Reference
Coffee Varieties
A searchable reference of coffee varieties and cultivars. Explore genetics, growing conditions, flavor profiles, and brewing recommendations.
69 varieties
Acaía
Acaía produces a smooth, balanced cup with low to medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, caramel, and sometimes subtle fruit. The cup is...
Origin: Discovered in Brazil. Natural mutation of Mundo Novo (Typica x Bourbon).
Andongabo
Andongabo produces a complex, floral, and fruity cup characteristic of Ethiopian landraces, with bright acidity and notes of citrus, berry, and floral.
Origin: Highland forests of Ethiopia.
Arabica Coffee Varieties: Origin, Flavor & Genetics
Arabica is known for its complex, aromatic, and nuanced flavor. It generally has higher acidity, lighter body, and more aromatic complexity than Robusta. Notes range from floral and citrus (highland African) to chocolate and caramel (Central and South American). Sweetness is generally high, with clean, balanced cups being the hallmark of quality Arabica.
Origin: Ethiopia and South Sudan (native wild populations); first cultivated in Yemen.
Aramosa
Aramosa produces a unique, complex cup with notes of jasmine, tropical fruit, and sometimes savory or herbal notes. The low caffeine content (inherited from...
Origin: Developed in Brazil by Flavio Borem. Cross of Arabica (Typica) x Coffea racemosa.
Arusha
Arusha produces a clean, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, berry, chocolate, and sometimes floral notes. The cup is...
Origin: Arusha region, northern Tanzania. Typica-related variety.
Batian
Batian was developed to combine disease resistance with the cup quality of SL28. Well-grown Batian produces a bright, juicy cup with notes of blackcurrant,...
Origin: Developed by the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in Kenya. Released in 2010.
Bergendal
Bergendal produces a full-bodied, low-acidity cup characteristic of Indonesian coffee, with notes of earth, spice, chocolate, and cedar.
Origin: Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). Typica-related variety brought by the Dutch.
Blue Mountain
Blue Mountain is known for its exceptionally smooth, mild, and balanced cup with virtually no bitterness. It has low acidity, a silky body, and notes of...
Origin: Brought to Jamaica in 1728 by Sir Nicholas Lawes. Typica variety grown in the Blue Mountains.
Bourbon
Sweet, complex, and balanced. Known for a pronounced sweetness, deep fruit notes (berry, stone fruit), and bright but rounded acidity. Body is medium to full with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Among the most sought-after cup profiles in specialty coffee.
Origin: Ethiopia (ancestral origin). Cultivated on the island of Bourbon (now Reunion) in the Indian Ocean, where the mutation occurred, then introduced to the Americas by the French in the 18th century.
Bourbon Amarelo
Bourbon Amarelo is prized for its sweetness, complexity, and bright acidity. It has a medium body and notes of citrus, stone fruit, yellow fruit, honey, and...
Origin: Brazil. Natural color mutation of Bourbon.
Bourbon Vermelho
Bourbon Vermelho is known for its sweet, complex, and balanced cup with bright acidity, medium to full body, and notes of berry, stone fruit, chocolate, and...
Origin: Island of Bourbon (Reunion). The standard red-cherry form of Bourbon.
Castillo
Castillo's cup quality is debated. Well-grown Castillo at high elevations can produce clean, balanced cups with notes of chocolate, caramel, citrus, and mild...
Origin: Developed by Cenicafé in Colombia. Released in 2005.
Catimor
Catimor's cup quality varies widely depending on the specific line, growing conditions, and processing. Well-grown Catimor can produce clean, balanced cups...
Origin: Developed in Portugal (CIFC, Oeiras) in the 1950s-1960s. Cross between Caturra and Hibrido de Timor.
Catuai
Balanced and versatile. Typically produces a clean, sweet cup with notes of caramel, chocolate, and nuts (especially when naturally processed in Brazil). Washed Catuai from Central America shows brighter acidity with citrus and stone fruit notes. Less complex than Bourbon but consistently high quality.
Origin: Brazil (developed by the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas, IAC, in Sao Paulo state).
Catuai Amarelo
Catuai Amarelo produces a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, chocolate, caramel, and sometimes yellow fruit. The cup is similar to Catuai Vermelho but can be slightly more delicate.
Origin: Developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in Brazil. Yellow color variant of Catuai.
Catuai Vermelho
Catuai Vermelho produces a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of red fruit, chocolate, caramel, and citrus. The cup is similar to Catuai Amarelo but can be slightly fuller in body.
Origin: Developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in Brazil. Red color variant of Catuai.
