Meet Caturra: Specialty Coffee's Compact Superplant

If you usually look at the back of our coffee bags from Latin America, you've definitely seen the name before: Caturra .

But what exactly is Caturra, how is it related to the famous Bourbon variety, and why did it change the rules of the game for coffee farmers around the world? In this blog post, we delve into one of the specialty coffee world's most influential and beloved varieties.

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What is Caturra? (And the story behind it)

Caturra is a natural mutation of the classic Bourbon coffee variety. It was first discovered in the early 20th century in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil .

What made Caturra so unique compared to its "parent" was its size. While traditional Bourbon and Typica trees can reach 5 meters into the air and be difficult to harvest, Caturra turned out to be a so-called dwarf mutation . The plant is much shorter, more compact and bushier, with shorter distances between branches.

Although it was discovered in Brazil, it was in countries like Colombia and the rest of Central America that Caturra really exploded in popularity during the mid-20th century and onwards.

Farm Character: Why Farmers Love It

Caturra's compact size proved to be a huge advantage in coffee cultivation. Thanks to the plant's structure, coffee farmers can benefit from several unique advantages:

• Denser planting: Because shrubs take up less space, significantly more trees can be planted per hectare of land.

• Easier harvesting: Picking coffee berries by hand becomes dramatically easier when pickers don't have to reach high up or use ladders.

• High yield: Caturra produces a large amount of berries relative to its size. In fact, the World Coffee Research (WCR) organization uses Caturra's harvest as the global "benchmark" for what is considered a normal/good yield.

The challenge: A demanding plant

However, growing Caturra is not entirely risk-free. Just like its parent Bourbon, Caturra is unfortunately very sensitive to pests and the dreaded fungal disease coffee rust (la roya). It therefore requires a lot of care, proper fertilization and careful management by the farmer to thrive and deliver top quality.

How does Caturra taste in the cup?

The most important thing for us at Hallå Kafferosteri – and for you as a coffee lover – is of course the taste. And Caturra does not disappoint!

When Caturra is grown at the right altitude (preferably above 1,200–1,400 meters above sea level), the berries develop a fantastic flavor profile. It is best described as:

• Lively and crisp acidity: Often with clear hints of citrus or fresh berries.

• Clear sweetness: A clean, balanced base that backs up the acidity.

• Medium-bodied mouthfeel: A coffee that feels both refreshing, clean and well-structured.

Because Caturra is so malleable, its flavor is incredibly influenced by the terroir (the soil and microclimate where it grows) and how it is processed. A washed Caturra from Colombia can taste fresh with green apples and cane sugar, while a natural Caturra can draw on rich tropical fruit.

The legacy of Caturra

Caturra's genetics have been so successful that it has been used to breed several other well-known coffee varieties. For example, the popular variety Catuai is a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. Caturra has also been crossed with the Timor hybrid to create more resistant varieties (called Catimors ), such as Castillo and Colombia .

In other words, when you drink a pure, well-roasted Caturra, you are drinking one of the cornerstones in the history of modern specialty coffee.

Looking for your next coffee experience?

Look out for Caturra the next time you buy coffee from us. We always roast in small batches to bring out that lively acidity and pure sweetness that makes the variety so special.

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Have a nice day!

/ Kaj and Dan, Hälla Coffee Roastery