THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COFFEE SECTOR
PART 1
COFFEE VARIETIES AND FARMERS’ FARMING CONDITIONS
Coffee is the spiritual remedy of humanity. Bitter, sour, sweet, fragrant and millions of other flavors, including the spice of emotion, are kept in brown wooden “candies”.
It is interesting that if a kind of tree has some changes in its natural structure, the flavor changes, too. And more strangely, coffee with the desire to constantly occupy human emotions, transform and exist in many different forms and tastes. Then everyone who have tried it want to taste more, who have studied want to research ten thousand more pages.
CULTIVARS AND CLASSIFICATION
The genus Coffee, comprising more than 70 species, belongs to the family of Rubiaceae. This family forms part of the major group of dicotyledonous sympetales, wherein the petals of the flowers are fused. The flowers are fragrant, with an anise-like scent. Only three coffee species have commercial significance.
Coffee Arabica Linné – This species is divided in several varieties, some tall (Bourbon, Typica, …) and some dwarf (Caturra, Catuai, …). It is a tetraploid species (4n = 44) that yields a clearly superior coffee taste combining low caffeine content with fine aroma. It is generally susceptible to coffee leaf rust and, unfortunately, the more spread varieties like Bourbon tend to be the more susceptible.
Among the more than 200 existing Arabica varieties, the most important tall varieties are:
– Typica: Grown mainly in Brazil; most of the existing varieties originate from it;
– Bourbon: Has a 25% higher production than Typica;
– Mocha: Originates from Ethiopia;
– Mundo Novo: This is a natural cross between Bourbon and a variety from Sumatra;
– SL28 and Ruiru 11 from Kenya;
– Pache Comun and Pache Colis: Both are mutations from Typica;
– Maragogype: A mutation from Typica, characterized by broad beans; it originates from Brazil;
– Marella;
– Kent, S288 and S795: All of these originate from India;
– Blue Mountain: The famous variety from Jamaica.
The most important dwarf varieties are:
– Caturra: A mutation from Bourbon, known for its productivity and good taste; originates from Brazil;
– Catuai: A cross between Caturra and Mundo Novo;
– Catimor: A cross between Caturra and Hybrido de Timor.
Coffee Canephora Pierre – This is divided in many varieties, but two are mainly grown for commercial purposes: Robusta and Conilon (mainly grown in Brazil). As a whole, it is a diploid species (2n = 22) with an inferior taste but a higher yield. It is more as resistant against coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne exigua, M. incognita, M. paranaensis, Pratylenchus brachyurus, and P. Coffeee) and the coffee berry disease (Colletotrichum kahawae). Important varieties are:
– Robusta: The most common variety;
– Conilon: Grown mainly in Brazil;
– Kouilou or Kwilu: With smaller grains and fruits than Robusta.
There exist also hybrids between C.Arabica and C.Canephora. Some are natural, as for example the Hybrido de Timor, and some are artificial, e.g. Arabusta created in Ivory Coast.
Coffee Liberica Hiern – This is a diploid species (2n = 22) which includes several varieties like var.liberica, var.dewevrei and var.excelsa. It is known for its pungent and earthy tasting coffee. Though it combines good rust resistance, the species is declining and has become less significant as an international commodity.
Table 1 displays some specific characteristics and quality parameters of the important commercially grown coffee species discussed above.
Coffee species | Berry to dried beans weight rate | Number of green coffee beans per kg | Caffein content (%) |
C.Liberica | 10:1 | 365 | 1.4-1.6 |
C.Arabica | 5-6:1 | 456 | 1.0-1.5 |
C.Canephora | 4.5:1 | 685 | 2.0-2.5 |
The proper choice of appropriate coffee varieties, well adapted to the growing region, is very important for the final taste and quality of the coffee in the cup. There is a general tendency to overvalue high yield performances and not enough cup quality as such. Best Agricultural Practices (BAP) combines the principles of sustainable agriculture with coffee quality. Major Arabica coffee varieties in some important producing countries are listed in Table 2.
Within the Coffee canephora varieties, taste quality differences are not as clear as in C. arabica, though this begins to change with the development of washed Robusta cvs. Some varieties originating from Angola or Congo-Kinshasa like “Kouilou or Conilon” (Kwilu) are already known for their better cup quality. Vietnam, Indonesia and Uganda have now become leading producers. For simplicity the terms Arabica (for C. arabica) and Robusta (for C. canephora) from here onwards are used.
