ABOUT LAURA RIVERA

This is the fourth harvest we’ve purchased from Laura Rivera. Given Typica’s susceptibility to coffee leaf rust, finding a 100% Typica lot in Colombia is rare. Finding an organically grown Typica is nearly unheard of. Typica has long been one of our favorite heirloom varieties, though climate change makes it increasingly hard to source. Nátaga, a new region for us in the expansive coffee-growing area of Huila, has yielded one of the most exciting prospects we’ve encountered in some time, and we’re proud to offer it.

ABOUT TYPICA

Bourbon and Typica compose the most culturally and genetically important groups of coffees in the world. Historical records indicate that seeds were taken from the natural coffee forests of Southwestern Ethiopia to Yemen, where it was cultivated as a crop. Recent genetic tests have confirmed that Bourbon and Typica were the main seeds taken from Ethiopia to Yemen. From Yemen, descendants of Bourbon and Typica spread around the world, forming the basis of modern Arabica coffee cultivation.

Typica reached Brazil in the early 1700’s, and quickly spread throughout most of Central and South America. Until the 1940’s, the majority of coffee plantations in Central America were planted with Typica. However, because this variety is both low yielding and highly susceptible to major coffee diseases, it has gradually been replaced across much of the Americas with Bourbon varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, and also hybrids.