Typica Coffees are a sub-variety of the Arabica family of coffees - a more specific division of what are generally considered high quality coffee beans. They're fairly tall for coffee trees, and produce less coffee than other varietals, which means that the yield tends to be lower and more difficult. So why would a farmer choose the Typica varietal over others? Quality. Typica coffees are known for a certain sweetness, and cup very well - some of the best coffees in the world are from the Typica family.
Typica can be divided into the following sub-sub-varietals:
- Amarello de Botucatu
- Blue Mountain
- Bergandal
- Java
- Kent
- Kona
- Guatemala
- Maragogype / Maragogipe
- Pache Commun
- Pluma Hidalgo
- Sumatra
- San Ramon
- Sao Bernando
- Villalobos
Looking at the list, it's not difficult to see that the Typica family is made of some of the best coffees in the world, including Blue Mountain, Sumatra and Kona.
Typica Cultivars / Hybrids
In an attempt to get a better yield from the high quality Typica, it's often cross-bred with other species. Some well-known cultivars include:
- Acaia (Sumatra + Bourbon)
- Macaturra (Maragogype + Caturra)
- Pacamara (Pacas + Maragogype)
- Pache Colis (Pache Commun + Cattura)
- Mundo Novo (Sumatra + Bourbon)
- Catuai (Mundo Novo + Caturra)
- Rasuna (Typica + Catimor)
- Icatu (Mundo Novo + Robusta + Bourbon)
Physical Characteristics
Typica coffee trees are fairly tall for coffee trees, have conical branches that grow at roughly a 60 degree slant from their parent branch. Their leafs usually have a dark bronze tip.
Visually, Typica coffee beans are usually more elongated than Bourbon.