List of coffee varieties
Name Species Region ( s ) Comments
Arusha C. arabica Mount Meru in Tanzania , and Papua New Guinea either a Typica variety or a French Mission
Benguet C. arabica Philippines Typica variety grown in Benguet in the Cordillera highlands of the northern Philippines since 1875
Bergendal , Sidikalang C. arabica Indonesia Both are Typica varieties which survived the leaf rust outbreak of the 1880s ; most of the other Typica in Indonesia was destroyed
Bernardina ( coffee ) C. arabica El Salvador A variety discovered in Finca Los Bellotos , El Salvador by Maria and Alfredo Pacas . It was first thought to be Geisha because of its aromatic profile . However , after studying its phenotype characteristics and DNA testing , it was determined to be a new , unclassified variety genetically similar to varieties found in the Agaro region of Ethiopia
Blue Mountain C. arabica Blue Mountains region of Jamaica . Also grown in Kenya , Hawaii , Haiti , Papua New Guinea ( where it is known as PNG Gold ) and Cameroon ( where it is known as Boyo ) A unique mutation of Typica , known to have some resistance to coffee berry disease
Bourbon C. arabica Réunion , Rwanda , Latin America Around 1708 , the French planted coffee on the island of Bourbon ( now called Réunion ) in the middle of the Indian Ocean , all probably from the same parent stock - the plant the Dutch gave them . Unsurprisingly , it mutated slightly and was planted throughout Brazil in the late 1800s and eventually spread through Latin America , however , it was not possible to achieve the same level of flavour as when in Réunion , due to the volcanic earth and the soil properties . Bourbon produces 20-30% more fruit than Typica strains
Catuai C. arabica Latin America This is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra bred in Brazil in the late 1940s
Catimor Interspecific hybrid Latin America , Indonesia , India , China ( Yunnan ) This is cross between Timor coffee and Caturra coffee . It was created in Portugal in 1959 . In India , this cultivar goes by the name Cauvery
Caturra C. arabica Latin and Central America Developed from two cultivars that originated by natural mutation of Bourbon Red , originally a tall coffee shrub , found in the Serra do Caparaó . It produces a higher yield than Bourbon , due to the plant being shorter and with less distance between the branches , matures more quickly , and is more disease resistant than older , traditional arabica varieties . Its mutation is not unique ; it led to the formation of the Pacas variety in El Salvador ( from Bourbon ) and the Villa Sarchi in Costa Rica ( from Bourbon ) . Genetically it is very similar to Bourbon although it produces a poorer cup quality , mainly due to the variety yielding more
Charrier C. charrieriana Cameroon This is a newly found species from Cameroon . It has gained some press recently due to its caffeine-free nature . Not yet grown commercially , but it probably will be
Ethiopian Harar C. arabica Ethiopia From the region of Harar , Ethiopia . Known for its complex , fruity flavor that resembles a dry red wine . All three Ethiopian varieties are trademarked names with the rights owned by Ethiopia
Ethiopian Sidamo C. arabica Ethiopia From the Sidamo ( now Oromia ) region of Ethiopia as well . All three Ethiopian varieties are trademarked names with the rights owned by Ethiopia
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe C. arabica Ethiopia From the Yirgachefe district in the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations , Nationalities , and People 's Region of Ethiopia . All three Ethiopian varieties are trademarked names with the rights owned by Ethiopia
French Mission C. arabica Africa French Mission is actually Bourbon that was planted in East Africa by French Missionaries around 1897
Geisha / Gesha C. arabica Ethiopia , Tanzania , Costa Rica , Panama , Colombia , Peru Geisha or Gesha variety , grown in the highlands of Boquete in Chiriquí Province , Panama , highly sought after at auction , achieving high prices . Originally from the village of Gesha , Ethiopia . It was planted in the 1950s as a rust-resistant crop and rediscovered in the early 2000s . The most expensive varietal at coffee auctions , fetching $ 350.25USD in 2013 . Breaking its own record as the most expensive coffee in the world at US $ 803.00 /lb of Natural ( processed ) Geisha in the Best of Panama auctions in 2018
Guadeloupe Bonifieur C. arabica Guadeloupe
Hawaiian Kona C. arabica Hawaii Grown on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii . Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki , the Governor of Oahu , in 1825
Java Interspecific hybrid Indonesia From the island of Java , in Indonesia . This coffee was once so widely traded that java became a slang term for coffee . Java encompasses a regional style , not a cultivar of coffee
K7 C. arabica Africa A Kenyan selection of French Mission Bourbon selected at Legelet Estate in Muhoroni , Kenya . Selected based on cupping trials
Maragogipe C. arabica Latin America Maragogipe ( ' y ' ) is considered to be a natural mutation from Typica . It was first discovered near Maragogipe , in Brazil 's state Bahia . Maragogype is well known for producing big beans
Arabica varieties and cultivars
According to The International Trade Centre , Arabica coffee accounted for roughly 61 per cent of the world 's coffee production between 2004 - 2010 . [ 14 ] It would be higher if Arabica were not as susceptible to disease as it is . [ 15 ] Coffee from the species C. arabica has many different varieties , each with unique characteristics . Some well-known arabica coffees include :
Coffee varieties are the diverse subspecies derived through selective breeding or natural selection of coffee plants. While there is tremendous variability encountered in both wild and cultivated coffee plants, there are a few varieties and cultivars that are commercially important due to various unique and inherent traits such as disease resistance and fruit yield. These unique traits are what producers use to select breeds when developing crops. Therefore, at a micro level, breed selection is critical to the success of a producer and is one of the key components of cup quality. At a macro level, the viability of the coffee industry as a whole is dependent upon breed selection. Already, the majority of coffee produced originates from producers using selected breeds. For this reason, breed selection is an important aspect of sustainability within coffee production.