Rubiaceae
Known colloquially as “the coffee family” as Coffea arabica and all other coffee species are classified into the Rubiaceae family. It is the largest woody plant family in the wet tropics, containing approximately 13,200 species. most species within this family live in the forest understory and provide sustenance to local animal and insect populations.
Coffea
The botanical genus colloquially referred to as the “coffee genus,” which is comprised of more than 120 individual species. These are generally opposite-leaved, evergreen shrubs or small understory trees with a horizontal branching pattern. They contain a pair of seeds, flat on one side and convex on the other, with a groove on the flat side (i.e., “coffee beans”). The preferred habitat of most plants in the Coffea genus is tropical forests.
Coffea Arabica
The botanical genus and species name for Arabica coffee. Originated in the forests of Ethiopia and South Sudan, then famously spread throughout the world for the production of its seeds.
Coffea Eugenioides
The botanical genus and species name for Eugenioides coffee. Indigenous to the highlands of East Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and western Tanzania. Famously known to be one of the two diploid parent plants of Coffea arabica. it has a lower caffeine content than Coffea arabica.
Coffea Canephora
The botanical genus and species name of Robusta coffee, described more than 100 years after Coffea arabica. One of the two diploid parent plants of Coffea arabica. Originated in western and central sub-Saharan Africa. A largely productive commercial crop distinct from Arabica by physical and chemical attributes, including higher productivity and caffeine content.
Variety
A botanical variety is a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy below the rank of species and subspecies and above the rank of form (form / variety / subspecies / species / genus / etc.). It will have an appearance distinct from other varieties, but will hybridize freely with those other varieties. Another meaning, as used by plant breeders and in legal texts, is synonymous with cultivar and can have legal implications. Compare to cultivar.
Cultivar
Cultivated variants of a species originating through human influence. These could be selected from existing cultivated stock or from wild populations. It is a systematic group of cultivated plants that is clearly distinct, uniform and stable in its characteristics and which, when propagated with the appropriate methods, retain the same characteristics. Compare to variety.
Acaia
A selection of Mundo Novo mainly grown in Brazil. The plant exhibits large fruit and seeds.
Bourbon
A broad group of Coffea arabica that developed naturally on Ile Bourbon (an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, now known as Reunion) from coffee brought to the island from Yemen by the French. Depending on the specific sub-group, this coffee can be red or yellow. These plants generally have broader leaves and rounder fruit and seeds than Tyipca. Stems are stronger and stand more upright than Typica. They can show very good quality but are susceptible to all major diseases and pests.
Bourbon Pointu/Laurina
A natural mutation of Bourbon that originally occurred on Reunion, first described in 1947. It presents with a dwarf stature and a “Christmas tree” (pointed) shape. it has smaller leaves, internodes and seeds compared with the original Bourbon. it is also known to have a lower caffeine content than many other Coffea arabica groups. it is known to be very susceptible to leaf rust. Some Laurina mutants were the first coffees to be patented by the roasting industry.
Castillo
A group of Coffea arabica lines bred from the Colombia cultivar and other Coffea arabica sources that have become the most commonly grown coffee in Colombia. It is preferred to Colombia due to its reputation for resistance to leaf rust along with quality.
Catimor
A broad group of pure-line cultivars originating from crosses between Hibrido de Timor and Caturra. It has become distributed since the 1980s. it is known to be highly productive and shown resistance to coffee leaf rust and to coffee berry disease. It is not always known for high cup quality. One of the first widely available Caitmor coffees was CR (Costa Rica) 95, released around 1995.
Catuai
A pure-line cultivar developed by the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas in Brazil, Catuai originated from a cross between Mundo Novo and yellow Caturra. Released in 1968, it is characterized by a dwarf stature (from Caturra) and either yellow or red cherries (Catuai-amarelo and Catuai-vermelho, respectively). it has good productivity, standard quality and susceptibility to all main pests and disease.
Caturra
A pure-line dwarf mutant of red Bourbon that has short internodes. it was found in 1937 in Brazil, and is highly productive. Its leaf and fruit characteristics are similar to Bourbon, and can produce red or yellow cherries. Like Bourbon, it is known to be susceptible to all main diseases and pests.
Colombia
A cultivar mixing various Catimore, released around 1985. It is known to have a resistance to leaf rust. The cup quality has been questioned. Due to its breeding composition, it is known to be relatively unstable as a consistent cultivar. In Colombia, it has been popular to replace this cultivar with Castillo.
CR-95
A Catimor selection released in Costa Rica in 1995 as “IHCAFE 95.” Developed by the Instituto Hondureno del Cafe in Honduras.
Ethiopian Landraces/Wild Varieties
Any number of wild Coffea arabica genotypes not cultivated for commercial purposes, still growing in Ethiopia and surrounding regions where Coffea arabica is indigenous. A few thousand such wild varieties have been collected and are maintained in field in official collections in the Jimma, Harrar and Sidamo regions. These plants represent the world’s most important source of genetic diversity for Arabica coffee. They will be critical for implementing future breeding programs and are therefore critical for the future of the crop.
Gesha
A wild Ethiopian coffee now cultivated widely in Central America. It is named for a town in Western Ethiopia where it is thought to originate. it was brought from Ethiopia to the Centro Agronomico Tropical de Ivestigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica. From there, it made its way to the Boquete region of Panama, where is was made famous by the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda. it is widely known for its outstanding cup profile. It is susceptible to leaf rust.
Hibrido de Timor (Timor Hybrid)
A spontaneous cross of Coffea canephora (Robusta) and Coffea arabica (Typica) that occurred naturally on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. These “Arabusta”-type hybrids likely originated from a single Robusta parent plant. it became popular in Timor in the 1950s due to its natural resistant to leaf rust. These hybrids were collected in Timor in 1978 and planted on the islands of Sumatra and Flores shortly thereafter, and since then some changes and mutations have occurred. Different versions of this hybrid have been utilized in breeding programs to introduce the rust resistance into new cultivars, such as Catimore, Sarchimor and Colombia.
