Variety pack: A list of coffee varietals/cultivars
This guide is meant to set the loosest of expectations for varietals you may not have familiarity with, and I fully expect your experiences to deviate.
This is NOT claiming to be definitively conclusive or comprehensive; varietals alone do not account for the full picture of flavor. Please do not treat it as a source of truth.
For those getting into specialty coffee, there’s a lot to learn and keep track of as you build preferences. Varietals, processing, region, specific farm styles; this resource aims to roughly characterize at least the first one.
It’s near impossible to get coffee professionals, much less entities like the SCA, to say whether or not something is tasty because it is not good for business.
As someone not in industry, I’m free to share preferences in what varietals I’m optimistic or would not try again.
- 174 types of coffees logged in 2022
- 1,381 types of coffees logged in 2023
- 1,631 roasts as sample roaster for two roasteries in 2024
- 1,500+ roasts so far in 2025 with rarely 2-3 roasts of the same green
- We likely haven’t tasted together. Assume there are limits on how well you can virtually understand the preferences that shape my opinions.
- How I use certain descriptors may not be language you use; suspend disbelief that we may not be calibrated in preference or descriptive terminology.
- Again, please please please do not take this as trying to suggest the final word. Rather, it’s a starting point that you are welcome to overwrite and disregard with your own experience.
- The more your experiences deviate from mine, the more you can assume we’re anti-calibrated and/or opposing in preference; you’d at least know for yourself to safely disregard my opinions on flavor.
“Hey there’s something wrong/missing!” If there’s something new or missing that you feel should be present, let me know here. Thanks in advance for helping me keep track of this craziness.
Abyssinia
Lots of historical context here, it's somewhat unclear and contextual in usage. It probably refers to typica from Indonesia
Where it’s often found: Indonesia
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: natural, washed, wet-hulled
Robert’s opinion: The one data point I have is actually from Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica with a wine process, so not too useful to isolate varietal characteristics.
Alma lupao
Recently discovered hybrid by Robert Brenes in Panama.
Where it’s often found: Finca Auromar, Panama
Rarity: Limited to Finca Auromar in Panama
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: Sample size of two, it was not more exciting or unique compared to something like a Panama catuai.
Aramosa
Cross between arabica and racemosa. Naturally low caffeine varietal, often bundled with laurina. Developed by Datera in Brazil
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: natural
Robert’s opinion: None in particular, hard to detangle from the laurina it gets paired with. My exposure to 4 offerings have not been too positive. There can be some strawberry-like qualities typical of naturals, but for the reason I don't enjoy laurinas, there is an herbal undertone.
Arusha
Bourbon - typica cross that is supposedly identical to K7, a Kenya SL
Where it’s often found: Papua New Guinea, Tanzania
Rarity: Very rare
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: None in particular, it's a new and not much to go off of. Couple samples were not particularly unique in expression. My notes list malic, apple-like acidity at best, and at worst, nutty, medicinal, licorice-ey flavors.
B7
Specific to Hacienda La Papaya, it refers to their 7th plot at 2100masl. It is a mix of catuai, caturra, pacas, san salvador, and typica.
Where it’s often found: Ecuador, Hacienda La Papaya
Rarity: Rare, specific to one farm
Common process associations: anaerobic natural
Robert’s opinion: Plenty fruity, it's a clever collection of varietals that maintains Hacienda La Papaya's standards and typical of Ecuadorian naturals. Yellow fruits, tropical fruits, some florality if the roast approach accentuates it.
Batian
Also known as: San Salvador
Common in Kenya. Bourbon cultivars such as SL28 and SL34 are grafted onto these trees thanks to their resistance to the coffee berry fungal disease. Also grown as a batian in El Salvador, Ecuador
Where it’s often found: Bolivia, Kenya
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: Washed
Robert’s opinion: Sometimes it gets a bad reputation for being the bad part of the standard Kenya package with SL28/SL34/Ruiru-11 . I've had a really nice isolation from Bolivia, so as is often the case, it depends.
Bourbon
One of the major ancestors alongside typica. Because it's so high up the lineage, it's forgettable that a lot of other varietals descend from this.
Where it’s often found: Everywhere
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: any/everything
Robert’s opinion: Too broad since the regionality and processing is so varied across the growing world.
Bourbon aji
Also known as: Aji
Despite bourbon in the name, it may be misattributed; testing suggests it is an Ethiopian landrace. The aji part, referring to chili pepper, comes from the aroma association. Gained some traction as a trendy new varietal in 2024.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: The spice part may scare some off, but I don't find that quality notable. I'm optimistic to see this varietal on offer, its zesty qualities reminds me closest of a pink bourbon. Plenty of berries and tropical fruits on offer, with some lavender or elderflower complexity. At worst, it presents vegetal bell pepper, with some boozy notes with funkier processes.
