Every great cup of coffee starts with the whole beans. The type of coffee bean you use—like Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, or Excelsa, has a big impact on how your coffee tastes. Some beans bring out fruity or floral flavors, while others give you bold, earthy, or smoky notes. Each bean type is unique and plays a big role in your coffee’s final flavor.
But it’s not just the bean type that matters. Where the coffee is grown (the terroir), including the altitude, climate, and soil, also changes how it tastes. How the coffee is picked, processed (dry, washed, or honey), and roasted can also affect its flavor, acidity, and body. Whether it’s a single-origin coffee or a blend, and how it’s brewed, can make a big difference in what ends up in your cup.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the main types of coffee beans and show how each one adds its own special taste. If you want to understand your coffee better, or find your new favorite, this is the perfect place to start.
Coffee Bean Varietals and How They Influence Flavor
Forget the fancy hybrids for a minute. The real flavor story starts with these two classic varieties, Typica and Bourbon. Trust us, they’re legends for a reason
Typica
Alright, let’s talk about coffee history! One of the first big names in Arabica coffee cultivation? That’d be Typica. It’s not the original, but it’s one of the most influential varieties to spread around the world after being cultivated in Yemen and then carried to Asia and the Americas.
Think of it as a coffee VIP, super important in the family tree. Generally, Typica gives you a clean, tasty cup with a nice sweet zing. You might catch hints of chocolate, maybe some nutty vibes, and even a little spice.
Typica became a parent to several important coffee varieties, many of which inherited its clean, sweet characteristics while developing their own unique traits.
Java
This descendant of Typica often brings its subtle nuances to the classic profile. Expect a clean cup, perhaps with a brighter acidity or more pronounced floral notes compared to a typical Typica.
Maragogype
You can’t miss Maragogype – it boasts remarkably large beans! 1 This characteristic often translates to a lighter body in the cup, with a potentially more delicate flavor profile and a distinct mouthfeel.
Timor Hybrid
A fascinating cross between Arabica and Robusta, Timor Hybrid offers resilience in challenging growing conditions. Its flavor profile can be a blend of its parents, sometimes exhibiting a bolder, earthier taste with a touch more body than pure Arabica.
Bourbon
Okay, what is next up in our coffee family tree? Yes, It’s Bourbon!
Bourbon is a close relative of Typica, both descend from Arabica plants originally cultivated in Yemen. Over time, Bourbon developed its own flavor profile and became foundational in its own right.
Generally, Bourbon gives you a sweet cup with a nice zing, a round feel in your mouth, and often hints of caramel, chocolate, nuts, and those yummy stone fruits like cherries or plums. But hold on, ’cause the Bourbon family has some awesome variations!
Red Bourbon
Think of Red Bourbon as the classic. It’s got a full body, a sweet taste like red berries, and some nutty goodness underneath. You might even catch whiffs of caramel, chocolate, a touch of vanilla, and a little spicy kick at the end.
Yellow Bourbon
Yellow Bourbon often goes for a honey-like sweetness with a fruity twist – maybe apricot, banana, or even some tropical vibes. It can also have a brighter, more citrusy tang.
Pink Bourbon
Pink Bourbon is a bit special. It’s sweet and fruity, but with a smooth, silky feel. Imagine notes of honeysuckle, pink lemonade, juicy peach, and maybe even a touch of jasmine.
Orange Bourbon
Orange Bourbon brings a sweet flavor with a bit more going on – a complex taste that often leans towards fruity or citrusy notes.
Bourbon Pointu (Laurina)
This one’s interesting ’cause it has way less caffeine! Flavor-wise, it can be pretty unique and delicate, though it’s not always easy to find specific descriptions.
Bourbon Sidra
Bourbon Sidra is known for being sweet with lovely floral notes. Think of it as a bright and fragrant cup.
And hey, the Bourbon family is big! You might hear about other relatives like Tekisic Bourbon, Pacas, and Villa Sarchi. They often share some of that Bourbon sweetness and complexity, but each can have its little twist. For example, Pacas is known to sometimes have a balanced and clean profile.
Kenyan Coffee Beans SL28 and SL34
Kenya is known for its coffee, especially its bright and lively flavor. This comes from the coffee’s acidity, a tangy quality that makes it stand out. Two important types of Kenyan coffee beans are SL28 and SL34. People chose these beans a long time ago because they grew well and tasted great. Each has its special flavor.
SL28:
This bean, SL28, was chosen by these folks at Scott Laboratories for being tough, producing a good amount of coffee, and tasting fantastic. But the real standout with SL28 is its flavor – it’s like a flavor bomb went off in your cup!
You often get this dazzling, bright acidity that can remind you of juicy black currants. Now get this, some people even taste a hint of fresh tomato in there – sounds weird, but it adds this cool complexity!
Beyond that zing, SL28 has a nice, full feel in your mouth (what we call a juicy body) and a super sweet, almost tropical fruitiness.
Compared to your typical Bourbon or Typica, SL28 can be a real curveball. While Bourbon often leans towards caramel and chocolate sweetness with a rounder acidity, and Typica is usually clean and balanced with nutty notes, SL28 often throws in those bolder, fruitier, and sometimes even savory (like tomato!) notes with that super bright, lively acidity. It’s a different kind of deliciousness that really makes Kenyan coffee stand out.
