Coffee Creation Series (Part 3): Varietals, varietals, varietals

Why is it that we buy wine based on its varietal, yet overlook varietal when it comes to our coffee?

Coffee cherries, which can be red or yellow depending upon their subspecies, or varietal, are not that different from the fruit you see in your local grocery or supermarket. Like normal sweet red cherries and grapes, a coffee cherry has a thin outer skin that surrounds a pulpy flesh, with a seed at its core. This is your green coffee bean.

A coffee's varietal.

Just as the species of grape determines a wine’s varietal, such as Chardonnay or Merlot, a coffee’s varietal is determined by the species of plant it comes from. Soon it's our hope that ordering a Nicaraguan Caturra varietal at your local coffee house is as natural as ordering your favourite Cabernet from California.

Varietal, along with the terroir of the region and the touch of each individual farmer, gives every seasonal crop of coffee distinct character. Also, many farmers and co-ops that we work with grow an assortment of Arabica varietals in order to protect their crop against infectious disease.

Creative hybrids.

Today, select farmers and co-ops are growing specific varietals, or unique hybrids, in an effort to increase coffee quality. Byron’s Maracaturra our seasonal Single Origin from Nicaragua is a shining example of this — it’s a hybrid of the varietals Marigojipe and Caturra.

At Salt Spring Coffee we purchase only Arabica varietals due to the high-quality coffee bean they produce. We buy and roast:

• Bourbon
• Caturra
• Ethiopian “type”
• French Mission and Scottish Mission
• Marigojipe
• Typica

Part 4: The Harvest (aka the hard work).

The pros and cons of manual versus mechanical harvesting and how each farmer is faced with tradeoffs depending on their choice.

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