Coffee varieties.
A variety name describes the coffee plant. This page explains the variety names behind our coffees.
As a species, Arabica shows very little genetic variation, in wild plants and in cultivated ones. A 2020 study in Scientific Reports links this to its likely origin in a single natural cross between two other coffee species.
On this page
Java, the variety.
World Coffee Research traces Java to an Ethiopian landrace population, a locally adapted group of coffee plants. It was selected in Cameroon. Our Java Colombia grows in Colombia; Java is the name of its variety.
Pacamara, from two parents.
Pacamara is a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe, bred in El Salvador. Its name combines the beginnings of its parents’ names. World Coffee Research notes that Pacamara is neither uniform nor stable from one generation to the next.
Geisha, or Gesha.
Geisha and Gesha are two spellings of the same name. World Coffee Research notes that several genetically distinct plant types carry it. A name alone therefore does not settle the genetic history of a particular coffee.
Mandela, Caturra and mixed lots.
Mandela is a variety bred and grown by Café Granja La Esperanza. Decaf Colombia’s variety is Caturra. La Esperanza Colombia is a mix of varieties.
What a variety can tell you.
Growing conditions, processing and roasting also shape what reaches the cup. In a World Coffee Research (WCR) trial, ten Arabica varieties grown in seven origins were cupped every year from 2021 to 2023. WCR reports a complex interaction between genetics and environment. A variety adds context to a description; it does not promise a particular flavour.
Sources.
- World Coffee Research: Java · Pacamara · Geisha (Panama) · About the Catalog
- CEBE Coffee Roasters: product pages for our six coffees