Typica coffee – The oldest coffee variety in the world
– FIND THE ORIGIN –
If you are a coffee connoisseur, you will have heard the name Typica coffee at least once. They are warmly sought after in the specialty coffee world because of their taste and extremely scarce. Not only that, Typica coffee is a pure Arabica variety and is the “mother” of most famous coffee species today. Are you curious about the development journey and descendants of this coffee variety? Let’s find out with 43 Factory Coffee Roaster now.
The development history of Typica coffee
Typica is the first purebred Arabica coffee variety in the world. Historically, the Typica coffee variety originated in the pristine forests of southwestern Ethiopia. The taste of this early coffee is very seductive with a sweet, clear sour taste mixed with a gentle bitterness. Because of those unique flavors, Typica was bred and traveled everywhere.
The first cross-border journey was in the 16th century, when a great-tasting coffee variety left Ethiopia for Yemen. From Yemen, Typica was brought by the Dutch to the Baba Budan, Malabar region of India. Here these early eggplant seeds were grown in the regions of Mysore and were called Malabar.
Then, in 1696, the Indian Typica strain was spread throughout Indonesia. Delicious eggplant seeds flourished in the country’s Java archipelago and were brought to the Amsterdam botanical garden in 1706. Some time later, the mayor of Amsterdam presented a Typica tree to King Louis IV. after the signing of a peace treaty between the Netherlands and France. And from here until the last years of the 18th century, Typica coffee trees followed the colonial trade routes to reach the whole continent of Europe and America. They sailed from France to the island of Martinique and Brazil. From Brazil, tomato seeds are shipped to Peru, Paraguay, through the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico and then into Central America. And until the 1940s, Typica was grown very popularly in many American countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, Dominican.
Not stopping there, this purebred coffee variety has also been introduced to countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. A famous type of Typica in Vietnam can be mentioned as Moka Cau Dat. Before the 2000s, this type of Typica coffee was very valuable and only enjoyed by the elite.
Typica coffee characteristics
Typica coffee is one of two genetically important C.Arabira coffees. Typica tree has a tall trunk, small branches growing in a cone shape. Dark yellow leaves, long oval fruits with attractive red color when ripe. This cultivar has good cold tolerance, so it is often favored to grow in mountainous areas above 1500m such as Blue Mountain. In addition, they have a unique genetic property with low caffeine and very high malic acid. The amount of bright acid in combination with the mild sweetness in the seeds makes the harmonious Typica flavor extremely attractive. Because of this, in the coffee world, Typica was once thought to be the gold standard for all measures of quality coffee.
However, the resistance to pests of this old coffee is very poor. Their production is also not as high as that of common coffee species. Compared with Bourbon coffee, the same pure Arabica variety, the yield of Typica is about 20 – 30% lower. Typica coffee is very difficult to grow and is easy to die from rust, berry,…. Because of this drawback, farms gradually become picky about growing Typica.
Current Typica coffee varieties in the world
Famous Typica branches
As shared, Typica is the first coffee variety and has important genetics. Most of the famous coffee varieties today are branches of Typica. Some of the most popular types of Typica today include:
– Blue Mountain (Jamaica)
– Kent (India)
– Maragogype / Maragogipe (Brazil)
– Sao Bernando (Brazil)
– Amarello de Botucatu (Brazil)
– Java (Indonesia)
– Sumatra (Indonesia)
– Kona (Hawaii)
– Guatemala (Central America)
– San Ramon (Costa Rica)
– Bergandal (Indonesia)
– Pluma Hidalgo (Mexico)
– Villalobos (Spain)
The most popular Typica hybrid strains
In the mid-20th century, scientists studied and bred Typica to improve its resistance to pests and diseases. Some popular names are:
– Rasuna (result of Typica + Catimor)
– Pacamara (result of Pacas + Maragogype)
– Pache Colis (result of Pache Plus + Cattura)
– Macaturra (result of Maragogype + Caturra)
– Acaia (result of Sumatra + Bourbon)
– Mundo Novo (result of Sumatra + Bourbon)
Looking at the list above, it can also be seen that Typica is like an ancestor of today’s premium Arabica coffee varieties. If you taste it, you can see that this “Typica family” always has a characteristic sourness, bitterness and persistent sweetness that captivates the heart. Do you want to experience this age-old taste of coffee, come to 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to enjoy this delicious sweetness!
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