Origin | Major varieties grown |
Colombia | Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Maragogipe |
India | Kent and one of its offspring S795; these combine exceptional cup quality with good rust tolerance. S26 and S288 have some Liberica characters in their ancestry. Catimor (Cauvery) and Sin 9 present rust tolerance intro-gressed from Robusta material. |
China | Catimor 7963 |
Indonesia | Robusta coffee is widely grown because of the warm and wet climate. In East Java the cv. Kawisari, a cross between Arabica and Liberica, is cultivated. Cv. Sumatra is thought to be an interspecific cross between Robusta and Arabica |
Brazil | Among the better tasting Arabica varieties in Brazil one should cite Bourbon, Typica, Maragogype and the shorter Caturra. The late maturing Mundo Novo and one of its siblings cv. Catuai are widely grown |
Ethiopia | There exists a very high genetic diversity of Arabica species in the country. Wild coffee is still found in forests. Famous landraces are Harare, Sidamo, Djimmah. Some 20 varieties are now selected for productivity/resistance to the coffee berry disease, and these are currently distributed to farmers. |
Kenya | Variety SL28 is highly appreciated. Ruiru 11 is high yielding, but with some Robusta characteristics |
Tanzania | N197, Typica or French mission varieties are planted |
Jamaica | Besides good tasting Bourbon and Bourbon amarello (Yellow Bourbon) are mostly planted. Jamaica coffee farmers produce the famous Blue mountain variety |
Guatemala | Pache comun, Pache colis |
Panama | Geisha and Geisha grown in Bourquet offer premium quality |
Former colonies of Portuga | Catimor (a cross between Timor and Caturra) is rust tolerany |
CONDITIONS FOR A PROSPEROUS YIELD
Jorge Raul Rivera, is the producer of Finca Santa Rosa in San Ignacio, El Salvador. He tells that farmers in El Salvador often want to grow Pacamara despite its relatively low yield and vulnerability to coffee leaf rust. “We look at the quality of the variety, not the ease of maintenance,” he says. “Quality is always better in a plant that produces less.”
The choice of coffee varieties will affect the way of cultivation and distribution market.
The place where you grow coffee should be a major factor in deciding which variety to produce. One variety may have a high yield and be in demand, but does it thrive in a specific climate?
There’s no point investing in a crop that needs a relatively cool, dry environment if you live in a warm, humid one. It either won’t produce high-quality beans or it will require much more investment to do so.
Diego Cobo is the manager of Elixir Cafe in Cauca, Colombia. He says, “The variables that we need to consider for quality are genotype, the place of origin of the seed, and the characteristics of the field.”
He tells that Castillo is a popular variety in the region he lives in for its ease of maintenance. He says that it’s a variety that is already adapted to the local environment and tolerant to coffee leaf rust, a potentially devastating disease.
Make sure to do detailed and serious research into climate including rainfall, humidity, and temperature. Farmers may also want to use field mapping techniques such as soil analysis to evaluate which varieties will thrive on your land and what amounts of fertilizer will be beneficial. This kind of analysis can reveal that it’s better to grow two or more varieties in different areas of the farm, rather than planting the all of the land with the same variety.
Today, climate change has a great impact on the cultivation and tending of plants. Therefore, the understanding and sensitivity in researching and selecting plant varieties and developing new varieties are also focused on investment.
CONSUMER DEMAND
It’s important to consider consumer demands and your own access to the market when choosing a variety. If you invest in specialty coffee but don’t have the relationships to sell it at the right price, you may be left at a loss. Similarly, if there’s no demand for the variety you grow, or it is in surplus, you may be forced to sell it at below-market prices.
Carlos says, “Another factor to consider when selecting coffee varieties is the market, the elegance of the cup, and who is going to buy it.”
So, do some research into local selling opportunities and consider joining an association or cooperative that could help you make new business relationships. As an aligned group of producers, you may have better access to resources, be able to leverage better marketing and business opportunities, and learn from one another’s experiences.
PART 1: COFFEE VARIETIES AND FARMING CONDITIONS
PART 2: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COFFEE
Photo: © iStock/andresr