Castillo
A descendant of caturra prescribed by Colombia's federal agricultural research institute to fight leaf rust epidemics. The back and forth of genetic selection vs. evolving fungi resulted in numerous, untracked sub-variants. There is plenty of confusion at the farm in what is caturra and castillo. Often used for experiments for new processes, e.g. coferments, yeast inoculations.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: everything
Further reading: Chris Feran blog; CoffeeLands blog; PerfectDailyGrind
Robert’s opinion: It's a cheap varietal. If the price is high, it's hopefully coming from R&D in experimental processing. It's not tasty as a standalone without leaning on the processing- there's a signature floral+earthy combination like wildflowers, sometimes with a hint of mint zest.
Catimor
Also known as: Cauvery
Cross between caturra and timor. Popular due to leaf-rust resistance and high yield. There are numerous sub-cultivars of this, such as the P4 variant that Nestle originated and spread.
Where it’s often found: everywhere
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: everything
Robert’s opinion: Like castillo, it's grown for yield, not tasty. I like it even less than castillo on its own due to the earthier-forward qualities. It's a common candidate for exciting processing such as the peachy yeast Dehong that has so much plastic surgery flavor to overwrite the earthiness.
Catiope
Caturra x Etiope (Ethiopian landraces).
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: various, usually funky
Robert’s opinion: I've mostly encountered these with modern processing (e.g. acetic natural) or co-fermentation. I think it's a good candidate for funky flavors, but don't have an opinion on it alone.
Catisic
Cross between caturra and timor developed in El Salvador
Where it’s often found: El Salvador, Guatemala
Rarity: Common, often not specialty grade
Common process associations: natural, washed.
Robert’s opinion: My one data point from Guatemala came out better than expected, but I haven't seen it on a single bag label since; I wouldn't get my hopes up and at best hope for a solid Guatemala profile of citrus and nuttiness.
Catuai
Cross between mundo nuvo (typica x bourbon cross from Brazil) and caturra. Good for high yields. If you see a suspiciously cheap coffee from an expensive Panama farm, it's perhaps one of these.
Where it’s often found: Central and South America, Indonesia
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: natural, washed. Also used for modern processing experimentation
Robert’s opinion: Personally not a fan. Often nutty and chocolate-ey, better suited for medium roasting and styles I don't enjoy. Sometimes this catches enthusiasts off-guard when they see it offered from an otherwise exciting label, like a famous Panamanian farm, I do not believe it has the capacity to express like more rarified varietals.
Catucai
Also known as: Catucai 785
Cross between catuai and icatu. Good for high yields.
Where it’s often found: Central and South America
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: Personally not a fan. Often nutty and chocolate-ey, better suited for medium roasting and styles I don't enjoy.
Caturra
Bourbon mutation from Brazil, beans tend to be small. In Colombia, it is often confused with its descendant, castillo.
Where it’s often found: Central and South America
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: most often washed, but expect any process pairing
Further reading: Chris Feran blog; CoffeeLands blog
Robert’s opinion: Really big range. Done well, it can be plenty expressive of farming and processing technique, especially at a reasonable price. On the other hand, it's on the boring end of "good" varietals. As a default, I would not get my expectations very high, but there are many sleepers when the farm, specific lot, and roaster all align.
Caturron
"Discovered" recently in Huila, Colombia. There's speculation on its origins but we don't have detail from genetic sequencing. Leaf rust resistant and high yielding.
Where it’s often found: Huila, Colombia
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: too little out there to say
Robert’s opinion: The several I've had have been naturals carrying that red winey note to an intense extent, for better or worse. I'd end up shopping for this from a funky Colombian producer because of the farm name rather than seeking the varietal first.
CGLE-17
Also known as: Caturra Hybrid, CGLE
Hybrid of caturra and gesha from CGLE, named eponymously.
Where it’s often found: Cafe Granja La Esperanza, Colombia
Rarity: Rare, limited to one farm
Common process associations: Varied, but limited to what CGLE normally processes. Washed, natural, hybrid washed, XO
Robert’s opinion: The first year I had these, I didn't know about the crossed genetic origin. I thought it was a simply tasty varietal from a farm I enjoy very much. Not much to say here, let the CGLE farm reputation and process decide whether you might like this as you won't see this offered elsewhere.
Chico gallo
A cross between gesha and ethiopian landrace from Amaro Hallo. Brought together in Panama, named after "Don Chico", Ratibor Hartmann Sr.
Where it’s often found: Hartmann farms, Panama
Rarity: extremely rare
Common process associations: honey, natural, anaerobic natural
Robert’s opinion: It's plenty fruity, I consider it basically a gesha considering the rest of its details and the limited area where it's grown. If you're chasing something unusual from Panama, unlike a catuai, I'd suggest trying it once. But beware the possible price tag.
Chiroso
Initially referred to as caturra chiroso based on visuals, but tests suggest it is not related to caturra or typica/bourbon, but perhaps an Ethiopian landrace. It's been the specialty scene since around 2014, but has caught hype several time. Initially for its CoE win, later among enthusiasts for its intense characteristics without the rareified price tag, and recently catching traction again in the competition scene, especially in Asia.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Medium
Common process associations: Washed. Natural and honey exist, but are less common.