Caturra
Bright, clean, and sweet. Known for pronounced citric acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, stone fruit, and caramel. Generally produces a more straightforward but vibrant cup than its parent Bourbon, with slightly less complexity but excellent clarity.
Origin: Brazil (discovered in Minas Gerais state, near the town of Caturra, now called Caturite).
Caturra Amarelo
Caturra Amarelo produces a bright, sweet cup with clean acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, yellow fruit, chocolate, and caramel. The cup is often...
Origin: Brazil. Yellow-cherry color variant of Caturra (Bourbon mutation).
Cenicafé 1
Cenicafé 1 was selected for improved cup quality. Well-grown lots produce a clean, balanced cup with notes of chocolate, caramel, citrus, and mild fruit,...
Origin: Developed by Cenicafé in Colombia. Released in 2017.
Colombia Variety
The Colombia variety produces a clean, balanced cup with medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, caramel, and mild citrus. The cup is good...
Origin: Developed by Cenicafé in Colombia. Released in 1982.
Djember
Djember produces a balanced cup with medium body, notes of chocolate, nuts, spice, and sometimes earthy or woody notes characteristic of Indonesian coffee.
Origin: India (developed at Coffee Research Station, Balehonnur). Distributed to Indonesia as Djember.
Erecta
erecta erecta is a natural mutation of bourbon, characterized by its upright (erect) growth habit, in contrast to the typical spreading habit of bourbon. it is...
Origin: Natural mutation of Bourbon.
Ethiopian Landrace
Ethiopian landraces produce some of the world's most distinctive and complex coffees. Flavor profiles vary by region: Yirgacheffe is known for floral, citrus, and tea-like notes; Sidamo for fruit and berry; Harrar for blueberry and wine; Guji for stone fruit and floral. The cups are generally bright, complex, and elegant.
Origin: Highland forests of Ethiopia (and possibly South Sudan).
Eugenioides
Eugenioides produces a unique, sweet, and delicate cup with very low caffeine content (approximately 0.2 to 0.4%). It has notes of honey, peach, floral, and...
Origin: Highland forests of East Africa (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda).
Excelsa
Excelsa has a distinctive tart, fruity, and complex flavor that differs from typical Liberica. It has a medium body, bright (but not citric) acidity, and notes of dark fruit, tamarind, and woody spice. The flavor is unique and often used in small percentages in blends to add complexity.
Origin: West Africa (native range overlaps with Liberica).
French Mission
French Mission produces a clean, balanced cup with bright acidity and notes of citrus, berry, and chocolate, characteristic of East African Typica.
Origin: Brought from Bourbon (Reunion) to East Africa by French missionaries.
Geisha
Extraordinary and distinctive. Known for intense floral aromatics (jasmine, bergamot, orange blossom), bright and elegant acidity, and a tea-like, delicate body. Notes of citrus, stone fruit, and honey are common. The cup is often described as perfumed, ethereal, and unlike any other coffee variety.
Origin: Ethiopia (Gori Gesha forest in the Bench Maji zone, southwestern Ethiopia).
Hibrido de Timor
Hibrido de Timor itself is not commonly consumed as a standalone variety. Its cup quality is generally inferior to pure Arabica, but it is used for breeding,...
Origin: Island of Timor (Indonesia/Timor-Leste). Natural interspecific hybrid of Arabica and Robusta.
Icatú
Icatú's cup quality varies. Well-grown Icatú can produce a clean, balanced cup with notes of chocolate, nuts, and caramel. However, the Robusta ancestry can...
Origin: Developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in Brazil. Cross of Mundo Novo x Robusta, backcrossed with Arabica.
Jackson
Jackson produces a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of red apple, berry, citrus, and chocolate. The cup is clean and elegant.
Origin: Introduced to Rwanda and Burundi in the early 20th century. Believed to be Bourbon-related.
Java
Java has a complex, sweet cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, stone fruit, floral, and sometimes herbal notes. The cup is clean,...
Origin: Ethiopia (original landrace). Introduced to Java, Indonesia, in the early 20th century.
K7
K7 produces a clean, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, berry, and chocolate. The cup is good but generally considered...
Origin: Selected at Legetet Estate, Kenya, in the 1930s. From a French Mission (Typica) population.
KP423
KP423 produces a good-quality cup with bright acidity and notes of citrus, berry, and chocolate, characteristic of Ugandan coffee.
Origin: Selected in Uganda.
Kent
Kent produces a smooth, balanced cup with low to medium acidity, medium body, and notes of spice, chocolate, and nuts. The cup is characteristic of Indian...
Origin: Selected on the Kent estate, Mysore (Karnataka), India, in the 1920s.
