Discover Coffee Varieties
Explore the rich tapestry of coffee varieties from around the globe. Each with its own unique story, flavor profile, and character.
Bourbon: The Sweet and Classic Coffee Variety
Discover the story of Bourbon, the second foundational coffee variety that journeyed from Yemen to an island in the Indian Ocean and went on to populate the hills of Latin America. Learn about its celebrated sweetness, its important mutations, and how it became a parent to so many modern coffees.
Castillo: The New Colombian Standard
Meet Castillo, the modern, rust-resistant coffee variety developed by Colombia's national coffee research center, Cenicafé. Learn how it was designed to replace Caturra and Catimor, offering farmers high yields and disease resistance while aiming for a better cup quality that mimics the classic Colombian profile.
Catimor: The Controversial Workhorse
Explore Catimor, the widespread and controversial group of coffee varieties created by crossing the compact Caturra with the rust-resistant Timor Hybrid. Learn why it became essential for farmers' survival and why it sparks debate in the specialty coffee community.
Catuai: The Perfect Cross
Discover Catuai, the celebrated hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra developed in Brazil. Learn how it combines the high productivity of Mundo Novo with the compact size of Caturra to create a super-plant that is both high-yielding and easy to manage, known for its clean, sweet, and straightforward cup.
Caturra: The Compact Powerhouse
Learn about Caturra, the natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon that revolutionized coffee farming. Discover how its small size allows for dense planting and high yields, and explore its classic bright, citric acidity and clean cup profile that made it a cornerstone of coffee production in Latin America.
Fine Robusta: The Other Specialty Coffee
Explore the world of Fine Robusta (Coffea canephora), the 'other' species of coffee. Learn how a new generation of producers is using specialty Arabica techniques to unlock the potential of Robusta, creating a new category of coffee defined by its rich body, high caffeine, and unique flavor profile.
Geisha: The Queen of Coffees
Discover the remarkable story of the Geisha (or Gesha) variety, from its origins in the forests of Ethiopia to its stunning rediscovery in Panama. Learn what makes its extraordinarily floral and complex cup profile the most sought-after and highest-priced in the coffee world.
Maragogipe: The Gentle Giant of the Coffee World
Meet Maragogipe (or Maragogype), the famous 'Elephant Bean' coffee. Learn how this natural mutation of Typica was discovered in Brazil, why its beans are so unusually large, and what to expect from its often delicate and nuanced cup profile.
Marsellesa: The Modern Workhorse
Meet Marsellesa, a highly productive and disease-resistant Sarchimor selection that is becoming a new workhorse for coffee farmers in Central America. Learn how it was developed for high-density planting and mechanical harvesting, while still delivering a consistent and high-quality cup.
Mundo Novo: The Brazilian Powerhouse
Explore Mundo Novo, the high-yielding natural hybrid of Typica and Bourbon that was discovered in Brazil. Learn how its robust nature and good cup quality made it a cornerstone of the Brazilian coffee industry and a key parent in the development of other important varieties like Catuai.
Pacamara: The Exotic Hybrid
Explore the world of Pacamara, the celebrated and exotic hybrid of Pacas and Maragogipe from El Salvador. Learn how this cross created a coffee with the giant beans of Maragogipe and the compact stature of Pacas, resulting in a cup profile known for its extraordinary complexity, intense aromatics, and rich, buttery body.
Pacas: El Salvador's Gift to Coffee
Discover Pacas, the natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon discovered and cultivated by the famous Pacas family in El Salvador. Learn how its compact size and good cup quality have made it a cornerstone of Central American coffee, and how it became a parent to the celebrated Pacamara variety.
Parainema: The Champion Hybrid
Discover Parainema, the celebrated Sarchimor selection from Honduras that has won Cup of Excellence awards. Learn how this variety combines high yields and resistance to both rust and nematodes with a surprisingly complex and high-quality cup profile.
SL28: The Star of Kenya
Delve into the story of SL28, the celebrated coffee variety that defines the classic Kenyan flavor profile. Learn about its selection by Scott Laboratories in the 1930s, its remarkable drought resistance, and its unmistakable cup profile of intense blackcurrant, grapefruit, and tomato-like acidity.
SL34: The Other Star of Kenya
Explore the story of SL34, a key coffee variety selected by Scott Laboratories in Kenya alongside the famous SL28. Learn about its origins, its reputation for a heavy, elegant body, and its classic flavor profile of stone fruit, complex acidity, and rich mouthfeel that perfectly complements SL28.
Sarchimor: The Other Rust-Resistant Hybrid
Meet Sarchimor, the important group of coffee varieties created by crossing the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi with the Timor Hybrid. Learn how it provides a crucial source of rust resistance while aiming for a higher cup quality than its famous cousin, Catimor.
Sudan Rume: The Rare and Elegant Heirloom
Explore the world of Sudan Rume, a rare and wild heirloom variety originally from the Boma Plateau in South Sudan. Learn why this relative of Geisha is prized by specialty coffee producers for its unique, complex, and tea-like cup profile, and its role as a parent in creating new, high-quality F1 hybrids.
Timor Hybrid: The Accidental Savior
Discover the fascinating story of the Timor Hybrid (Hibrido de Timor or HDT), the spontaneous and crucial natural cross between Arabica and Robusta. Learn how its accidental discovery provided the single most important source of rust resistance used to create modern coffee varieties like Catimor and Sarchimor.
Typica: A Deep Dive into the Original Coffee Variety
Explore the rich history, complex flavor profile, and global journey of Typica, one of the most culturally and genetically important Coffea arabica varieties in the world. This comprehensive guide covers its origins, cultivation challenges, and how to best enjoy a cup of this historic coffee.
Villa Sarchi: Costa Rica's Compact Gem
Discover Villa Sarchi, a natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon that originated in Costa Rica. Learn about its excellent cup quality, its distinctive 'Sarchi' rustling leaves, and its importance to the coffee heritage of the West Valley region.