Further reading: Chris Feran blog
Robert’s opinion: Intensely sweet, long linger. Complex fruits - kiwi, tangerine, pear, aprium, with some florality and slight herbals in the back, but nowhere as much as sidra. It's a lot of fun, but can get overwhelming to have over and over without taming down the punch a bit.
Cioccies
A rare Ethiopian landrace transplanted to Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica
Where it’s often found: Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica
Rarity: Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica
Common process associations: Honey
Robert’s opinion: Intense flavor profile, comparable to expectations of a Costa Rican natural for red fruits. I would not select this for florality or delicate notes.
Colombia
Also known as: Variedad Colombia
Named after the country it was grown for, it is a cross between caturra and timor; hence the catimor for Colombia. Labels will be unclear, but it's practically one and the same relative to country of production.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: Washed
Robert’s opinion: It's a catimor from Colombia. Get it for the processing, not the varietal itself. At best, maybe some citrus, maybe some caramel/brown sugar sweetness.
Ethiopian heirlooms
Also known as: Ethiopian landraces, 74158, 74110, 74112, Heirlooms, Landraces, Local Landraces, Indigenous Landraces, Indigenous Heirloom, Wolisho, Kurume, Kerume, Kudhum, Dega, JARC Selections, JARC Selection, JARC, Heirloom, Landrace, Ethiopian Landrace, Mixed Heirloom, Serto
The umbrella term for "we don't exactly know". Landrace suggests more of a geographical origin, but that's not too rigid. The Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) identified a few genetic varietals in 1974, hence 74110, 74112, 74158, etc. Consider that it's been 50 years since then and that we're probably not getting more detail anytime soon. Your roaster won't know, the importer won't know, the thousands of smallholder farmers picking in their respective fields perhaps aren't bothered.
Where it’s often found: Ethiopia, of course
Rarity: Extremely common
Common process associations: anaerobic natural, honey, natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: This one is a no-brainer, and I'd wager anyone reading this has had some before. Outside of a couple celebrity producers able to command sorting, you're not sure what you've got, so don't get too caught up in overemphasizing differences here.
Etiope 47
Around 2020, Ethiopian heirloom varietals were imported and hybridized in Costa Rica to fight leaf rust. 47 refers to the number of attempts to arrive at this variant.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, Guatemala
Rarity: Uncommon since it hasn't been around very long
Common process associations: honey, natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: I've had a several honeys from Costa Rica back in 2022. Perhaps because they were early crops, but they tasted closer to common Costa Rica offerings than an immediate resemblance to Ethiopian heirlooms.
Eugenioides
Not a varietal, but a species. Surprisingly, it's the other parent to Arabica coffee, crossed with robusta. Though originally African in origin, it gained hype in 2021 in competition as grown by Finca Inmaculada in Colombia, and continues to be used as part of a blend. It's naturally low-caffeine. Due to its low yield and fragility, it's limited in production and incredibly expensive.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, seemingly only from Finca Inmaculada
Rarity: Very rare, only one farm with a handful of partner roasters
Common process associations: natural, anaerobic natural
Robert’s opinion: I've gotten to sample more than I'd like, and given it only goes to "good" roasters, I'm convinced partly that there isn't enough supply in the kilograms shipped to roasters for exploration in tuning roasting profiles to its unique characteristics vs. arabica; but also partly that I don't like it. Stevia and monkfruit is the optimistic presentation, there's no shortage of overt sweetness. Underneath that can reside various forms of pungency and synthetic chemicality - think durian or the dull stink of probably-harmful office supplies that gets stuck up your nose. By my third visit to this bean I'd learned not to approach it with high extraction and let its immense characteristics do the lifting.
Garnica
Mundo nuvo - caturra hybrid.
Where it’s often found: Mexico, Phillipines
Rarity: Uncommon in specialty
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: Pretty bad! I'll plainly suggest staying away. Earthy, woody, tobacco-like qualities that don't get better with a lighter roast. Best suited for a very stylistic dark roast.
Gesha
Also known as: Geisha
The hype varietal. Unrelated to traditional Japanese female performing artists. Originally discovered in the 1930s in the Gori Forest in Ethiopia, possibly in the Gesha region, mislabeled "geisha" due to phoneticization of an Arabic language. It was "rediscovered" in 2004 at the Jaramillo plot of Hacienda Esmeralda through way of international coffee exchanges established by Costa Rica. While not easy to grow, demand has forced many farms globally to try to grow it, whether suitable or not.
Where it’s often found: Most countries now. Most commonly Colombia, Ethiopia, Panama. Even China and Hawaii grow it now.
Rarity: Now common due to hype. There are specific rare sub-cultivars such as green or yellow-tip gesha.
Common process associations: everything
Further reading: Sweet Maria's
Robert’s opinion: This is an example where our expectations get assumptive and are too high because of one tagline spec. I've had plenty of bad gesha not just because the roast was bad, but because the source material was poor quality. I also enjoy over a hundreds of geshas a year - the inherent price of the material and the price, like A5 wagyu, might make the roaster might try harder in QC to ensure the final product and sale price are justified. Through hype and distribution it's had a chance to express many ways, but you're hoping for a complex presentation of fruits with funkier process that extends into delicate floral as processing slides towards traditional washed.
