Taming the wildness
Typica coffees are the coelacanths of coffee varieties. They are the origin of cultivated coffee. The history of Typica is closely linked to the Sun King Louis XIV and a brave naval officer who shared his water ration with a small tree.
Typica is undoubtedly the oldest cultivated Arabica variety. Originating from plantations in Yemen, which were established from wild Ethiopian plants, the original Typica line was created through selection and subsequent plantations. It has the lowest genetic diversity, as it ultimately originated from a single coffee plant. The much-cited story of French naval officer Gabriel-Matthieu de Clieu, who brought the plant to Martinique on his ship, the ‘Dromedaire’, is actually true. A ‘Trojan horse’ of sorts – a legend that one might initially dismiss as untrue... and the most famous Bourbon – Louis XIV, the Sun King – also had a hand in it. And that despite the fact that Louis XIV detested coffee.
Geneticists have now been able to prove conclusively that Typica can indeed be traced back to a single plant. The entire plant line therefore originated from a single plant and its descendants, which have adapted to the respective growing conditions of the countries and regions where they are cultivated.
Typica plants, which grow to a maximum height of 3.5 to 4.5 metres, always have the typical bronze-coloured young leaves – they never have the mostly light green young leaves of other coffee varieties. The side branches grow at an almost horizontal angle (Bourbon plants, on the other hand, have a 60° angle), and the cherries and the coffee beans inside them are elongated in shape. Almost all Typica plants – with a few exceptions such as the ‘Guatemala’ and ‘Blue Mountain’ lines – are susceptible to most diseases, pests and nematodes. The harvest yields of the Typica line are low to medium. Well-known cultivated representatives of the Typica line are ‘Blue Mountain’ (Colombia, Central America, Caribbean (Jamaica), Papua New Guinea), ‘Kent’ (India), “JavaTypica” (Indonesia), ‘BlawanPasu- mah’ (Indonesia, East Java), ‘BLP’ (Indonesia), ‘Bergendal’ (Indonesia, North Sumatra), ‘Jamaique’ (Cameroon), ‘Kona’ (Hawaii), “Sumatra” (Brazil) and ‘PlumaHidalgo’ (Mexico).
The dwarf varieties, which are mostly cultivated in Central America, are called ‘Villa Lobos’, ‘San Bernardo’, ‘San Ramon’ and “Pache”. A special representative, if not the best known, is the ‘Maragogype’, a mutation originating in Brazil, which grows to enormous sizes but is unfortunately highly susceptible to pests and frost. Maragogype has given rise to ‘Pacamara’ (a cross with ‘Pacas’), ‘Maracatu’ (a cross with ‘Catuai’) and “Maracaturra” (a cross with ‘Caturra’).
The history of the Typica line can be found in almost every coffee book, and the engraving of the first coffee plants being transported to Martinique, in which a naval officer waters a plant in a wooden box, is probably one of the most frequently printed images in coffee literature. Nevertheless, this depiction is understood more as myth and legend than as a historical document. It is thanks to Gabriel-Mathieu de Clieu (1687–1774), a French naval officer, later royal lieutenant and governor of Guadeloupe (1737–1752), that coffee spread throughout the Caribbean and from there across the entire American continent. In 1723, he brought a coffee tree from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris to the island of Martinique, thus laying the foundation for coffee cultivation in the French colonies. The plants in the Jardin de Plantes had been brought to Paris from Amsterdam around 1710 as war reparations. The plants in Amsterdam, in turn, originated from a plant imported from Java in 1706. The genetic origin of Typica can now be determined beyond doubt.
The descriptions and assumptions of ancient authors can now be confirmed. Through the mediation and suggestion of the Sun King's personal physician, De Clieu received three small plants that were to serve as the basis for a French coffee plantation in the Caribbean. Of the original three plants, only one survived the long voyage, which was accompanied by calm winds and a pirate attack. To save the plant, De Clieu shared his drinking water ration with it. The first harvest was possible as early as 1726, and the plants spread from there throughout the Caribbean and later also via Cuba to Mexico and the American continent. There is now also a theory that De Clieu took seeds instead of living plants to Martinique. This was common practice at the time, but plants were always preferred for reasons of time, as they meant less consideration had to be given to climatic conditions upon arrival and also saved valuable time until the first harvest. When coffee plants were introduced to the Île de la Bourbon, both plants and seeds were brought in.