Icatu
A tall cultivar developed in Brazil. A hybrid between an interspecific Coffea canephora hybrid and red Bourbon. It was released in the early 1990s by the instituto Agronomico de Campinas. It is the result of a cross between a Coffea canephora with artificially double chromosome number with Bourbon Vermelho, then back-crossed to Mundo Novo. It is known to be highly productive and shows resistance to leaf rust.
IHCAFE 90
A Catimor cultivar developed at and named for the Instituto Hondureno del Cafe in Honduras, grown in Honduras beginning in the 1980s.
Java
A Typica selection suspected to be the progeny of coffee introduced from Yemen to the island of Java. From Java, this plant was first brought to neighboring islands (Timor) and later to East Africa (Cameroon), where it was released for cultivation in 1980. It has since been introduced in Central America by the Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD). It is known to be vigorous with moderate yield and shows good resistance to coffee berry disease in Cameroon. Java has elongated fruit and seeds and bronze-colored young leaves. it is considered to have a good cup quality.
Jember/S795
This cultivar was developed by Indian breeders using the Kent cultivar and others in the 1940s. It is named for the Jember Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Institute (ICCRI), whose staff first introduced it to coffee farmers in Indonesia. It is widely grown in India and Indonesia and originally exhibited some resistance to coffee leaf rust though that resistance is reported to have diminished over time. Some describe its taste as having maple syrup or brown sugar attributes.
Kent
A tall Typica selection that likely arose on or from coffee bred on the Kent Estate in India. It has been widely planted in India since the 19302 and a selection of this cultivar, known as K7, is now very common in Kenya. It is known as the first cultivar selected for rust resistance.
Maragogype
A mutant of Typica, first recognized in Brazil in 1870. It produces large cherries, long, slightly twisted seeds, long internodes, and large leaves and a relatively lower yield.
Mocha/Mokka
Thought to be a dwarf mutation of Bourbon, as it has a dwarf stature and is genetically very close to Bourbon. It produces round cherries and seeds. Likely named for the port of Mocha in Yemen, it was grown in Yemen and brought to Reunion.
Mundo Novo
This tall cultivar was selected from a natural cross of Sumatra (Typica) and Red Bourbon in Brazil in the 1940s by the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas. It has a standard quality and good productivity, but some susceptibility to main pests and diseases. Leaf and fruit characteristics are intermediate between Typica and Bourbon.
Oro Azteca
A dwarf Catimor selected by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Percuarias (INIFAP) in Mexico. It was released in 1996-1997. It has similar rust resistance to most Catimors but a better cup quality.
Pacamara
A cross between Maragogype and Pacas developed in El Salvador. Similarly to Pacas, it is known to be susceptible to all main diseases and pests. Pacamara was released in 1984 but is genetically unstable, with 10-12 percent of plants reverting to Pacas.
Pacas
A dwarf mutation of Bourbon found in 1949 in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. Performs well at high elevations and has good yields. It was one parent in the cross that created the Pacamara cultivar in El Salvador. It is known to be susceptible to all main diseases and pests.
Peaberry
A coffee seed of altered morphology that results from the coffee cherry having only one seed inside. This phenomenon results after one ovule aborts due to poor pollination, genetics (peaberries are more common in hybrids and certain cultivars) or a variety of stresses, such as drought.
Ruiru II
A dwarf hybrid cultivar produced by hand pollination that was the result of a breeding program in Kenya during the 1970s and 1980s. It was created based on need for pest and pathogen resistance. It is a cross between Catimor and multiple coffee berry disease resistant coffees, including K7, Rume Sudan and SL28.
Sarchimor
A group of pure-line cultivars originating from a cross between Villa Sarchi and one Hibrido de Timor. Sarchimor lines such as IAPAR 59, Tupi or Obata show good resistance to coffee leaf rust; some are also resistant to coffee berry disease. Not always known for high cup quality.
SL28
A tall cultivar selected and bred by Scott Labs in Kenya, considered by many to be a Bourbon-type cultivar. It has been widely reported to be an Ethiopian selection brought from Tanzania due to its relative drought tolerance, although its exact parentage is not widely known. it grows vigorously, produces a moderate yield and is susceptible to all main diseases and pests. It is known to have very good cup quality. It is most widely grown in Zimbabwe.
SL34
A tall cultivar selected from Bourbons by Scott Labs in Kenya. Its exact parentage is not known, although some consider it to be a simple Ethiopian selection, while others believe it is a mutation of Bourbon. It is known to be heartier and more pest and disease resistant than SL28. This cultivar shows high productivity in drought and other extreme climate conditions. It has wide leaves with bronze tips. It is generally considered to have a lower cup quality than SL28 and is one of the main coffees grown in Kenya.
Tekisic
A selection of Bourbon developed in El Salvador. It presents with small fruits and seeds, and has low productivity. It has also been planted in other Central American countries and is thought to have a good cup quality.
Typica
This general name is commonly used for numerous tall types of Coffea arabica. Its predecessors were originally brought to Java from Yemen (possibly via India). The plants most similar to what we today call Java were spread from the island of Java in the early 1700s. It has bronze-tipped young leaves, and the fruit and seeds are large. Typica coffees include Blue Mountain, Guatemala, Sumatra, Pache, Java and Kona. Typica plants are known to have low productivity and are susceptible to all main pests and disease.
Villa Sarchi
A dwarf mutation of Bourbon found in Costa Rica and released in 1957. it is known to be susceptible to most pests and disease.
