What is the Caturra coffee variety and how does it relate to Bourbon?
Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, found in 1937 when farmers in a Bourbon plantation in northeastern Rio de Janeiro noticed a shorter plant with tighter internode spacing. Research confirmed a single-gene mutation controlling plant height and branch spacing. Brazil's São Paulo State Institute of Agriculture, through its Alcides Carvalho Coffee Center, cultivated and spread the variety worldwide.
The shorter tree makes harvesting easier, and the tight internodes carry more fruit, so Caturra yields more than Bourbon, matures faster and resists disease better. It performs well at 1,200 to 2,000 meters with annual rainfall of 2,500 to 3,500 millimeters, and higher altitude improves quality. Similar mutants include Pacas and Villa Sarchi.
Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, developed and promoted by the Alcides Carvalho Coffee Center at the São Paulo State Institute of Agriculture in Brazil, and has had a profound impact on the global coffee industry. This article will detail the discovery history of Caturra, its plant characteristics, flavor performance, as well as its genetic relationship and differences with Bourbon coffee beans. The Caturra plant is short with short internode spacing, higher yield than Bourbon, and matures faster with stronger disease resistance and broad adaptability, performing best in areas at altitudes of 1,200 to 2,000 meters with annual rainfall of 2,500 to 3,500 millimeters. In addition, the article will also mention similar mutant varieties such as Pacas and Villa Sarchi, and share Front Street brand's dedication to and giving back to coffee knowledge.
Front Street - Caturra Variety Introduction
Caturra
Caturra is a natural hybrid descendant of Bourbon, further cultivated and widely promoted by the Alcides Carvalho Coffee Center under the São Paulo State Institute of Agriculture (IAC) in Brazil. This variety has already triggered profound changes in the global coffee industry.
In 1937, IAC received seed samples from the northeastern region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a Bourbon coffee plantation, local farmers noticed a coffee plant that was shorter in height with shorter internode spacing. Research confirmed that Caturra is a natural hybrid variety of Bourbon, resulting from a single-gene mutation of Bourbon.
This mutant gene controls the internode spacing between branches and plant height. Therefore, compared with Bourbon, Caturra has a shorter tree body and shorter branch internode spacing. The shorter plant makes it easier for coffee farmers to harvest, while the shorter internode spacing allows more fruit to be produced. These two characteristics make Caturra's yield higher than Bourbon.
Caturra usually matures faster and is also more disease-resistant than traditional Arabica varieties, so it can be said that Caturra is similar to a high-yield, disease-resistant version of Bourbon.
At the same time, like Bourbon, Caturra also adapts well to most coffee-growing environments, but performs best in areas at altitudes of 1,200 to 2,000 meters with annual rainfall between 2,500 and 3,500 millimeters. The higher the altitude, the better the quality, but the yield correspondingly decreases.
In fact, Caturra is not the only mutant variant; similar mutant varieties include Pacas from El Salvador and Villa Sarchi from Costa Rica. From a genetic perspective, these mutations are highly similar to Bourbon in all cases.
Knowledge point: Arabica coffee is generally believed to originate from the Ethiopian highlands and is widely distributed in tropical regions. Through repeated mutations and crossbreeding, numerous varieties have been derived.
In short: Front Street is a dedicated coffee research institute, happy to share coffee-related knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee, and every month there are 3 low-discount coffee events. The reason is that Front Street wants more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest price, and this has also been Front Street's mission for 6 years!
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
