An Introduction to Varieties and a Study on Typica

In our last post Let’s Start with the Basics: A Full List of All Known Coffee Species, we discussed the wide variety of species of the coffee plant currently known to science. So, naturally, the next move would be to tackle varieties.

However, this list may be a little more difficult to provide as there are currently THOUSANDS. Not to mention…that’s just under the umbrella of the Arabica species.

It’s important to note that there are exciting varieties under other species like Canephora or Liberica, but, for now, we’re going to stay within the world of Arabica.

So, what is a coffee variety?

Well, in his book The World Atlas of Coffee, James Hoffmann explains that for much of time coffee has mainly traced back to origin, and that’s as specific as it got. However, with the continuing emergence of specialty coffee, a spotlight has been placed on the coffee plant itself. Thus leading to a new age of discovery surrounding varieties!

“Varieties are genetically distinct variations of a single species, in this case coffea arabica, that may show different characteristics in the tree structure, leaves, or fruit” (Hoffmann).

So why are varieties important?

Varieties are where we find differences in TASTE! Some varieties develop their flavor from the terroir of which they are grown, and some just taste that way inherently. 

Okay, okay…last question: When do I say variety and when do I say varie-tal…and when the heck do I say Cultivar??

Let’s just run through these!

Variety should be used when speaking on the specific plant in general.
Varietal should be used when referring to a variety in a specific situation (like farm or region).
Lastly, Cultivar is just a synonym for variety, referring to the other half of the phrase: “Cultivated Variety.”

Speaking of getting specific, let’s shift focus to our first highlighted variety…

…and what better option than the father of all Arabica varieties:

coffea arabica TYPICA

Typica is considered to be the original variety that all modern varieties have been bred or mutated from. The variety first grew in Ethiopia but was brought to Yemen in the 15th or 16th century. Between 1696 and 1700 AD, seeds were sent to be cultivated in Malabar, India, and the island of Batavia which is now called Java in Indonesia (sound familiar?)! These seeds grew to become the modern variety we now know as Typica.

The variety next was taken along Dutch trading routes to Suriname, French Guiana, and then to Brazil in 1727. From Brazil, Typica quickly spread to all of South and Central America, becoming the most planted variety across the board. From the late 18th century to the 1940’s, the majority of coffee plantations grew Typica. 

While it’s now mainly thought of as a parent variety, it is still planted in many countries, and there’s no denying that the variety’s legacy is the foundation of modern day studies on variety.

The Typica plant, itself, is very tall with low yields of large red cherries that produce an excellent cup quality. The coffee is best grown at high altitudes and produces in its fourth year. However, it is also very susceptible to nematodes, roya, and coffee berry disease which risk the livelihood of coffee producers. 

Some countries know Typica by different names! Such as Criollo (Creole), Indio (India), Sumatra (Indonesia), and, in 1730, it became known as Blue Mountain when it was planted in Jamaica!

We could talk about coffee varieties forever, and thus this blog entry could go on forever and never actually be published! So, instead, we’re going to take this entry by entry as we journey through as many varieties as we can. One by one. We hope you follow along!

If you'd like to learn more, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. Thank you for taking the time another entry!

Harrison Fontenoy
VP of Coffee Culture & Strategy
harry@havencc.coffee