H1 Centroamericano
A cross between sarchimor and sudan rume, great for harvest yields.
Where it’s often found: As the name suggests, Central America
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: Not good for specialty standards of fruity or floral acidity. It'll be earthy, nutty, better suited for chocolatier medium to dark roasts.
H10 Milenio
Also known as: Milenio
A cross between sarchimor and sudan rume, great for harvest yields.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: honey, washed
Robert’s opinion: Not too special, a typical Central American cheap, washed offering. Some malic acidity that tends towards a chocolatey finish, perhaps better for medium roasts; personally not what I enjoy.
IH90
Also known as: IHCAFE90
A catimor descendant that's grown for disease resistance and yield. Often not specialty quality so might be missed on the label.
Where it’s often found: Mostly Honduras, also El Salvador and Guatemala
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: Typical Honduras flavor profile. Not very exciting with traditional washed Central American qualities.
INIA01
A varietal from Venezuela with 9 arabica heritages, including catimor, caturra, gesha; developed for leaf rust resistance. INIA refers to Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas, their national institute of agricultural research.
Where it’s often found: Venezuela
Rarity: Very rare, from farms such as Hacienda el Recreo
Common process associations: None in particular
Robert’s opinion: Not tried.
Ja'adi
A coffee tree variety native to Yemen without much more available information or active efforts for documentation.
Where it’s often found: Yemen
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: natural, anaerobic natural
Robert’s opinion: Expect typical natural flavors such as red wine, deep plum notes, and some chocolate; basically within expectations of typical naturals.
Java
Also known as: Javanica
Originally named after the Indonesian island where it was discovered, it was brought to Costa Rica from Cameroon through international coffee exchanges and popularized in Nicaragua, ending up in Colombia. It was incorrectly identified as a typica descendant.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, Indonesia, Nicaragua
Rarity: Common, but uncommon as a label on specialty offerings
Common process associations: natural, anaerobic natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: My favorites come from well-regarded Colombian farms that are known for funkier processes, though the process may very well be overpowering the varietal characteristic. I'd look for tropical fruit, various citrus expressions, and slight tea-like qualities on the optimistic end, and nutty herbaceous-ness as it gets worse.
Kartika
Combination of "Kopi Arabika Tipe Katai", or "Coffee Arabica Type Catuai" from the Indonesian reading. Beans are small.
Where it’s often found: India, Indonesia, Thailand
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: anaerobic natural, culturing, natural
Robert’s opinion: This one is not going to be pleasant with traditional processing methods. It gets used for some of the wilder processing methods in southeast Asia, where it's a bit more exciting at the loss of its varietal characteristics.
Kona
Not a varietal, but a growing region. Traditionally it's a washed typica.
Where it’s often found: Hawaii in the self-named Kona region
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: I've roasted SL28 from Kona on my own that met expectations, and while plenty acidic and fruity, is frankly indiscernible from any old typica/bourbon. Given the absurd pricing, general lack of spec-sheet info (e.g. harvest season, process, altitude), I see no flavor-based reason to go after this as a specialty coffee enthusiast.
Kopi luwak
Not a varietal, but the cat poop process. It's probably a typica if it's fundamentally arabica.
Where it’s often found: Indonesia
Rarity: Common in title, but rare to get a legitimate one
Common process associations: Luwak is the process itself.
Further reading: watch this to learn why
Robert’s opinion: I get fed this every once in a while from what I'm led to believe are credible sources. It has flavor, at best like a low-elevation typica of earthy, dried plums and raisins. It's not a good representation of that flavor and I am frustrated that rarity sets expectations of good flavor. Let's not celebrate as part of specialty coffee.
L1 Lugmapata
As the fresh legend goes, Enrique Merino thought he was planting gesha, but ended up with some miscellaneous other seeds, among which there was this fateful discovery, reaching 6th on its debut 2023 Cup of Excellence. Not yet genetically processed, it is limited to the Lugmapata farm.
Where it’s often found: Finca Lugmapata, Ecuador
Rarity: Very rare, limited to one farm
Common process associations: washed, anaerobic washed
Robert’s opinion: I've gotten to taste two lots so far, which might be a fair chunk of how much has been produced so far. While not similar to eachother, they've both been strongly expressive and I'd look forward to my third offering. Expect a good balance of citrus, yellow fruit, and florality like a typical Ecuadorian offering. Less sweet than typica mejorado, not as herbal as sidra.
Laurina
Also known as: bourbon pointu, guadaloupe
A naturally low caffeine varietal that's gaining popularity for still offering plenty of flavors without the "decaf taste".
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Colombia, Central America. Surprisingly, it was originally discovered in the Réunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean.
Rarity: Medium
Common process associations: natural, funky processes
Robert’s opinion: It has plenty of explosive notes found in other naturals, but I also find a heavy, minty herbality I'm not fond of. Roasted poorly, some alcoholic red wine notes can be present, but I'd still rather have that than the decaf taste.
