coffee society journal — variety 101
A coffee variety is a cultivar of the coffee plant — the same idea as grape varieties in wine. Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Gesha, SL28: each carries its own genetics, and with them a different cup. Variety is one of the three biggest levers on flavor, alongside processing and roast — which is why we print it on every bag.
01two family trees, most of the world's coffee
Nearly every arabica you've tasted descends from two old lineages that left Ethiopia centuries ago: Typica and Bourbon. Typica tends toward clean, delicate sweetness; Bourbon toward rounder body and caramel. Most classic Latin American varieties are their children — Caturra is a compact Bourbon mutation, Catuai crosses Caturra with Mundo Novo, and so on. Ethiopia itself still grows thousands of wild "landrace" varieties that have never been formally named — a big reason Ethiopian coffees taste like nothing else.
02the varieties worth knowing
bourbon & caturra
The workhorses. Sweet, balanced, chocolate-and-caramel leaning — the backbone of great washed Latin American coffee.
sweetbalancedclassicgesha
The famous one. Rediscovered in Panama, jasmine-floral and tea-like, capable of the highest cupping scores ever recorded — and priced accordingly.
jasminebergamottea-likesl28 & sl34
Kenya's signature selections — deep blackcurrant, bright acidity, unmistakable savory-sweet intensity.
blackcurrantbrightintensepink bourbon & friends
The new wave — Colombian growers pushing tropical, floral, almost perfumed cups. Once a lot sells out, it's genuinely gone.
tropicalfloralrare lots03why variety is on every coffee society bag
We roast in small seasonal lots — 50 to 100 pounds per variety per quarter — and when a variety sells out, it's gone forever. Listing the varietal, process, origin, and recommended brew method on the bag isn't decoration; it's how you learn your own taste. Loved that blackcurrant Kenyan? Now you know to look for SL28 anywhere you see it.
- Every lot is Q graded 85+ — cupped and scored by certified graders before we buy it.
- Fair wages to the farm — we highlight the farms we buy from, because the variety only matters if the person growing it is paid well.
- Seasonal by design — coffee is a crop. We follow the harvests instead of stocking the same beans year-round.
04common questions
They interact. Variety sets the ceiling — the flavors the plant is capable of — while processing and roast decide how much of that potential lands in your cup.
Low yields, high altitude, hand picking, and demand. A tree that produces half the fruit at twice the labor has to sell for more — and the best lots go to auction.
A dependable Bourbon-family washed coffee for the daily menu, plus a rotating single-origin — a Gesha, an SL28, a Pink Bourbon — as the reason regulars keep coming back.
taste the family tree
Our rotating subscription is built for exactly this — a new single-origin variety each shipment, roasted to order in Berkeley, CA. Run a cafe? We supply Bay Area shops with seasonal 85+ lots and the story to sell them.
rotating single-origin subscription all subscriptions partner with uscoffee society · specialty micro roaster · berkeley, ca · est. 2023