Personally, I am convinced that they were indeed plants. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the images of the crossing and the story of how the drinking water was distributed – admittedly, enough for a film or a great musical, but the burden of proof is overwhelming. It seems more as if people want to deny the authenticity of visual documents from the past in general and almost always relegate them to the realm of stories and narratives. The scientific breakdown of Typica genetics has now proven how wrong this is. Secondly, various records also clearly show that coffee was harvested for the first time in Martinique in 1726. This was three years before de Clieu arrived with the coffee plants. Seeds would not have grown quickly enough to explain this harvest, which has been documented several times. Perhaps it is time to place a little more trust in older sources... because not everything found on the internet is necessarily credible. Typica plants thrive better at high altitudes and prefer less rainfall than the Bourbon variety. On ferralic soils, Typica offers fruity aromas with a delicate acidity profile, while volcanic soils are characterised by nutty tones and spices. The flavour profile is characterised by a fruity, fresh acidity with berry tones, which develops a high sweetness and a pronounced body in the cup, especially when dry processed. It is due to the Latin American growing regions of Typica coffees that mostly only washed (i.e. ‘fully washed’) coffees are available, as the geography of the areas with high rainfall risks during the harvest season and the lack of drying yards meant that drying had to be accelerated in order to produce high-quality coffees. Washed coffees without pulp residues could be dried more quickly and were therefore the preferred method. As a result, ‘naturals’ (dry-processed coffees) were long frowned upon as low quality and were not further developed in terms of production and the associated know-how.The flavour profiles of Latin American coffees are therefore characterised by fruity notes with a lighter body, which are particularly popular in filter coffee. However, the potential of these coffees, with their various adapted lines and sub-varieties and different processing methods, remains largely untapped. Unfortunately, far too many of the old Typica plants are no longer cultivated, or only to a limited extent, due to their low yield and the widespread ignorance of their unique flavour characteristics. They are almost exclusively sold as blends, rather than as single-origin coffees. Two prominent examples of this are ‘Pluma Hidalgo’ from Mexico, which has impressed everyone in tastings so far. Its heavy blackberry notes with pronounced sweetness and a full-bodied flavour clearly reveal its Ethiopian roots. The situation is similar with ‘Pache’, of which there are now three subspecies that are little or not at all distinguishable from each other. ‘Pache colis’, ‘Pache enano’ and ‘Pache comun’. This Typica line with its drooping branches has a relatively high yield for Typica, which ripens evenly but late and is therefore not appreciated by farmers.
In addition, both coffees have a poor image as ‘indigenous native coffee’, i.e. ‘poor people's coffee’, as these coffees were distributed to the indigenous population by monks from early monasteries as part of Christianisation efforts in order to generate additional sources of income. These coffees were usually dry-processed, which was still considered simple and low-quality. Coffee from farms was different – more modern varieties, washed and mechanically dried using sophisticated technology – an image that would no longer be suitable for a successful marketing campaign today. Perhaps this also presents an opportunity to return to Typica coffees – the coelacanths of coffee varieties.
#Typica #coffeehistory #originalcoffee #Arabica #coffeevariety #coffeeculture #biodiversity #coffeecquality #sustainablecoffee
Typica is undoubtedly the oldest cultivated Arabica variety. Originating from plantations in Yemen, which were established from wild Ethiopian plants, the original Typica line was created through selection and subsequent plantations. It has the lowest genetic diversity, as it ultimately originated from a single coffee plant. The much-cited story of French naval officer Gabriel-Matthieu de Clieu, who brought the plant to Martinique on his ship, the ‘Dromedaire’, is actually true. A ‘Trojan horse’ of sorts – a legend that one might initially dismiss as untrue... and the most famous Bourbon – Louis XIV, the Sun King – also had a hand in it. And that despite the fact that Louis XIV detested coffee.
Geneticists have now been able to prove conclusively that Typica can indeed be traced back to a single plant. The entire plant line therefore originated from a single plant and its descendants, which have adapted to the respective growing conditions of the countries and regions where they are cultivated.
Typica plants, which grow to a maximum height of 3.5 to 4.5 metres, always have the typical bronze-coloured young leaves – they never have the mostly light green young leaves of other coffee varieties. The side branches grow at an almost horizontal angle (Bourbon plants, on the other hand, have a 60° angle), and the cherries and the coffee beans inside them are elongated in shape. Almost all Typica plants – with a few exceptions such as the ‘Guatemala’ and ‘Blue Mountain’ lines – are susceptible to most diseases, pests and nematodes. The harvest yields of the Typica line are low to medium. Well-known cultivated representatives of the Typica line are ‘Blue Mountain’ (Colombia, Central America, Caribbean (Jamaica), Papua New Guinea), ‘Kent’ (India), “JavaTypica” (Indonesia), ‘BlawanPasu- mah’ (Indonesia, East Java), ‘BLP’ (Indonesia), ‘Bergendal’ (Indonesia, North Sumatra), ‘Jamaique’ (Cameroon), ‘Kona’ (Hawaii), “Sumatra” (Brazil) and ‘PlumaHidalgo’ (Mexico).
The dwarf varieties, which are mostly cultivated in Central America, are called ‘Villa Lobos’, ‘San Bernardo’, ‘San Ramon’ and “Pache”. A special representative, if not the best known, is the ‘Maragogype’, a mutation originating in Brazil, which grows to enormous sizes but is unfortunately highly susceptible to pests and frost. Maragogype has given rise to ‘Pacamara’ (a cross with ‘Pacas’), ‘Maracatu’ (a cross with ‘Catuai’) and “Maracaturra” (a cross with ‘Caturra’).
