Characteristics of Black Coffee Based on Varieties. Did You Know?

Typica

Coffee aficionados must be very familiar with this coffee variety. Typica coffee is one of the oldest and quite well-known varieties of Arabica coffee, because Typica was the first Arabica coffee to enter Indonesia. Regarding taste, typica coffee is usually clean, sweet, and of good quality.

Bourbon

No, not the whiskey. This bourbon is a coffee variety that is part of Arabica. Previously, bourbon coffee was only red, but natural mutations produce the yellow and orange colors. For characteristics, yellow bourbon usually has a more sour and smooth taste, while the orange one is a combination of yellow bourbon and regular bourbon.

Cattura

Cattura is a natural mutation of bourbon. The beans, first grown in Brazil, are smooth with a lower degree of sweetness compared to the bourbon variety.

Villa Sarchi

Apart from cattura, bourbon also experienced natural mutations and produced another variety, villa sarchi, which comes from Sarchi, Costa Rica. Different from cattura, this coffee variety actually has a sweet and sour taste that complement its strong fruity tones.

Also Read: Types of Indonesian Black Coffee that You Must Try When Traveling

Catuai

If you love black coffee with a high level of acidity, the Catuai coffee should be on your wish list. This variety is a derivative of Caturra, which is widely cultivated in Indonesia and South America.

Geisha or Gesha

Yes, this is also a variety of coffee, you know. Make no mistake, even though it is not as famous as Robusta and Arabica, Geisha coffee is actually very expensive; its price starts at millions of Indonesian Rupiah per kilogram. In fact, there was a record breaking auction price for Geisha coffee in 2019, at US$ 2,000 per kilogram.

Geisha coffee has a clean and exotic taste, combined with a jasmine aroma and a fruity flavor and aftertaste. Apart from that, Geisha coffee production is also quite limited, so it's not surprising that the price is exorbitant!

Timor

Now we move on to Timor coffee, which is the result of a cross between Arabica and Robusta varieties in a 60:40 ratio, so the bitter taste of the Robusta dominates.

Letefoho

Letefoho is a coffee variety that comes from Timor Leste and not very known in Indonesia. It is, however, served in many coffee shops in Melbourne, Australia. Regarding flavor, Letefoho coffee is similar to Toraja, with a strong aroma and quite high acidity.

Apart from the coffee varieties mentioned above, there are actually many other varieties that are famous throughout the world. After getting to know some of them, which coffee varieties have you tried?

To find the characteristics that you like, you can ask further questions with the barista of your favorite coffee shop. By trying new varieties, you can gain knowledge of the characteristics you like better.