Which coffee beans origin country does Typica Mejorado come from?

Typica Mejorado is a rare variety from Ecuador's specialty coffee sector. Despite the name, it has no direct genetic link to Typica. It came from a Nestlé breeding project in Pichincha Province that crossed Red Bourbon with Ethiopian native varieties, and farmers adopted it for strong pest resistance rather than its parentage.

At Ecuador's first COE in 2021, Typica Mejorado took 10 of the 23 winning lots scoring above 87 points, including first, third and fourth places. The coffee beans origin country is therefore Ecuador, and the variety shares a breeding origin with Sidra. Its pest resistance helped it spread among local growers after earlier low-yield Typica struggles.

Typica Mejorado is one of the representative bean varieties of Ecuadorian specialty coffee. Although its name contains "Typica," it actually has no direct genetic relationship with Typica. It originated from a breeding trial project established by Nestlé in Pichincha Province, Ecuador, and was developed by crossing Red Bourbon with Ethiopian native varieties. It gained popularity among local coffee farmers due to its outstanding pest resistance. At Ecuador's first COE in 2021, Typica Mejorado occupied 10 of the 23 winning beans scoring above 87 points, and its fame soared thereafter. This article will help you fully understand this rare variety from the perspectives of its background, genetic identification, competition performance, and flavor characteristics.

When it comes to Bourbon, many people's first thought is Brazil; when discussing SL24 and SL34, Kenya often comes to mind; while Sidra and Typica Mejorado are the two most recognizable coffee calling cards of the lesser-known producing country Ecuador.

"Mejorado" means "improved, optimized" in Spanish, so Typica Mejorado can be understood as an upgraded or enhanced version of Typica, and some in Chinese also transliterate it as "Meiheladuo." This rare variety shares the same origin as Sidra, both being the research and development achievements of a coffee breeding center established by Nestlé in northern Ecuador's Pichincha Province in earlier years. The core work of this institution was to crossbreed Ethiopian native varieties with local Typica or Bourbon.

Image: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2023/09/typica-coffee-mejorado/

Ecuador itself is an important growing region for Typica, and for a long time, local coffee farmers have suffered from Typica's low yield and susceptibility to disease. Typica Mejorado and Sidra were born at roughly the same time, and because of their stronger resistance to pests, they quickly won favor among local growers. Initially, everyone mistakenly believed that Typica Mejorado was the offspring of a cross between ancient Typica and Bourbon, so it did not receive much attention.

The turning point came in 2021, when the results of Ecuador's first COE were announced. Among the 23 winning beans with total scores above 87, Typica Mejorado took 10 places alone, claiming first, third, fourth, seventh, and tenth in the top 10. Looking at Ecuador's 2022 COE, Typica Mejorado and the recently rising Sidra accounted for 42.86% and 32.14% of all auction lots respectively, with the two almost evenly matched.

Image: 2021 Ecuador CoE auction bean list

With the push from COE, Typica Mejorado quickly became popular in the specialty coffee circle and also won the affection of many roasters and baristas. Finca Papaya is a typical example of winning an award with this variety, and its Typica Mejorado once received an ultra-high score of 92 points in the cupping session.

Later, Wcr's genetic identification results showed that Typica Mejorado actually has no direct genetic connection with Typica; its true identity is a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Ethiopian native varieties. In terms of flavor, Typica Mejorado presents a more transparent citrus profile and floral-fruity aroma, and its overall sweet-sour juicy flavor structure is clearly superior to traditional Typica and Bourbon.

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