The history of the Typica line can be found in almost every coffee book, and the engraving of the first coffee plants being transported to Martinique, in which a naval officer waters a plant in a wooden box, is probably one of the most frequently printed images in coffee literature. Nevertheless, this depiction is understood more as myth and legend than as a historical document. It is thanks to Gabriel-Mathieu de Clieu (1687–1774), a French naval officer, later royal lieutenant and governor of Guadeloupe (1737–1752), that coffee spread throughout the Caribbean and from there across the entire American continent. In 1723, he brought a coffee tree from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris to the island of Martinique, thus laying the foundation for coffee cultivation in the French colonies. The plants in the Jardin de Plantes had been brought to Paris from Amsterdam around 1710 as war reparations. The plants in Amsterdam, in turn, originated from a plant imported from Java in 1706. The genetic origin of Typica can now be determined beyond doubt.
The descriptions and assumptions of ancient authors can now be confirmed. Through the mediation and suggestion of the Sun King's personal physician, De Clieu received three small plants that were to serve as the basis for a French coffee plantation in the Caribbean. Of the original three plants, only one survived the long voyage, which was accompanied by calm winds and a pirate attack. To save the plant, De Clieu shared his drinking water ration with it. The first harvest was possible as early as 1726, and the plants spread from there throughout the Caribbean and later also via Cuba to Mexico and the American continent. There is now also a theory that De Clieu took seeds instead of living plants to Martinique. This was common practice at the time, but plants were always preferred for reasons of time, as they meant less consideration had to be given to climatic conditions upon arrival and also saved valuable time until the first harvest. When coffee plants were introduced to the Île de la Bourbon, both plants and seeds were brought in.
Personally, I am convinced that they were indeed plants. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the images of the crossing and the story of how the drinking water was distributed – admittedly, enough for a film or a great musical, but the burden of proof is overwhelming. It seems more as if people want to deny the authenticity of visual documents from the past in general and almost always relegate them to the realm of stories and narratives. The scientific breakdown of Typica genetics has now proven how wrong this is. Secondly, various records also clearly show that coffee was harvested for the first time in Martinique in 1726. This was three years before de Clieu arrived with the coffee plants. Seeds would not have grown quickly enough to explain this harvest, which has been documented several times. Perhaps it is time to place a little more trust in older sources... because not everything found on the internet is necessarily credible. Typica plants thrive better at high altitudes and prefer less rainfall than the Bourbon variety. On ferralic soils, Typica offers fruity aromas with a delicate acidity profile, while volcanic soils are characterised by nutty tones and spices. The flavour profile is characterised by a fruity, fresh acidity with berry tones, which develops a high sweetness and a pronounced body in the cup, especially when dry processed. It is due to the Latin American growing regions of Typica coffees that mostly only washed (i.e. ‘fully washed’) coffees are available, as the geography of the areas with high rainfall risks during the harvest season and the lack of drying yards meant that drying had to be accelerated in order to produce high-quality coffees. Washed coffees without pulp residues could be dried more quickly and were therefore the preferred method. As a result, ‘naturals’ (dry-processed coffees) were long frowned upon as low quality and were not further developed in terms of production and the associated know-how.The flavour profiles of Latin American coffees are therefore characterised by fruity notes with a lighter body, which are particularly popular in filter coffee. However, the potential of these coffees, with their various adapted lines and sub-varieties and different processing methods, remains largely untapped. Unfortunately, far too many of the old Typica plants are no longer cultivated, or only to a limited extent, due to their low yield and the widespread ignorance of their unique flavour characteristics. They are almost exclusively sold as blends, rather than as single-origin coffees. Two prominent examples of this are ‘Pluma Hidalgo’ from Mexico, which has impressed everyone in tastings so far. Its heavy blackberry notes with pronounced sweetness and a full-bodied flavour clearly reveal its Ethiopian roots. The situation is similar with ‘Pache’, of which there are now three subspecies that are little or not at all distinguishable from each other. ‘Pache colis’, ‘Pache enano’ and ‘Pache comun’. This Typica line with its drooping branches has a relatively high yield for Typica, which ripens evenly but late and is therefore not appreciated by farmers.
In addition, both coffees have a poor image as ‘indigenous native coffee’, i.e. ‘poor people's coffee’, as these coffees were distributed to the indigenous population by monks from early monasteries as part of Christianisation efforts in order to generate additional sources of income. These coffees were usually dry-processed, which was still considered simple and low-quality. Coffee from farms was different – more modern varieties, washed and mechanically dried using sophisticated technology – an image that would no longer be suitable for a successful marketing campaign today. Perhaps this also presents an opportunity to return to Typica coffees – the coelacanths of coffee varieties.
#Typica #coffeehistory #originalcoffee #Arabica #coffeevariety #coffeeculture #biodiversity #coffeecquality #sustainablecoffee