Caturra Archives - Cofmos Coffee Roasters

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

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

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

Anacafe 14 (Catimor)

LINEAGE (Timor Hybrid 832/1 x Caturra) x Pacamara GENETIC DESCRIPTION Introgressed (Catimor) HISTORY Anacafe 14 is supposed to have originated from a natural cross between a Catimor variety (Timor Hybrid 832/1 x Caturra) with Pacamara around 1980, in the Department of Chiquimula, Guatemala. It was discovered by farmer Francisco Manchamé. After several cycles of mass selection, in which a group of individual plants are selected based on their superior performance, and then seed from these plants is bulked to form a new generation. and genealogical selection by the National Coffee Association of Guatemala (ANACAFÉ), it was released as a commercial variety in 2014.…