Coffee Varieties

Coffee Varietals Explained

Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — the variety planted on a farm is one of the most significant drivers of cup quality and flavor.

Species vs Variety vs Varietal

Species is the broadest category — Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora) are the two commercial coffee species. Within Arabica, there are hundreds of varieties (genetically distinct plant types). A varietal refers to a wine-world term being borrowed to describe single-variety coffees — though technically "variety" and "varietal" mean the same thing in coffee usage.

Think of it like wine grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are both Vitis vinifera (same species) but produce completely different wines. Gesha and Bourbon are both Arabica but produce very different cups.

The Major Varietals

Typica

Heritage

Origin: Ethiopian → Yemen → worldwide

Flavor: Clean, sweet, delicate. Low-yielding but historically high quality. One of the oldest cultivated varieties.

Found in: Jamaica (Blue Mountain), Kona, Peru, parts of Latin America

Bourbon

Classic

Origin: Typica mutation on Réunion Island (formerly Bourbon)

Flavor: Complex sweetness, red fruit, caramel. Higher yield than Typica. Yellow Bourbon and Pink Bourbon are color mutations with distinct flavors.

Found in: El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil, Rwanda, Burundi

Catuai

Commercial

Origin: Hybrid of Mundo Novo × Caturra (Brazil, 1940s)

Flavor: Mild, balanced, consistent. Bred for productivity and disease resistance rather than cup quality. Very common in Brazil.

Found in: Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras

Caturra

Common

Origin: Natural Bourbon mutation (Brazil, 1937)

Flavor: Bright acidity, lighter body than Bourbon. Compact plant, good yields. Popular in Colombia and Central America.

Found in: Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala

Gesha / Geisha

Exceptional

Origin: Ethiopia (Gori Gesha forest) → Panama

Flavor: Extraordinary floral, jasmine, bergamot, tropical fruit. Unlike any other variety. The rarest and most expensive Arabica.

Found in: Panama (Hacienda La Esmeralda pioneered it), now Colombia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Japan

SL28 / SL34

Regional Icon

Origin: Scott Laboratories selections (Kenya, 1930s)

Flavor: SL28: blackcurrant, tomato, complex acidity. SL34: similar but slightly milder. The varieties that define Kenya's distinct flavor profile.

Found in: Kenya almost exclusively

Heirloom (Ethiopia)

Native

Origin: Native Ethiopian varieties — thousands of cultivars

Flavor: Wildly varied — blueberry, jasmine, citrus, stone fruit. Ethiopian coffees are often labeled simply "heirloom" because the specific variety is unknown or a blend of many.

Found in: Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Harrar, Guji)

Pacamara

Specialty

Origin: Hybrid of Pacas × Maragogipe (El Salvador)

Flavor: Large bean, complex, melon and stone fruit with heavy body. Pacas is a compact Bourbon mutation; Maragogipe is famous for its large size.

Found in: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Why Varietals Matter

Varietal selection is one of the most important decisions a coffee farmer makes — affecting cup quality, yield, disease resistance, altitude suitability, and market price. Gesha commands 10–50x the price of commodity coffee because of its extraordinary cup profile. SL28 is the reason Kenyan coffee has its famous blackcurrant character — plant a different variety on the same farm, same altitude, same processing, and you get a fundamentally different cup.

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