Coffee is classified not only by its country of origin. Its variety, also called a grade, is also of great importance. After all, a huge number of such varieties can grow in one country. For example, there are five known varieties of Brazilian coffee. In fact, of course, there are more, but these five are the most popular among coffee connoisseurs. We will tell you how they originated and how they differ. 

What is the difference between a variety and a cultivar?

Perhaps not everyone will understand what this article is about. To understand this, let's remember biology. There are many types of coffee. Of these, only a few become the raw material for the drink that everyone drinks in the morning. The most famous of them are Arabian coffee (arabica) and Congolese coffee (robusta). What we call varieties of coffee are actually subspecies of arabica. They arise as a result of crossing, selection or natural mutations under the influence of external factors.

Coffee varieties are often called cultivars. This is not entirely correct. A cultivar is the result of genetic changes, while a variety is the result of different growing and processing conditions. For example, Bourbon is a cultivar, while Bourbon Santos is a cultivar.

Why is so much attention paid to Brazilian varieties? It's simple: Brazil is a unique country, where huge volumes of coffee production are combined with a wealth of natural zones. This means that there are ideal conditions for the emergence of new varieties: both naturally and artificially.

Now let's talk about the varieties themselves.

Bourbon

Although it originated on an island in the Indian Ocean, Bourbon is considered the parent of most Brazilian coffee. It was a natural mutation of Typica, the first known Arabica variety, which was first grown by the Arabs around the 15th century.

Bourbon seedlings were brought to Brazil more than 150 years ago. And Bourbon is still one of the most common varieties in the country. It has a high yield, intense aroma and a pronounced sweet taste that many coffee connoisseurs like. Interesting fact: the French writer and famous coffee lover Honore de Balzac was a big fan of Bourbon.

It has a special variety - Yellow Bourbon. It is quite rare, which is why it is considered elite. Yellow Bourbon is highly valued in the specialty coffee industry due to its low acidity and balanced, soft taste with notes of caramel and milk chocolate.

Caturra

Caturra is one of the smallest varieties of coffee. Due to a mutation, the trees are subject to dwarfism (dwarfism) and therefore have a miniature size, which is why they can be planted more densely than other varieties.

The berries are quite small, but there are usually a lot of them on one tree, so much so that the tree can sometimes break under the weight of the fruit. This allows you to get a very high yield. It would seem that this is the ideal. However, Caturra has its drawbacks. This plant is very capricious and needs additional care. The variety is vulnerable to diseases such as leaf rust. And besides, its taste cannot be called outstanding: slightly above average, somewhere three points out of five. You will say: “But this variety has useful properties that can be used in selection!” Yes, but we will talk about this later.

Mundo Novo

The name of this variety translates as “new world”. It was obtained as a result of natural crossing of Typica and Bourbon and began to spread in the 40s of the 20th century, when it began to be cultivated on Brazilian plantations. Today, mundo novo is one of the most common varieties of coffee in the country. According to statistics, 2 out of 5 trees in Brazil belong to it. There are good reasons for such popularity. Firstly, the trees are very unpretentious and resistant to diseases, and secondly, the yield of Mundo Novo is about a third higher than that of Bourbon. It is also worth noting the bright aroma and rich taste of coffee with notes of citrus, spices and dark chocolate. For this reason, coffee brewed from Mundo Novo beans is highly valued by fans of the drink. However, it is sometimes noted that it lacks sweetness.

Catuai

Not to be confused with Caturra, although these varieties are related. Catuai was bred in the 50s of the 20th century by agronomists of the Campinas Institute, which specializes in coffee production research. Catuai is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, inheriting the best features of its “parents”, combining the dwarfism and high productivity of Caturra and the resistance to diseases of Mundo Novo.

The main disadvantage, as in the case of Caturra, is the increased demands on care. The word “Catuai” is translated from the language of local Indians as “very good”, but its taste is rated as “above average”. That is, the coffee of this variety is generally quite good, it has a natural sweetness with citrus and fruity notes. However, not everyone likes the fact that it also has a pronounced acidity. Like Bourbon, this coffee has a yellow variety. However, it is believed that the drink made from red Catuai berries is both tastier and more aromatic.

Akaya

A rare variety of coffee from Brazil, which has recently become quite popular among connoisseurs. It appeared as a result of selection (selection) of Mundo Novo samples. The name translated from the language of the Tupi-Guarani Indians means “large fruit” or “great fruit”. This perfectly reflects the essence of the variety: it has large beans and a high yield. The plant is resistant to weather changes, but is vulnerable to pests. Coffee from Acaya beans has a rounder body compared to other Brazilian varieties and hearty acidity. The taste is soft, rich with chocolate notes, the aroma has a fruity hue.

There are other varieties of coffee, but they are not as popular or are practically not grown. For example, Maragogype, known as “elephant grain” because of its very large berries, had a low yield and is now the property of only lovers of exotic coffee. Or Ikatu, a hybrid of red bourbon and robusta, which is very popular on the domestic market, but little known in US.

Many of these varieties are so rare that even a search engine can’t always find them by their Russian names. On the other hand, practice shows that “exclusive” doesn’t always mean “delicious.” But it is the taste and aroma that are the main things in coffee. However, Brazil has excellent options even without this.