variety. It was first discovered between 1915 and 1918 on an estate somewhere in Minas Gerais, Brazil. At that time, some individuals in the Bourbon population on the plantation underwent a genetic mutation that made the plants short, showing a form similar to dwarfism. This coffee variety, appearing in a completely new biological form, was named "Caturra" by local residents in the Guarani language, meaning "small," and is sometimes also called "Nanico."

The São Paulo State Agricultural College (IAC) in Campinas, Brazil, has been conducting selection work on Caturra since 1937. Its breeding method is mass selection, that is, selecting a group of individuals based on superior traits, mixing their seeds to cultivate the next generation, and repeating this cycle. Interestingly, this variety was never officially released and promoted in Brazil, yet it spread widely in Central America.

The Caturra plant is small, so it can be planted at higher density; its secondary branches are closely spaced, allowing more fruit to be produced in the same space, thereby significantly increasing yield per unit area. At the same time, because the tree is short, harvesting work is also more convenient.

The most prominent advantage is that, unlike old varieties such as Typica and Bourbon, it does not rely on shade trees and still grows vigorously under direct sunlight, so coffees like Caturra are also called "Sun Coffee." Caturra is suitable for planting in zones from 700 to 1700 meters, has better environmental adaptability than Bourbon, and the higher the altitude, the better the flavor performance.

Like Bourbon, Caturra has the cyclical problem of fluctuating productivity every two years. It combines high-quality acidity and aroma, is overall bright, and has quite good sweetness. Confirmed by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) cupping, Caturra coffee beans under traditional processing methods have prominent acidity and aroma and are overall bright; if processed properly, the sweetness can be very ideal. However, its body is slightly lower than Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is also slightly lacking.

Sun-dried Caturra coffee beans present a pleasant berry acidity and aroma, tasting like berry juice; while washed Caturra coffee beans show bright acidity like citrus fruits, drinking much like lemonade.

Among the selected regional daily coffee beans currently sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), the beans representing the Colombia Huila region are exactly the Caturra variety.

Front Street selected coffee beans grown at an altitude of 1500 to 1800 meters and processed by traditional washing methods; after medium roasting, the coffee flavor can present nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and soft citrus acidity.

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