Laurina
Laurina produces a delicate, sweet, and refined cup with low acidity, a light body, and notes of honey, citrus, floral, and sometimes nuts. The cup is elegant and subtle, with very low bitterness due to its low caffeine content.
Origin: Discovered on the island of Bourbon (Reunion) in the 18th century. Natural mutation of Bourbon.
Laurina de Cayenne
laurina de cayenne laurina de cayenne is a variant of laurina (bourbon pointu) that was historically grown in french guiana. like laurina, it is a...
Origin: French Guiana (Cayenne). Variant of Laurina (Bourbon mutation).
Liberica
Liberica is known for its bold, smoky, and distinctive flavor. It has a full, heavy body, low acidity, and notes of smoke, wood, dark chocolate, and tropical fruit. The flavor is polarizing: some find it unique and compelling, while others find it overpowering. In the Philippines, Barako coffee (Liberica) is a cultural icon.
Origin: Liberia, West Africa (native range extends across West and Central Africa).
Maracaturra
Maracaturra produces a complex, intense cup with bright acidity, full body, and notes of chocolate, citrus, floral, and sometimes savory or herbal notes. The...
Origin: Natural hybrid of Maragogipe and Caturra. First identified in Brazil, also found in Central America.
Maragogipe
Maragogipe is known for its complex, smooth, and distinctive cup. It has bright acidity, a medium to full body, and notes of chocolate, citrus, floral, and...
Origin: Discovered near Maragogipe, Bahia, Brazil, in 1870. Natural mutation of Typica.
Marsellesa
Marsellesa produces a clean, balanced cup with medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, caramel, and mild citrus. The cup is improved...
Origin: Central America. Sarchimor-type variety (Villa Sarchi x Hibrido de Timor).
Mibirizi
Mibirizi produces a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of red apple, berry, citrus, and chocolate. The cup is clean, elegant, and characteristic of Rwandan and Burundian coffee.
Origin: Introduced to Rwanda in the early 20th century. Believed to be Bourbon-related.
Mokka
Mokka is known for its distinctive, wine-like, and complex cup. It has bright acidity, a medium body, and notes of dried fruit, wine, chocolate, spice, and...
Origin: Yemen (from Ethiopian landrace stock). Named after the port of Mocha.
Mundo Novo
Mundo Novo has a smooth, balanced cup with low to medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, caramel, and sometimes subtle fruit. The cup is...
Origin: Discovered in Mundo Novo (now Urupês), Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the 1940s. Natural hybrid of Typica (Sumatra) and Bourbon.
N39
N39 produces a good-quality cup with bright acidity and notes of citrus and berry, characteristic of East African coffee.
Origin: Selected in Tanzania.
Obatã
Obatã produces a clean, balanced cup with medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, and caramel. The cup is good but generally considered a...
Origin: Developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in Brazil. Cross of Villa Sarchi x Hibrido de Timor.
Ouro Verde
Ouro Verde produces a smooth, balanced cup with low to medium acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, and caramel, typical of Brazilian coffee.
Origin: Discovered in Brazil. Natural mutation of Mundo Novo.
Pacamara
Pacamara is known for its complex, intense, and sometimes polarizing flavor. It has bright acidity, a full body, and distinctive notes of chocolate, floral, citrus, and sometimes savory or herbal notes. The cup is bold, complex, and unique, unlike any other Arabica variety.
Origin: El Salvador (created by ISIC in the 1950s).
Pacas
Pacas has a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, caramel, citrus, and stone fruit. The cup is clean and elegant,...
Origin: Discovered on the Pacas family farm in El Salvador in 1949. Natural mutation of Bourbon.
Parainema
Parainema produces a clean, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, chocolate, caramel, and sometimes floral notes. The cup quality is improved compared to earlier Sarchimor varieties.
Origin: Honduras. Sarchimor-type variety (Villa Sarchi x Hibrido de Timor).
Pink Bourbon
Pink Bourbon is prized for its complex, sweet, and floral cup. It has bright, elegant acidity, a silky body, and distinctive notes of jasmine, stone fruit,...
Origin: Colombia. Natural color mutation of Bourbon.
Racemosa
Racemosa produces a unique cup with very low caffeine content (approximately 0.2 to 0.4%). It has notes of jasmine, tropical fruit, honey, and sometimes savory or herbal notes. The cup is unlike any Arabica or Robusta.
Origin: Southern Mozambique and South Africa.
Robusta Coffee: Flavor, Caffeine & Growing Regions
Bold, strong, and earthy. Known for heavy body, low acidity, and notes of dark chocolate, nuts, and grain. Can exhibit earthy, woody, or rubbery notes in lower-quality lots. Fine Robusta (carefully processed) can produce a cleaner, sweeter cup with chocolate and caramel notes.