Liberica
Not a varietal, but a species like arabica and robusta. Native around Uganda, it was popularized in southeast Asia as a low-elevation-friendly alternative to the diseases and concerns of growing arabica as global warming forces re-evaluation of regional farming options. It has ~25% less caffeine than arabica and the beans are quite large, but lack of scale means it remains expensive and uncommon.
Where it’s often found: Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines
Rarity: Uncommon unless in a producing country
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: At best, there are synthetic sweetener notes like stevia with some jackfruit-like tropical notes. At worst, it tastes like asphalt and office supplies like sharpies, or whiteboard markers. Perhaps specialty roasters have not found the ideal roast approach unique to liberica from the arabica they're used to.
Longberry
Not directly a varietal, but a sorted seed classification among Ethiopian landraces.
Where it’s often found: Ethiopia, Harar region
Rarity: Common, but uncommon on the label
Common process associations: Natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: None, I tend to only see this label on lower grade Ethiopian specialty offerings.
Mandela
A cross by CGLE between caturra, timor hybrid, and sudan rume
Where it’s often found: CGLE, Colombia
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: Natural, anaerobic natural, very strong funky flavors. At the most extreme, the XO rum-barrel process
Robert’s opinion: Strongly alcohol-forward. What could be considered a defect has been deliberately maximized. Your flavor notes will consist of liquors straight from the bottle if not a cocktail.
Maracaturra
Hybrid of maragogype and caturra discovered in Brazil
Where it’s often found: Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua
Rarity: Medium
Common process associations: Natural, anaerobic. I have not yet seen a washed version.
Robert’s opinion: Can have a wide range of fruity notes, but underlined with a slightly tannic earthiness. Poor roasts will have root-vegetable qualities like burdock.
Maragogipe
Also known as: Maragogype
Called elefante beans due to their size. Named after a place by the same name in Brazil, though not often grown there anymore.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua
Rarity: Medium
Common process associations: Natural
Robert’s opinion: At best, strawberry or raspberry jam, tart cherry, red wine. Can get savory and nutty when the roaster isn't familiar with working with those huge, not dense beans.
Marsellesa
Cross between caturra and sarchimor
Where it’s often found: Central, South America
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: natural, washed, often not specialty grade
Robert’s opinion: Regular for Central America, in the good and bad way. It can be expressive to the standard of a Central American bean, but unlikely to astound you.
Marshell
A recently discovered cultivar in Peru between bourbon and Ethiopian heirlooms.
Where it’s often found: Peru
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: natural
Robert’s opinion: I've had more of these than I thought, not realizing its recency or that it's a Peru exclusive. I enjoy them - red fruit like strawberries, tropical fruits like mango, guava.
Mokka
Also known as: Mocha, Mokha
Named after the port city in Yemen, it is genetically similar to bourbon. Characterized by its tiny, round seeds, it was "rediscovered" on Reunion island like laurina. Because of heritage and history from the start of written coffee culture, mokha can be an overloaded term, but in this context, refer to the small beans.
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Yemen
Rarity: Uncommon in specialty
Common process associations: anaerobic natural, natural
Robert’s opinion: It's expensive, and I frankly think plenty of roasters aren't experienced with roasting such tiny beans to their full potential. While there's potential for some red fruit in naturals with some florality, it can easily be mishandled and expose earthy, alcohol, and miso-like savory notes, so it's not without risk.
Ombligon
Meaning "bellybutton" in Spanish, it gained popularity from use in competition. Though only grown in Colombia, it may have Ethiopian lineage. Or it might be a bourbon/caturra/castillo/pacamara cross. They're not sure.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, notably El Diviso
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: washed exists, but often seen as funkier anaerobic/natural processes
Robert’s opinion: Intense, red and tropical fruit notes. Tastes like the peak of what anaerobic natural is trying to be, which may or may not be to your preference.
Pacamara
A hybrid between pacas and paragogype. Big beans, low density.
Where it’s often found: Most Central and South American countries. Especially Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: Washed, natural. It does not seem to be experimented with modern processes too often.
Robert’s opinion: Has a wide spectrum of expectations, often towards slight red fruit/wine notes as a natural. It can be a curveball to roast for amateurs depending on how their curriculum taught them to apply heat based on bean size or by density.
Pacas
A mutation of bourbon from El Salvador named after Fernando Alberto Pacas Figueroa
Where it’s often found: El Salvador, Honduras
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: Washed, natural. It does not seem to be experimented with modern processes too often.
Robert’s opinion: Has a wide spectrum of expectations, often towards slight red fruit/wine notes as a natural. I think of it as the caturra of Honduras. There can be surprisingly clean offerings, but the majority are unlikely to be memorable.
Pache
A mutation of typica from Guatemala, known for high yields ad medium altitudes.
Where it’s often found: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
Rarity: Common, often not specialty
Common process associations: Washed, natural.
Robert’s opinion: Pretty boring, often not specialty grade. At best from a high quality washed offering, expect delicate, Central American expressions like lemon, nuts, and slight florals.
