The Catuai variety of coffee has been in production for over four decades, and while it’s no longer a rarity on world markets, it’s appraised for its high-pitched produces, reliable quality, and possible profitability for makes.

Lately, there have already been clues that a Catuai renaissance could be taking place. In 2019, many Catuai diversities have earned outstanding tallies, were placed on listings rating the world’s best coffees, or were gifted the Cup of Excellence for the past two consecutive years in Brazil.

To explore why this could be taking place, the full excellences of this variety need to be fully explored. Here’s what you may not know about Catuai.

You may also like Catuai& Yellow Bourbon: Exploring Brazil’s Coffee Variety

Red and yellow-bellied Catuai cherry-reds on a tree. Credit: Embrapa/ Aymbire Fonseca

Where Does It Come From& What Is It Like?

Catuai is a cultivar that was first introduced to Brazil in 1972. It’s a genetic cross between two natural Arabica mutations of yellow-bellied Caturra and Mundo Novo, that can come in red and changes. As it is a smaller plant, it can be planted closer together, creating a higher planting density, and allowing for easier access to its cherries during gathering.

Catuai was first introduced to Guatemala in 1970, where it now represents 20% of the country’s coffee creation. Following this, it was introduced to Honduras in 1983 and now chronicles for nearly half of all the Arabica grew. Eventually, it was introduced to Costa Rica in 1985.

I spoke to Joao Batista Pavesi for more details on this selection, as he is a Producer Consultant, Q Grader, and Professor at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Espirito Santo in Brazil. I also spoke to Jorge Ramirez, who is the Consulting Expert and former Technical Manager for ICAFE, or the Instituto del Cafe de Costa Rica, which is the country’s official coffee institution.

Jorge says that while many subtypes of Catuai exist, most aren’t identified by their technical names in the majority Central American countries.

A red Catuai tree in Brazil. Credit: Fazenda Santa Antonio

Producing& Processing Catuai

The first return of Catuai frequently merely makes region after three years. As Joao says, it’s a bush that responds well to liming and fertilisation, which means that management during yield can help to determine how productive a bush is or not.

He adds that as some might become ready for harvest earlier and others later, it allows labour and machinery to be distributed over a long period. He says, “This model is also better for optimising post-harvest and storage organizations, tolerating purchase and sale spates to be carried out in a greater number of episodes”. Jorge tells me that in Central America, the average productivity of this assortment is 100 kilograms coffee per hectare.

When it comes to processing and dehydrating, techniques differ from country to country. Sergio Pereira Parreiras is a Scientific Researcher at IAC( Instituto Agronomico de Campinas) and was of the view that in Brazil traditional and natural methods of processing Catuai are preferred, as they compute body to the cup and create a unique profile. In The countries of central america, naturally drying chocolate in beds is growing amongst smaller producers. Jorge says that sun and mechanical drying are also popular here.

The biggest publication facing Catuai is its poor resistance to rust, fungal infections, and pests. Nonetheless, this is changing as newer contemporaries of cultivars are organized. According to Sergio, Brazilian terroirs tend to produce bushes that aren’t as prone to rust as those in other producing countries, due to the fact that more stable climate conditions are present here. However, he adds that it will require more investment in fertiliser in Central American fields, which can cut into a producer’s profits.

He says, “With mechanised coffee farming … the be adopted by good agricultural practices, and only applying pesticides at the best time, rust isn’t a problem that stimulates as much impact as it done so in Central America and Colombia. So here, with pesticides, we have managed to maintain very high productivity relents, mostly in mechanised areas”.

Harvested red and yellowish Catuai cherries. Ascribe: Fazenda Santa Antonio

Catuai’s Cup Profile

Catuai can have a variety of attributes and sensory aspects, and depending on how and where it was produced and processed. For Joao, it “has several descriptors: chocolate, caramel, caramelised carbohydrate, honey, almonds, and spices[ like] nutmeg and sweetgrass”. It’s recommended that it experiences a light to medium roasted to bring out its best qualities.

When it comes to different colour smorgasbords of Catuai, there are no significant differences in flavour. Hanna Neuschwander is Communications Director of World Coffee Research and tells me that “The question of flavour impact of genetic gaps( e.g ., red vs yellow) isn’t well studied. There are no good inquiries that attempt to isolate this that I’m aware of.”

Joao says that for him, red Catuai can have a fuller body and yellow Catuai can have a softer body, but it will depend on climatic conditions and altitude present when during swelling, as well as the post-harvest processing hired. He adds that red Catuai beans tend to produce most complex coffees.

Luiz Melo is a Q Grader and Founder of the Supernova Coffee and Roasting Chain in Brazil. He says that while yellowish cherries are preferred in the international market, specific differences between selections often can’t be perceived through blind cupping evaluations. He adds that both consumers and professional tasters should undertake blind taste tests of coffees of different assortments, so they can learn to define the difference between Catuai or Mundo Novo varieties.

Red Catuai being baked in Caparao region, Brazil. Credit: 3Brothers Coffee

While the Catuai variety of coffee is characterised as has become a vigorously changing chocolate bush, it’s most prone to coffee rust-brown disease and coffee berry maladies. It also has high-pitched nutritional requirements during growing, which means that it can require additional investment and care from makes during its swelling stages.

Despite this, it is capable of creating a variety of notably distinct goblet charts, depending on where and how it was grew. Greatly buyer and roaster education into what the Catuai variety has to offer will be key to increasing its popularity, and ensuring there is a demand for it both now and in the future.

Enjoyed this? Check out Coffee Varieties Debunked: Why Not All Geshas Taste The Same

Written by Isabelle SanMax. Feature photo caption: Catuai grows in bloom. Featured photo credit: Fazenda Santa Antonio.

Perfect Daily Grind

Want to read more clauses like this? Sign up for our newsletter !

The post Exploring The Catuai Coffee Variety loomed first on Perfect Daily Grind.

Read more: perfectdailygrind.com