All coffee guides · Origin & Process
Coffee variety refers to the specific cultivar of Coffea arabica plant that a coffee comes from — the equivalent of grape variety in wine. Variety is one of the most significant factors in how a coffee tastes, alongside origin and process. Understanding the key varieties helps you predict flavour profiles, understand price differences, and get more from reading a specialty coffee bag.
Typica is the variety from which most of the world's arabica cultivars descend. It originated in Ethiopia and Yemen, spread through Dutch colonial trade routes, and reached Latin America in the 18th century. Typica produces a refined, clean, slightly sweet cup with soft acidity and a thin body — elegant but not intense. It is low-yielding and vulnerable to disease, which is why it has largely been replaced commercially. Where it is still grown carefully, it can be exceptional.
A natural mutation of Typica that developed on the island of Bourbon (now Reunion) in the Indian Ocean. Bourbon tends toward higher sweetness, more body, and a broader flavour range than Typica. It is grown across Latin America and East Africa, and red, yellow and orange Bourbon variants exist, each with slightly different characteristics. Yellow Bourbon from Brazil is particularly prized for its sweetness. Bourbon is still fairly low-yielding, but its flavour potential keeps it widely cultivated in specialty farming.
Caturra is a compact natural mutation of Bourbon that produces more fruit per tree and is easier to farm on hillside terraces. Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, bred for yield and hardiness. Castillo is a Colombian variety developed specifically for resistance to coffee leaf rust. These varieties are workhorses of commercial and specialty farming — not as complex as Typica or Bourbon at their best, but capable of producing excellent cups when grown at altitude by skilled farmers.
Gesha (also spelled Geisha) is an Ethiopian-origin variety that became famous after Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama won the Best of Panama auction with it in 2004 at a then-record price. The cup profile is distinctive: intensely floral, jasmine-like, with stone fruit and tea-like delicacy. Gesha is extremely low-yielding, expensive to grow, and fetches high prices — sometimes hundreds of dollars per kilogram at auction. It has since been grown in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and elsewhere, with varying but often remarkable results.
Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya in the 1930s, SL28 and SL34 were selected from existing Kenyan and Tanganyika varieties for drought resistance and productivity. Their flavour, however, is extraordinary: deep blackcurrant, tomato-like acidity, red fruit and wine notes that are almost unique in the coffee world. SL28 in particular has become one of the most sought-after varieties by specialty buyers. Both varieties have been planted in other countries but rarely achieve the same character as they do in Kenyan highland conditions.
Variety interacts with origin, altitude and processing to produce the final cup. The same variety grown in different soils and climates can taste very different. And different varieties grown in the same location can produce wildly different results. When you see a variety listed on a specialty bag, treat it as important information: Gesha promises intensity and florals; Bourbon suggests sweetness and balance; SL28 signals bold fruit and acidity. The more you taste and note variety alongside other variables, the more useful this information becomes.
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