Papayo
Another varietal of uncertain heritage. "Rediscovered" in Huila, Colombia, it was thought to be the same as ombligon, but might be "just" another Ethiopian landrace that's made its way to Colombia.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: Inconsistent to say
Robert’s opinion: My experiences are limited to wild processing which overpowered any varietal characteristics; nothing to report about the varietal itself.
Parainema
A sarchimor hybrid developed by IHCAFE in Honduras for disease resistance.
Where it’s often found: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
Rarity: Common, often not specialty
Common process associations: honey, natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: Often not great as lighter roast. Expect earthiness, chocolate, herbality like eucalytus and black licorice. From there, there can be some red fruit, tropical fruits, and dried fruit sweetness.
Paraiso
Catuai - timor hybrid from Brazil.
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Central America
Rarity: Common, often not specialty
Common process associations: Washed, natural.
Robert’s opinion: Pretty boring, often not specialty grade. Don't confuse it with Finca Paraiso in Colombia, this is not at all similar.
Peaberry
Not a varietal in itself, but a separation of monocot (single seeds) rather than a typical dicot (two seed), resulting in a smaller, denser, rounder seed. Occurring naturally at a claimed 5% of harvested cherries, Hawaii has taken the marketing for this and overinflated the rarity and difference to be something it isn't. In Kenya, the designation stems back to a time when bigger bean size was considered a predictor of quality, and this would be considered small vs. AA and AB sizes.
Where it’s often found: Any/everywhere, especially labeled so in Kenya and Tanzania, but only hyped in Hawaii
Rarity: Ubiquitous, but not always isolated
Common process associations: anything
Robert’s opinion: Hawaii peaberry: disregard what the tour guide tells you. Kenya peaberry: There can be plenty of good stuff here that slightly deviates from the usual intense acidity of AA and AB grade beans.
Pink bourbon
Also known as: bourbon rosado
Originally thought to be a cross between yellow and red bourbon, it's been genetically identified to not be bourbon at all, but an Ethiopian landrace. Hyped from competition in 2023 by Boram Um.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Common among specialty offerings
Common process associations: Washed, natural, anaerobic natural, anaerobic natural, and funkier & experimental processes
Further reading: Chris Feran blog
Robert’s opinion: Among my favorite varietals. As a washed, I'd happily substitute it with a gesha and hope for similar highs of zesty tropical fruits, colorful florals, and fruited iced teas. It's also used in plenty of experimental funk-forward processes, where I'd look for some of my favorite flavor notes like lychee, passionfruit, blue raspberry candy, and synthetic peaches. The roasts I don't enjoy exhibit notes of beer hops and seasweed-like umami.
Purple caturra
Discovered at Finca Monteblanco in Colombia by Rodrigo Sanchez's great-grandfather.
Where it’s often found: Finca Monteblanco in Colombia, possibly in the future at some farms in Yunnan, China
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: funky processes like cofermentation
Further reading: written in this lengthy blog post (/coffee/into-the-coferment-kingdom)
Robert’s opinion: I got to see the original purple caturra trees.
Purpuracea
Purple-leaf tree that may refer to the noted maracaturra mutation by Finca El Socoorro presented in Cup of Excellence Guatemala. Low in production and yield, it often doesn't make specialty grade.
Where it’s often found: Guatemala
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: Washed, natural
Robert’s opinion: None
Robusta
Also known as: Canephora
The one that isn't arabica. Originally discovered in the 1800s around the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The beans are much rounder and higher in caffeine. More bitterness and less sweetness than arabica.
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Vietnam
Rarity: Ubiquitous
Common process associations: Washed, natural
Robert’s opinion: I have not found a specialty-grade robusta I've enjoyed yet.
Ruiru-11
A hybrid between catimor, K7, sudan rume, and SL28 developed for disease resistance. One of the main components of Kenyan offerings. Considered one of the less tastier parts than the SL28/34 counterparts
Where it’s often found: Kenya
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: Washed
Robert’s opinion: It's difficult to discuss this in isolation since it's almost always part of the SL28/SL34/Batian package. The one exception is Coffea Circulor's wild offering from their private Kenyan plot, but that's nowhere close to the expectations of typical ruiru.
San roque
This can refer to two different things - a robusta from the Phillipines or an SL28 from Costa Rica and other parts of Central America
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, Phillipines
Rarity: Uncommon for specialty grade.
Common process associations: Washed, natural
Robert’s opinion: Sample size of 1 of the SL28 derivative, it behaved like a typical Central American natural; not exciting or inviting further curiosity.
Sarchimor
Cross between Viiasarchi and timor, hence robusta heritage.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, Guatemala
Rarity: Uncommon at specialty grade. Often blended with other varietals.
Common process associations: Washed, natural
Robert’s opinion: Nutty, citrus, chocolate; not particularly exciting beyond being a normal Central American varietal.
