TREE TO CUP: In a Family of 60 Coffee Species, Only Four Rise to the Top
August 15, 2008
The Swedish botanist Carl Linneo, in the 18th century, created the classification system for plants and vegetables and named coffee as part of the Rubiaceae family of flowering shrubs that produce seeds we now call "beans." There apparently is no consensus among scientists today about how many species or genus there are, but the more typical numbers used are 25 major species of the genus Coffea, although others count as many as 60 in the 35 countries throughout the world that grow coffee. Of these, only two are available in great quantities, Coffea Arabica (60-70%) and Coffea robusta, (30-40%) and two more are available only in minute amounts, Coffea liberica and Coffea exceslsa (2-10%). What adds further confusion are the more recent hybrids between arabicas and robustas which have decidedly blurred the distinction of each species.
Top Four Varietals:
Coffea Arabica is best known as the coffee from the cradle of coffee culture, Yemen and Mocha and has numerous varieties: Bourbon from Brazil, and highly prized examples from Central and Latin America, Indonesia, Hawaii, and many other island countries. This is the benchmark species for rich flavor, smooth and heavy on the palate, and intoxicating fragrance.
Coffea robusta or Coffea canephora is primarily found in African counties but also in India, Indonesia, and Brazil, which produces about half the world's robusta supply and where it is more commonly known there as Conilon. Robustas are fast becoming more favored for flavor even with some stand-alone examples, and for its ability to add a pleasant edge to blends.
Coffea liberica grows in Malaysia and in Africa, particularly in Liberia and the Ivory Coast. Highly resistant to parasites, it is widely used to graft onto other species. A very pleasant and fragrant coffee highly prized in Scandinavia.
Coffea excels or Coffea dewevrei is pleasant and strongly fragrant; frequently intentionally aged for a pleasant Coffea Arabica-style taste. It grows in the Philippines, and other island countries.
Less Common Varietals:
Coffea senophylla grows in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Guinea and has a delicate fragrance but is often quite dull in the cup. Another coffee from the Ivory Coast, and similar to Coffea Arabica, is Coffea abeokutoe. Coffea congencis is a low-producing source from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, although it provides a good quality cup.
Coffea benghalensis aka Psilanthus benghalensis is from the state of Bengal in India and not the same as that grown in another Indian state, Mysore, which produces sweet tasting arabicas.
If experimentation is one of the appeals of a wide-ranging choice of coffees, you might want to check these less common sources at your local coffee vendor. As always, the fresher the bean, the better the coffee in the cup, so opt for vendors who sell these varietals regularly and have a quick turnover in their inventories.
