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Typica

Coffea arabica var. typica

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Key facts
Scientific name
Coffea arabica var. typica
Origin
Yemen, carried to Java around 1700
Flavor profile
Clean, sweet, balanced with gentle acidity
Aroma
Soft floral and sweet
Yield
Low
Disease resistance
Low
Famous descendants
Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kona, Sumatra old stock
Beans we stock
50 Typica coffees
Typica
Photo: Ajtjohnsingh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Typica is one of the two foundational Arabica cultivar lineages from which most others descend. Carried from Yemen to the Dutch colony of Java around 1700 and then to the Americas via a single plant in the Amsterdam botanical garden and the Caribbean in the 18th century, Typica seeded coffee cultivation across much of the world. It is tall, low-yielding, and susceptible to disease, but prized for an exceptionally clean, sweet cup; many celebrated regional types — Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kona, Sumatra's old stock — are Typica descendants.

At a glance

  • Scientific name: Coffea arabica var. typica
  • Identified: 1700
  • Flavor: Clean, sweet, balanced with gentle acidity.
  • Aroma: Soft floral and sweet.
  • Disease resistance: Low
  • Cup potential: High

Coffees demonstrating this

From our catalog of in-stock beans.

See also

Sources & further reading