SL34:
SL34 was also picked by Scott Labs around the same time as SL28, and for similar reasons – good production and tasty beans. You’ll often find SL34 grown at slightly lower altitudes compared to its superstar sibling.
When it comes to flavor, SL34 is often described as being a bit more balanced than the intense SL28. You still get that lovely Kenyan acidity, but it might be a little softer, a bit more rounded.
Some people pick up notes that are almost like black tea, adding a different kind of complexity alongside a pleasant sweetness.
While SL28 is that dazzling flavor explosion, SL34 is often seen as its more elegant and harmonious buddy, still distinctly Kenyan but with a slightly different vibe.
Mutations and Hybrids Coffee
Now, let’s talk about the new kids on the coffee block – the mutations and hybrids! Just like in nature, coffee plants can sometimes change on their own, leading to new and interesting varieties. People have also started intentionally crossing different types to create super-beans with the best of both worlds. These new varieties are opening up exciting flavor possibilities. Let’s check out some of them!
Caturra
Caturra popped up in Brazil as a natural change from the Bourbon plant. One cool thing about Caturra is that the trees stay pretty small, but they can produce a lot of coffee beans. When it comes to taste, Caturra often has a bright, zesty acidity, kind of like a citrus fruit. Since it came from Bourbon, it can also have some of that same underlying sweetness.
Catuai
Catuai is a human-made mix, created by crossing Mundo Novo and Caturra. So, it’s like getting a little bit of both parents’ traits. You might find a nice sweetness from the Mundo Novo side, along with a good body (how it feels in your mouth) and that bright acidity that often comes from Caturra. It’s like a balanced combination.
Mundo Novo
Mundo Novo itself was a natural accident, a hybrid that happened when Typica and Bourbon plants got together. Because of its parents, Mundo Novo likely has a flavor profile that tries to balance the characteristics of both. You might find some of Typica’s clean taste mixed with Bourbon’s sweetness and body.
F1 Hybrids
Now we’re getting into the modern stuff – F1 hybrids. Think of these as specially bred coffees, like creating a super-athlete. People cross different varieties to get specific traits, like being able to fight off diseases, produce a lot of beans, and still taste amazing. Here are a few examples:
- Starmaya: Starmaya is a newer F1 hybrid developed for high yield and disease resistance. It’s notable for being one of the first hybrid varieties that can be reproduced by seed (rather than cuttings), and it often offers good cup quality with complex flavors.
- Centroamericano: This hybrid is known for being able to resist leaf rust, a common coffee problem. Flavor-wise, it’s often said to have a balanced and good quality taste.
- Marseillais: Marseillais is a lesser-known variety, and information about it is limited. It may be appreciated for heritage or flavor traits, but more research is needed to fully characterize it.
Ethiopian Coffees
Just like how nature surprises us with new things, Ethiopia, the very birthplace of coffee, gives us some truly special and flavorful beans. These aren’t your everyday coffees; they have unique stories and tastes all their own. Let’s explore some of these Ethiopian treasures!
Geisha (or Gesha)
Imagine a coffee that smells like a beautiful perfume of jasmine flowers. That’s often what Geisha coffee is like! It comes from Ethiopia and is super prized for its delicate and amazing flavor. You might also taste sweet notes like peach, a hint of bergamot (like in Earl Grey tea), and even juicy mango. It’s a truly elegant and special coffee experience.
Ethiopian Heirloom
Think of “Ethiopian Heirloom” as a big mix of all the different coffee plants that have grown wild and naturally in Ethiopia for centuries. Because there are so many different types in this group, you can find a huge range of complex and exciting flavors. One cup might taste fruity, while another could be floral – it’s like a delicious surprise every time!
Pink Bourbon
Pink Bourbon is a unique and highly prized variety believed to have originated in Colombia, likely as a natural hybrid or mutation of Red and Yellow Bourbon. Despite the floral, Ethiopian-like flavor, its roots are Latin American.
What makes it special is its wonderful floral smells and distinct sweet, fruity tastes. It’s known for being a really high-quality coffee that’s as lovely to drink as its name suggests.
Chiroso
Coming from Ethiopia, Chiroso is another coffee that people talk about for its excellent taste. While the exact flavors can vary, it often has a bright and fruity character. Think of it as another gem from Ethiopia, offering a lively and delicious coffee experience.
Conclusion
So, to wrap things up, the kind of coffee bean a farmer chooses really matters for how your coffee will ultimately taste. Think of it like different kinds of apples – each one has its unique flavor. But it’s not just the bean itself! Where it grows (terroir), how it’s handled after picking (processing), how it’s cooked (roasting), and even how you make it (brewing) all play big parts in the final cup.
At Mak Coffee, our Arabica collection brings you the finest single-origin beans from around the globe. Crave vibrant acidity and berry notes? Try our Kenya AA. Prefer something deep and earthy? Sumatra Mandheling delivers bold, low-acid richness with a syrupy body. For a clean, balanced cup with hints of citrus and cocoa, Costa Rica Tarrazú never disappoints. Each single origin offers a unique expression of Arabica’s potential. Explore our range and find the cup that speaks to your taste.
Happy tasting!