Arabica Varieties Archives - Cofmos Coffee Roasters

SL34

LINEAGE Typica-like genetic background. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Typica-related) HISTORY SL34 was originally selected in Kenya the late 1930s at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories (for more on Scott Labs, see SL28). Individual tree selections made at the Scott Laboratories in Kenya during the 1935-1939 period were prefixed “SL.” SL34 was selected from a single tree on the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya since research at the Scott Laboratories was often conducted in cooperation with local, private estate owners. The tree was labeled “French Mission.” French missionaries known as Spiritans established a mission in 1893 at Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya), in which…

Arabica Varieties

Caturra

LINEAGE Natural mutation of the Bourbon variety GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Bourbon-related) HISTORY Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. It was discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil sometime between 1915 and 1918. Caturra has a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to grow smaller (called dwarfism). Its name derives from the Guarani word meaning “small.” It is also called “Nanico.” After Caturra’s discovery, selections were made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil, starting in 1937. Breeders were interested in Caturra’s small size, which allows plants to be placed…

Arabica Varieties

Castillo

Colombia invests far more than many coffee producing countries in scientific coffee research due to the importance of the crop to the country’s economy. Colombia’s National Center for Coffee Investigation (Cenicafe) – operated by the National Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) – is one of the world’s foremost researchers in developing coffee cultivars developed to improve farmers’ well-being while also retaining cup quality. The research centre is responsible for many of the cultivars developed within the country over the last 60 years. At least from the 1950s onward, Caturra was a highly common cultivar across Colombia, introduced because of its productivity…

Arabica Varieties

SL28

LINEAGE Selection of “Tanganika Drought Resistant.” Bourbon-like genetic background. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Bourbon-related) HISTORY SL28 is among the most well-known and well-regarded varieties of Africa. It has consequently spread from Kenya, where it was originally selected in the 1930s, to other parts of Africa (it is important in Arabica-growing regions of Uganda, in particular) and now to Latin America. The variety is suited for medium to high altitudes and shows resistance to drought, but is susceptible to the major diseases of coffee. SL28 is notable for its rusticity—a quality meaning that it can be left untended for years or…

Arabica Varieties

Typica

LINEAGE Also called Criollo (Creole), Indio (Indian), Arábigo (Arabica), Plume Hidalgo, Blue Mountain, and Sumatra. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Typica-related) HISTORY Typica is the most famous of the Typica-descended varieties. It is a tall variety characterized by very low production, susceptibility to the major diseases, and good cup quality. The Typica group, like all Arabica coffee, is supposed to have originated in southwestern Ethiopia. Sometime in the 15th or 16th century, it was taken to Yemen. By 1700, seeds from Yemen were being cultivated in India. In 1696 and 1699, coffee seeds were sent from the Malabar coast of India…

Arabica Varieties

Catimor

Catimor was developed in Portugal in 1959 by scientists searching for the magical formula of high yields, high disease resistance and small plant size (i.e. higher density planting). The variety is a hybrid of the Timor Hybrid (resistant to coffee leaf rust due to its Robusta genetic roots) and Caturra. Catimor was first introduced in Brazil in 1970, but shortly after the plant quickly spread throughout Latin America via experts looking for coffee varieties with high productivity and high yields. At high altitudes and very low altitudes, the plant does not tend to thrive. However, at around 700 to 1,000…

Arabica Varieties

Catuai

LINEAGE Mundo Novo x Caturra GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Typica- and Bourbon-related) HISTORY A cross between highly productive Mundo Novo and compact Caturra, made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil. The plant is highly productive compared to Bourbon, in part because of its small size, which allows plants to be closely spaced; it can be planted at nearly double the density. The plant’s shape makes it relatively easy apply pest and disease treatments. It is mainly characterized by great vigor and its low height; it is less compact than Caturra. It is highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust.…

Arabica Varieties

Bourbon Mayaguez 71 (BM71)

LINEAGE Bourbon-like genetic background. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Bourbon-related) HISTORY Bourbon Mayaguez 71 got its name because it is believed to have transited from Central America through the USDA germplasm collection of Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. Bourbon had previously been introduced to Puerto Rico from Central America. It was introduced to the germplasm collection at Mulungu in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1930s, and then introduced to Rwanda in the early 1950s. It is an important variety in Rwanda. When the population of Bourbon Mayaguez was introduced to East Africa, some mother trees were selected over others as…

Arabica Varieties

Bourbon

LINEAGE Bourbon-like genetic background. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Bourbon-Typica Group (Bourbon-related) Bourbon is the most famous of the Bourbon-descended varieties. It is a tall variety characterized by relatively low production, susceptibility to the major diseases, and excellent cup quality. French missionaries introduced Bourbon from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now La Réunion)—giving it the name it has today—in the early 1700s. Until the mid-19th century, Bourbon did not leave the island. But beginning in the mid-1800s, the variety spread to new parts of the world as the missionaries moved to establish footholds in Africa and the Americas. The Bourbon variety was introduced to…

Arabica Varieties

Batian

LINEAGE Composite variety containing parentage from: SL28, SL34, Rume Sudan, N39, K7, SL4 and the Timor Hybrid. GENETIC DESCRIPTION Introgressed (Other) HISTORY A variety resistant to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease created at the Coffee Research Station (CRS; now the Coffee Research Institute, CRI) in Ruiru, Kenya. Batian was released in Kenya in 2010. Batian was created via single-tree selections from fifth filial (F5) generations from the male parent of some Ruiru 11 progenies. Batian is a composite variety, mixing three different pure line varieties. The varieties involved in the original crosses are: SL28, SL34, Rume Sudan, N39, K7, SL4 and the Timor…