Origin: Central and western sub-Saharan Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Guinea, Angola).
Ruiru 11
Ruiru 11's cup quality is debated. Well-grown Ruiru 11 can produce a bright, fruity cup reminiscent of SL28 but generally with less complexity and intensity....
Origin: Developed at the Coffee Research Station, Ruiru, Kenya. Released in 1985.
Rume Sudan
Rume Sudan has a complex, unique cup with bright acidity, a juicy body, and distinctive notes of stone fruit, berries, citrus, and sometimes floral or herbal notes. The cup is complex, elegant, and unlike Typica or Bourbon varieties.
Origin: Collected from the Boma Plateau region of Sudan (now South Sudan) in the 1940s.
S288
s288 s288 is a natural interspecific hybrid between arabica and liberica, discovered in india. it is important in coffee breeding as a parent of s795 (widely...
Origin: India. Natural interspecific hybrid of Arabica and Liberica.
S795
S795 produces a smooth, balanced cup with low to medium acidity, medium body, and notes of spice, chocolate, nuts, and sometimes caramel. The cup is...
Origin: Developed at the Coffee Research Station, Balehonnur, India, in the 1940s-1950s.
SL14
SL14 produces a good-quality cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, berry, and chocolate. The cup is similar to other Kenyan SL varieties...
Origin: Selected by Scott Laboratories in Kenya in the 1930s-1940s.
SL17
SL17 produces a good-quality cup with bright acidity and notes of citrus and berry, similar to but generally less complex than SL28.
Origin: Selected by Scott Laboratories in Kenya.
SL28
SL28 is renowned for its intensely fruity, juicy, and complex cup profile. It has bright, wine-like acidity, a juicy body, and distinctive notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, tomato, and sometimes citrus. The cup is bold, complex, and unmistakably Kenyan.
Origin: Selected in Kenya from a population originating from Tanganyika (Tanzania), possibly from southern Sudan or Ethiopia.
SL34
SL34 has a rich, complex cup with a heavier body and darker fruit notes than SL28. It has bright acidity, a full, syrupy body, and notes of blackcurrant, plum, dark cherry, and chocolate. The cup is complex, rich, and less overtly fruity than SL28.
Origin: Selected in Kenya from a single tree on the Loresho Estate, possibly descended from a Typica introduction from Tanzania.
San Ramon
San Ramon produces a clean, sweet cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, chocolate, and caramel. The cup is similar to Typica but from a...
Origin: Discovered in Brazil. Natural mutation of Typica.
Sarchimor
Sarchimor's cup quality varies by line and growing conditions. Well-grown Sarchimor can produce clean, balanced cups with notes of chocolate, nuts, and...
Origin: Developed at CIFC in Portugal and at research stations in Central America. Cross of Villa Sarchi x Hibrido de Timor.
Sidikalang
Sidikalang produces a full-bodied, low-acidity cup characteristic of Sumatran coffee. It has notes of earth, cedar, spice, chocolate, and sometimes tobacco or leather. The wet-hulling process contributes to the unique, earthy character.
Origin: Sidikalang area, Dairi regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Typica-related, introduced during Dutch colonial era.
Stenophylla
Initial cupping evaluations of rediscovered stenophylla have shown a complex, high-quality cup with notes of chocolate, honey, peach, black tea, and floral....
Origin: West Africa (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia).
T5295
t5295 t5295 is an arabica variety used in east african coffee breeding programs. it is one of the parent varieties used in the development of ruiru 11 and...
Origin: East African breeding programs.
Tafarikela
Tafarikela produces a complex, floral, and citrus cup characteristic of Ethiopian landraces. It has bright acidity, a light to medium body, and notes of...
Origin: Collected from Ethiopia. Maintained in Costa Rica's coffee research program.
Tekisik
Tekisik produces a clean, sweet cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, chocolate, and caramel, characteristic of Typica.
Origin: Developed in Central America. Selection of Typica.
Typica
Clean, sweet, and delicate. Known for floral aromatics, bright citric acidity, and a silky, tea-like body. Typically exhibits notes of citrus, jasmine, honey, and stone fruit. Among the most complex and elegant cup profiles of all Arabica varieties.
Origin: Ethiopia (native), cultivated in Yemen from the 15th century onward, then distributed globally by the Dutch, French, and Portuguese.
Villa Sarchi
Villa Sarchi has a sweet, balanced cup with bright acidity, medium body, and notes of citrus, stone fruit, chocolate, and caramel. The cup is clean and elegant, similar to Bourbon.
Origin: Discovered in the Sarchi Valley, Costa Rica, in the 1950s. Natural mutation of Bourbon.