Coffees with a Catuai Variety

Catuai is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, developed in Brazil in the 1950s. It's a compact, productive plant that's become one of the most widely planted varieties in Central America. In the cup, Catuai tends toward a clean profile with good body, moderate acidity, and a sweetness that serves as a reliable canvas for different processing methods.

What makes Catuai interesting in specialty coffee is its versatility. The same variety can taste completely different depending on how it's processed. A washed Catuai will be clean and bright. A natural will be fruit-forward and heavy. A honey process lands somewhere in between. Producers who understand this use Catuai as a way to showcase their processing skills.

It's not the flashiest variety on paper, but the best Catuai lots are some of the most enjoyable coffees we carry.

Our current Catuai offerings include Ivan Solis's candy-natural from Costa Rica, Carlos Castro's washed from Costa Rica, Minor Jimenez's red-honey from Costa Rica, and Eugene Altieri's natural from Panama. Four producers, four processing methods, same variety. A great way to taste how much processing shapes flavor.