Varieties

Coffee varieties on record

What each name on a bag actually refers to, where its lineage really sits, and whether anybody has checked that the coffee inside matches the label.

What each name on a coffee bag really means, how the plant handles disease, and how far it can go in the cup.
Variety	What the name refers to	Verification	Lineage	Leaf rust	Cup
Bourbon also sold as Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Orange Bourbon	Named cultivar	Declared only	Bourbon-Typica group	Susceptible	Excellent
Castillo	Composite release	Declared only	Introgressed (Caturra x Timor Hybrid line)	Resistant	Good
Caturra	Named cultivar	Declared only	Bourbon-Typica group	Susceptible	Very good
Gesha also sold as Geisha	Landrace group	Declared only	Ethiopian landrace, collected in the Gesha region	Susceptible	Exceptional at high altitude
Maragogipe also sold as Elephant bean, Maragogype	Named cultivar	Declared only	Bourbon-Typica group	Susceptible	Fair to very good, and highly variable
Parainema	Named cultivar	Declared only	Introgressed (Sarchimor)	Resistant	Very good, and demonstrably better than the category reputation
Pink Bourbon also sold as Borbon Rosado	Contested lineage	Tested, found mixed	Ethiopian landrace (Core Ethiopia group)	—	Exceptional at altitude
SL28	Contested lineage	Declared only	Contested. Story says Bourbon; genetic work suggests closer to Typica.	Susceptible	Exceptional at high altitude
SL34	Contested lineage	Declared only	Contested. Recorded as French Mission Bourbon; genetic work suggests closer to Typica.	Susceptible	Very good
Timor Hybrid also sold as Hibrido de Timor, HdT, Tim Tim	Named cultivar	Declared only	Interspecific (Arabica x Canephora)	Resistant	Poor to fair as itself; grown almost entirely as a breeding parent
Typica also sold as Criollo, Arabigo	Named cultivar	Declared only	Bourbon-Typica group	Susceptible	Very good

Bourbon

Named cultivar Declared only 5/6 key fields on record

The other founding lineage - named after an island, and the yardstick most other varieties are measured against.
Castillo

Composite release Declared only 5/6 key fields on record

Not a variety: a composite of roughly 35 released lines, plus regional and zonal releases underneath it.
Caturra

Named cultivar Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

One mutated gene, and the reason a hillside of coffee can be picked without a ladder.
Gesha

Landrace group Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

The name that reset the top of the coffee market in 2004 - and which describes a population rather than a plant.
Maragogipe

Named cultivar Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

A giant-beaned Typica mutation - and a word that is simultaneously a variety and a screen size.
Parainema

Named cultivar Declared only 4/6 key fields on record

Honduran-bred, rust-resistant, and the 2026 national competition winner at 89.14 points.
Pink Bourbon

Contested lineage Tested, found mixed 4/6 key fields on record

A name that is wrong about its own lineage, attached to lots that testing shows are often not it either.
SL28

Contested lineage Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

The backbone of the Kenyan cup - carrying an origin story that genetic work does not support.
SL34

Contested lineage Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

The other Scott Laboratories selection - planted beside SL28, sold with it, and carrying the same contested lineage.
Timor Hybrid

Named cultivar Declared only 6/6 key fields on record

One spontaneous cross on one island, and the source of nearly all rust resistance in cultivated arabica.
Typica

Named cultivar Declared only 5/6 key fields on record

The founding lineage of the Americas - low-yielding, rust-susceptible, and being replaced almost everywhere.