Specialty coffee centers on carefully cultivated high-altitude Arabica, whose variety system originates from two ancient lineages: Ethiopia's Typica and Yemen's Bourbon. This article systematically outlines the definition of specialty coffee and provides a detailed classification of major Arabica varieties, including Typica, Bourbon and their genetic mutations, intraspecific hybrids, and interspecific hybrids, covering Bourbon Pointu, Maragogype, Geisha, SL28, Caturra, Pacamara, and others. It also explains the position of hybrid varieties in specialty coffee and the key influence of origin estates on flavor differences.
In my article "Falling in Love with Specialty Coffee," previously published in the "Healthy Life" section, I mentioned that the most common coffees on the market can be divided into two major categories: Arabica (with delicate aroma, the core of specialty coffee) and Robusta (also called robusta bean, with a rough taste and higher caffeine content, not belonging to the category of specialty coffee).
In addition to these two major categories, there are two minor categories, namely Liberica (tall plants, mainly distributed in Malaysia and West Africa) and Excelsa; however, these two categories are extremely rare in the market (there is even no official Chinese translation for them).
Many subspecies are further divided under Arabica. They all spread from Ethiopia's oldest Typica and Yemen's Bourbon to Central and South America or Asia, and then evolved through mutation and reproduction; the number of varieties is enormous and difficult to list one by one. However, specialty coffee mainly refers to carefully cultivated high-altitude Arabica, so the varieties are relatively limited. They can be roughly classified as follows.
Ancient native varieties:
Typica: This is Ethiopia's oldest native variety, and all Arabica originates from Typica. Its top leaves are bronze-colored, and the bean shape is oval or slender-pointed; the flavor is elegant, but the plant is relatively weak, has poor disease resistance, and low yield. Well-known estate beans such as Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to Typica.
Bourbon: This is a variety produced after Typica was introduced to Yemen in the early period (the prehistoric period of coffee), with the bean shape changing from slender-pointed to round. In 1715, the French introduced the round-bodied beans of Yemen Mocha to Bourbon Island off the east coast of Africa (renamed Reunion Island after the French Revolution), and only after that did the name Bourbon come into being. Bourbon round-bodied beans were introduced to Brazil and Central and South America in 1727, and in 1732 the British also transplanted Yemen Mocha to Saint Helena Island (later the place where Napoleon was imprisoned), which also belonged to Bourbon round-bodied beans. Bourbon has repeatedly achieved excellent results in specialty coffee cupping in the Americas.
One of the characteristics of Typica is that its top leaves are bronze-colored.
Genetic mutations
Bourbon Pointu: Discovered on Bourbon Island in 1810, its bean shape changed from round to pointed, and its caffeine content is only half that of ordinary varieties; however, its yield is low and the plant is weak, making it very precious (mostly cultivated in laboratories).
Maragogype (or Elephant Bean): The most well-known mutated bean of Typica, first discovered in 1870 in the Maragogype bean-producing area of Bahia state in northeastern Brazil. Its bean body is at least three times larger than ordinary Arabica, hence the name. Maragogype does not have a good flavor at low altitudes, but performs relatively well at high altitudes, with soft acidity and pleasant sweet aroma.
Geisha: A derivative variety belonging to the Typica family, exported in 1931 from the Geisha Mountain in southern Ethiopia (Geisha is pronounced the same as the Japanese word "geisha"). It passed through many countries without attracting attention, was transplanted to Panama in the 1960s, and only began to frequently win championships in cupping competitions starting in 2005.
Kenya's "SL28" and "SL34": Bourbon direct descendants selected and cultivated by French and British missionaries and researchers in Kenya in the early twentieth century. Over the past century, they have adapted to Kenya's high-concentration phosphoric acid soil and given birth to Kenya's unique acidic aroma spirit; top Kenyan coffees all come from these two varieties, but once transplanted elsewhere, the flavor immediately changes.
Bourbon Amarello (or Yellow Bourbon): A Bourbon mutation unique to São Paulo state in Brazil. After the fruit ripens, it does not turn red but orange-yellow. It was later discovered that other local Bourbon-derived varieties also had yellowing fruit skins.
Caturra: A single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in the 1950s. Its growth and disease resistance are both superior to Bourbon, and it does not require shade trees; its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon.
Pacas: A Bourbon mutation discovered in El Salvador. In 1935, Salvadoran coffee farmer Pacas transplanted the famous Bourbon variety, and by 1956 he found that its yield was higher than other coffee trees of the same kind. After expert appraisal, it was confirmed that a genetic mutation had occurred.
Villa
Sarchi: A Bourbon mutation first discovered in Costa Rica in the 1960s, and in recent years it has often appeared on lists of outstanding cupping results.
From left to right: Kenya Peaberry, Maragogype, Kenya AA
Arabica intraspecific hybrid
Mundo Novo: A variety naturally hybridized from Bourbon and Sumatra Typica, first discovered in Brazil. It has high yield and resistance to pests and diseases, and was widely planted in Brazil in the 1950s, hailed as the new hope of Brazil's coffee industry; however, the tree is relatively tall and not easy to harvest.
Catuai: A hybrid variety of Mundo Novo and Caturra; the tree is short and wind-resistant, but the flavor is relatively monotonous.
Pacamara: A hybrid variety of Pacas and Maragogype, with a bean body second only to Maragogype in size. It is an excellent variety developed in El Salvador in the 1950s, and its cupping results in recent years have been impressive.
Kent: A Typica hybrid variety discovered in India, with high yield and strong disease resistance, but it has never achieved good results in cupping.
Interspecific hybrid between Arabica and Robusta
Timor: A natural hybrid variety discovered in East Timor, with 44 chromosomes, relatively close to Arabica; however, its flavor is plain and unremarkable.
Catimor: In 1959, the Portuguese crossed Brazil's Caturra with Timor to cultivate the highly disease-resistant Catimor. However, its flavor is also relatively poor, and it is currently an important variety of commercial beans.
Icatu: A variety improved through multiple generations of hybridization in Brazil, and it once entered the top ten of Brazil's "Cup of Excellence."
Ruiru 11: A hybrid variety developed in Kenya in 1985 that emphasizes yield over quality.
Among the hybrids between Arabica and Robusta, none so far can be considered specialty coffee; therefore, many suppliers specializing in fresh roasting for specialty coffee, such as Front Street Coffee, do not carry these types. However, many suppliers, even those importing famous coffees, will mix this hybrid bean into blends to reduce costs.
In addition, the flavors of the above genetic mutations (whether natural or the product of research) are closely related to specific regional conditions. Even within the same country, coffee beans from different estates may differ greatly. For example, the Jamaica national treasure Wallenford Estate Blue Mountain is more than twice as expensive as Jamaica Prime High Mountain Blue Mountain.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