Sidra
Also known as: Sydra, Bourbon Sidra, SyOxy, Koji Sidra
Hyped varietal from competition around 2020, claimed to be the next gesha. Originally considered a hybrid of bourbon and typica, it was "discovered" in Ecuador at an old Nestle facility cultivating Ethiopian heirlooms, which genetic testing at the World suggests is its actual heritage. From there, it was grown and made popular by La Palma Y El Tucan in Colombia.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, Ecuador
Rarity: Common among specialty offerings
Common process associations: Washed, natural, sometimes funkier and experimental processes
Robert’s opinion: Strong flavor intensity, leaning towards herbal, mint, savory, botanical qualities. Among them are prized qualities like grapefruit, blood orange, stone fruits, tropical fruits, and florals; but whether you like it or not really comes down to your tolerance of the whole package. At worst, the savory can come off as fishiness or seaweed-like. The botanical qualities can be interpreted as eucalyptus like a Ricola cough drop. As a result, it's fairly polarizing among the hyped varietals, but it's always going to pack a punch.
Sigarar utang
Meaning "quick debt repayment", it's a caturra - timor hybrid developed by an Indonesian research institute for disease resistance and high yield
Where it’s often found: Indonesia
Rarity: Uncommon for specialty grade, often blended with varietals like typica or ateng
Common process associations: anaerobic natural, natural, wet-hulled
Robert’s opinion: At best, it can have some fundamental fruity qualities of naturals like some berry or red fruit, but on the whole, it's hard to be optimistic with light roasts. In my speculation they get handled the same as other greens and roasted poorly to express tobacco, wood, rubber, and stale office air.
SL28
A bourbon cultivar from Scott Labs in Kenya, one of the main staples of Kenyan specialty coffee. In traditional Kenyan settings, it's often paired with SL34, ruiru-11, and batian in some combination for disease resistance and yield.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: A wide spectrum. Washed Kenyans are a known entity prized for their grapefruit, hibiscus, and black tea acidity but leaning towards tomato savoriness with certain roast styles. Things get even more interesting when it's grown elsewhere. It responds in very fun ways to funky processing in Colombia, as well as finding a new varietal identity when grown in Ecuador. I'm generally optimistic to try this in new styles.
SL34
A bourbon cultivar from Scott Labs in Kenya, one of the main staples of Kenyan specialty coffee. In traditional Kenyan settings, it's often paired with SL28, ruiru-11, and batian in some combination for disease resistance and yield.
Where it’s often found: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Taiwan
Rarity: Very common
Common process associations: washed
Robert’s opinion: A wide spectrum. Washed Kenyans are a known entity prized for their grapefruit, hibiscus, and black tea acidity but leaning towards tomato savoriness with certain roast styles. Things get even more interesting when it's grown elsewhere. Some farms like CGLE in Colombia experiment with natural and hybrid washed approaches. It's also showing up as one of the varietals to come out of Taiwan's specialty coffee growing industry.
SL9
This one is complicated - the SL suggests it's a Scott Labs cultivar like SL28 and 34, but there perhaps no SL9 of that series consciously being produced. There's also SLN9, or Selection Number 9, that comes from India as an Ethiopian landrace and timor hybrid. Maybe the Peru one is the domestically named gesha inca, and genetically closest to what SL9 is supposed to be; I don't know. Note - SL9 is not the same as SL09. Because it's in process of being identified, the definitions are unclear, let alone if the claimed SL9 Peru beans going to roasters are the same thing.
From Sey: While this variety's exact genetic fingerprint is not currently in the global database, its similarity to SL09 supports the use of SL9 as a provisional working name. For now, we refer to it as SL9, as it contains no Gesha in its genetic composition. Colloquially known as "Gesha Inca," we had this variety genetically tested last year and found that it closely resembles SL09—a rare cultivar belonging to the Ethiopian Legacy group.
Where it’s often found: India, Peru?
Rarity: Very common, very rare?
Common process associations: natural, washed
Further reading: Christopher Feran blog; XLIII blog
Robert’s opinion: The Sey washed Peru that sparked this scrutiny and confusion was very nice and clean. This is in stark contrast to the nutty and chocolatey for washed; earthy, spiced tones with optimistic red fruit that I'd expect from an India natural and would not pursue.
Starmaya
An F1 cultivar from Costa Rica, crossing marsellesa and a male-sterile Ethiopian landrace variety, developed for yield and disease resistance amidst changing environmental conditions.
Where it’s often found: Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: natural
Robert’s opinion: Info on this varietal suggests the industry is highly optimistic for these F1 hybrids to be the future of coffee for their disease resistance in changing global conditions, while remaining tasty. Small sample size, but the several I've had don't quite match that expectation. Sure, there were typical natural notes of dried fruit, but I could do without the nutty, chocolatey, earthiness that I experienced. I remain open to trying another, but would need a bit of convincing.
Sudan rume
Also known as: Rume sudan
A bourbon cultivar discovered at the Sudan border of Ethiopia. Weirdly, it seems to only come from Colombia. It's rarified due to its low yield.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: natural
Robert’s opinion: If there were ever any varietal worthy of being called "gesha-like", I'd say it's this one, at least among naturals. This varietal expresses deep complexity with tart fruits like pomegranate and blackberry alongside tropical fruits like guava and mango, underlined with strong purple florals. Perhaps part of it is correlated with this varietal mostly coming from more famous farms. Overdone, it can express some alcoholic and umami notes. As a washed, it's still plenty expressive, but somewhat loses its unique luster.
