Arabica Coffee Tree Varieties

Here are just a handful of more well known Coffee Arabica varieties. It is assumed that there are well over a hundred different varieties as many wild varieties in Ethiopia have yet to be cataloged or have their genetic diversity explored.

Typica
Typica is considered the original Arabica variety. Typica is the variety from which all other varieties have mutated or have been genetically selected from.
Typica is grown extensively in many different parts of the world, making it known by several different names: Criollo, Sumatra, and Arabigo.
Typica is very susceptible to coffee leaf rust with a low yield.

Bourbon
Bourbon is a natural mutation from the Typica variety. This mutation occurred on the Island of Réunion, which was originally called Bourbon. Bourbon was introduced to Brazil around 1860s.
Bourbon typically has a higher yield that Typica.

Mundo Novo
Mundo Novo is a natural hybrid from Typica and Bourbon. Mundo Novo was named after the place in Brazil where it was discovered in the 1940s.
Mundo Novo is grown mainly for its high yields, disease resistance, and high success rates at higher altitudes, up to 1,200 MASL.

Cuturra
Cuturra is a mutation of Bourbon and was discovered in Brazil in 1937.
Cuturra has a relatively high yield, but its downfall is that it has the capacity for over bearing. Over bearing is when the tree produces more fruit than it can sustain, thus sending the tree into die back. The quality of the cherries increases with altitude, but yield than decreases. Cuturra is also very susceptible to coffee leaf rust.
Cuturra is popular in Colombia and Central America.

Catuai
Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo and was created by the Instituto Agronomico do Campinas in Brazil in 1950s and 60s.
Catuai is a compact tree that can produce a high yield, but is very susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Maragogype
Maragogype is a mutation of Typica and was first discovered in Brazil.
Maragogype has exceptionally large leaves, but a relatively low yield. It also produces unusually large bean size and is often referred to as elephant bean. It is also susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

SL-28
SL-28 was created by Scott Laboratories in Kenya in the 1930s. It was selected from a drought resistant variety from Tanzania. It is commonly found in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
SL-28 beans are larger than the average bean size.
SL-28 is quite susceptible to coffee leaf rust, preforms better when grown at higher altitudes, and is drought tolerant.

SL-34
SL-34 was selected from the French Mission Bourbon, in Bourbon (Now Réunion) and brought back to Africa. Tanzania was the first to see SL-34, then it appeared in Kenya. It is commonly found in Kenya.
SL-34 has a high yield and produces well in high altitudes with good rainfall.
SL-34 is susceptible to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease.

Geisha/Gesha
Geisha was originally brought to Panama from Costa Rica, but it is believed to have originated in Ethiopia. Gesha is a town in Western Ethiopia.
Geisha does well in high altitudes and is tolerant to coffee leaf rust.
Geisha gained quick popularity in 2004 when a Panamanian farm, Hacienda La Esmeralda, entered their Geisha lot in a competition.

Pacas
Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon and was discovered by the Pacas familyl in 1949 in El Salvador.
Pacas is very highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust.
Pacas is still widely grown in El Salvador and accounts for roughly 25% of the country’s coffee production.

Villa Sarchi
Villa Sarchi is a natural mutation of Bourbon and was named after the town in Costa Rica where it was found.
Villa Sarchi is well adapted to high altitudes and tolerant of strong winds.
Villa Sarchi is susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Pacamara
Pacamara is a cross between Pacas and Maragogype and was created in 1958 in El Salvador.
Pacamara has extremely large leafs, fruits, and beans and is very highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust.

Kent
Kent was named after a planter that worked on a selection program in India in the 1920s.
Kent was created for its resistance to coffee leaf rust, but can be very susceptible to new strains.

S795
S795 is a cross between Kent and S288, which is an older selection of resistance to coffee leaf rust, and was developed in India.
S795 is widely planted in India and Indonesia.