Why are elephant coffee beans so large and so scarce?

Elephant coffee beans are Maragogype, a natural mutation of Typica first found in 1870 in Bahia, Brazil. The beans grow roughly three times the size of ordinary Arabica, usually reaching 20 mesh or more, above the 17 to 18 mesh top commercial grade. That size makes the trees thick-branched and hungry for space and nutrients, so harvesting is hard and production stays limited.

Today the main sources are Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Guatemala. Beans from the Mama Mina estate in Nicaragua show black berry, smoked plum, and citrus peel notes with a solid, silky body. The article also gives roasting curves and brewing parameters, then compares Maragogype with Pacamara, its hybrid offspring.

In the Arabica family, there is a type of bean that is far larger than its peers, known as the giant elephant bean, with the scientific name Maragogype. It was first discovered in 1870 in Bahia, Brazil, and later identified as a natural mutation of Typica, with beans up to three times the size of ordinary Arabica. Due to high cultivation costs and difficult harvesting, elephant beans are scarce in production and are currently mainly distributed in Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, and other places. Among them, the elephant beans produced by the Mama Mina estate under the Mierisch family in Nicaragua stand out with prominent flavor, featuring aromas of black berries, smoked plum, and citrus peel, with a solid and silky mouthfeel. In this article, Front Street Coffee will take you through the origin of elephant beans, their producing regions, natural processing methods, and share specific roasting curves and brewing parameters, and finally compare them with their hybrid offspring Pacamara.

The coffee family can be divided by bean size into Arabica (small-seeded), Robusta (medium-seeded), and Liberica (large-seeded). Arabica is widely commercially cultivated for its outstanding flavor, but within it emerges an "oddity"—its beans are exceptionally large, commonly known as the giant elephant bean. Today, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will show you what other amazing aspects elephant beans have besides their size.

What Exactly Are Elephant Beans?

The scientific name of the elephant bean is Maragogype. In 1870, it was first discovered in the Maragogype producing region of Bahia, Brazil, hence the name. Later, through morphological comparison and genetic testing, it was confirmed to be a natural mutation of Typica. Its coffee beans are about three times the size of ordinary Arabica beans.

In the grading systems of many coffee-producing countries based on green bean size, 17 to 18 mesh is usually the highest commercial grade, and 19 mesh or above is extremely rare. However, elephant beans generally reach 20 mesh or even larger.

Where Are Elephant Beans Grown Today?

Elephant beans are not only large in bean size, but their trunks and branches are also thicker than ordinary coffee varieties, thus requiring more space, nutrients, and resources. In addition, management and harvesting are difficult, and the time cost is high (the fruit maturation period lasts up to five years), so very few farmers are willing to grow them. Currently, they are only found in small quantities in Latin American countries such as Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Guatemala.

Front Street believes that the current producing region with better flavor performance for elephant beans is the Mama Mina estate under the Mierisch family in Nicaragua. The Mierisch family has been growing coffee since 1908, for over a century, and owns nine estates, eight of which are located in Nicaragua at San Jose, Limoncillo, Escondida, Milagros, Placeres, Los Altos, Mama Mina, and Suspiro, with another in Cerro Azul, Honduras.

The Mama Mina estate is covered with volcanic ash and uses shade-grown cultivation. The Nicaraguan coffee it produces is of superior quality and has been certified by OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association) as high-altitude premium organic coffee. To grow good-flavored elephant beans, they must be planted at an altitude above 1,500 meters. Combined with the Mierisch family's skilled cultivation and management, the flavor is thick and layered, and upon sipping, one can immediately feel the aroma of black berries, with blackberry and smoked plum mixed with the fragrance of citrus peel, overall solid, with a silky and sweet mouthfeel.

Natural Processing Method

This batch of elephant beans uses natural processing. Natural processing is the oldest coffee processing method: first, pour the harvested fruit into a large water tank; plump, ripe fruits sink to the bottom, while underdeveloped or overripe ones float on the surface. After removing the floating beans, spread the healthy fruits on a patio to sun-dry, reducing moisture from 60% to 12%–15%, and finally use a huller to remove the dry, hard skin and pulp, and the green beans are processed.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Analysis

Elephant beans are large in size, so during roasting, heat must be controlled steadily, using a lower rate of rise for slow roasting, extending the drying phase, and reducing the heating difference between the bean core and bean surface. Medium-light roasting is recommended.

Use Yangjia 700N, with 300g of green beans. Charge at 175°C, heat 120, airflow 3; turning point at 1'32", temperature 100.9°C; when temperature reaches 140°C, open airflow to 4, heat unchanged; when temperature reaches 151.2°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell disappears, entering drying phase; when temperature reaches 166°C, reduce heat to 110, airflow 4; when temperature reaches 183.3°C, heat unchanged, open airflow to 5; when temperature reaches 188°C, reduce heat to 50, airflow unchanged. First crack begins at 9'08", airflow unchanged, develop for 1'40" after first crack, drop at 196°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Sharing

Parameters: Coffee dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16 Water temperature: 91°C Grind size: medium-fine (78% passing through No. 20 standard sieve)

Use staged extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a small stream in circles up to 150g and pause, and when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring up to 240g and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) The extraction time is 1'56".

Flavor: aromas of citrus and brown sugar, with nutty notes in the middle, and a strong maple syrup sensation.

Elephant Beans and Pacamara

Elephant beans have high cultivation costs and few growers, but their hybrid offspring Pacamara inherited the excellent genes and continues to carry them forward. This variety, artificially hybridized from Pacas and elephant beans, combines the high productivity and adaptability of Pacas with the size and excellent acidity of elephant beans. The bean size is about 70% to 80% of elephant beans, and it has repeatedly won championships in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

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