Tabi
A cultivar of bourbon, timor, and typica to combat leaf rust, meaning "good" in a Colombian tribal dialect.
Where it’s often found: Colombia
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: natural, funky processes
Robert’s opinion: It's good, but perhaps doesn't get as much attention or demand compared to other trendy varietals in Colombia like ombligon, bourbon aji, or sudan rume. Plenty of tartness evoking red fruits, whether natural or washed. If you want to take it even farther, it's a candidate for carbonic maceration or koji, for which I'd really suggest easing upon on the extraction.
Timor
An elder-varietal crossed between arabica and robusta on the island of Timor-Leste. It's been the ancestor to many downstream hybrids, like when crossed with caturra to create catimor.
Where it’s often found: Timor
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: At best, some malic acidity and brown sugar may be present, but it's far too earth and chocolate-forward for me. It's much better suited for much darker roasts.
Topazio
Also known as: Topacio
Cross between mundo nuvo and yellow catuai. Good for yield at low-medium elevations.
Where it’s often found: Brazil
Rarity: Common
Common process associations: natural
Robert’s opinion: I haven't had good experiences with this varietal. With traditional processes, it's a standard earthy, chocolatey Brazilian suited for darker roasts. With anaerobic processing, despite being a medium roast, I'll never forget the basil and thyme in a burnt bloody mary, alcohol and all.
Tupi
Cross between timor and villasarchi selected for its disease resistance.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico
Rarity: Common, not often on specialty labels.
Common process associations: natural, semi-wasehd, washed
Robert’s opinion: Personally not a fan, it's suited for darker roasts. No particularly exciting notes stand out as worth mentioning in a light roast.
Typica
Also known as: Pluma Hidalgo, Pluma, Plume Hidalgo, Blue Mountain, Jamaica Blue Mountain, PNG Gold, Boyo
One of the most elder arabica varietals. Originated in Ethiopia, it went through Yemen and Java before arriving in Brazil before spreading to the rest of Latin America. Now ubiquitous with numerous descendants, it's well-regarded for its taste but also lower yield and susceptibility to disease.
Where it’s often found: everywhere
Rarity: Ubiquitous
Common process associations: everything
Robert’s opinion: Way too broad to generalize. Looking at my notes, out of around 100 logged, I rated 27 as a 3/5, 26 as a 4/5, and 16 as a 5/5; perhaps heartening for having such a big spread. My favorites come from Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Burundi, if we're not talking about the SL28/34 descendants.
Typica mejorado
Also known as: Typica mejorada, TyOxy, Mejorado
Hyped in competition, it's another varietal discovered at an old Nestle site in Ecuador. Despite the name, it's been shown to be a cross between bourbon and Ethiopian heirlooms, not at all an extension of typica as its name suggests. Some Colombian variants are claimed to be typica mejorado but it's unverified if it's genetically identical.
Where it’s often found: Colombia, Ecuador
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: Sweetness-forward. Washed offerings can expresses tomato-like acidity similar to a Kenyan. Unlike chiroso, the sweetness is underscored by more balanced floral complexity.
Villa Sarchi
A bourbon mutation selected for its high yield and compatibility in medium high altitudes.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua
Rarity: Not common as a specialty label
Common process associations: honey, natural, washed
Robert’s opinion: Punchy, regardless of process. Bright fruits when washed, intense red fruit as natural, zesty throughout. Not much in the way of florals.
Villalobos
Cross between caturra and typica from Costa Rica grown for disease resistance.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica
Rarity: Uncommon
Common process associations: honey, natural
Robert’s opinion: Only a couple experiences, but it tastes like a typica from the region - some stone fruit and dried fruits to look forward to, but risking some earthiness and chocolatey notes.
Wush wush
Named after the village in Keffa region of Ethiopia where it was first discovered. From Ethiopia, it can refer to an heirloom varietal. Among what was brought over to Colombia and Costa Rica, expect narrower diversity under the same singular term.
Where it’s often found: Costa Rica, Colombia, Ethiopia
Rarity: Common among higher end specialty offerings
Common process associations: carbonic maceration, natural, anaerobic natural, washed (Colombia)
Robert’s opinion: I enjoy it as a funk-forward varietal. You'll find plenty of berry jams, tropical fruits, and deep, rich red fruit, accentuated even further as a carbonic maceration. Among less funky processes, it still retains a purple floral note among various stone fruits.
Yemenia
A coffee tree variety native to Yemen without much more available information or active efforts for documentation.
Where it’s often found: Yemen
Rarity: Rare
Common process associations: alchemy (specific to Yemenia), natural, anaerobic natural
Robert’s opinion: Typical natural flavors such as red wine, but brighter fruits like kiwi, watermelon, guava, and pineapple. I've also found teas and florals such as lavender and hibiscus.