Origin and General Characteristics
Typica is the most famous of the varieties derived from the Typica group. It is a tall variety characterized by very low yield, susceptibility to the most important coffee diseases, and at the same time, good cup quality. The Typica group, like all Arabica, has its roots in southwestern Ethiopia.
Spread from Ethiopia to India and Southeast Asia
In the 15th or 16th century, coffee plants were moved from Ethiopia to Yemen. Around 1700, seeds from Yemen began to be cultivated in India. In 1696 and 1699, coffee seeds were sent from the Malabar Coast in India to the island of Batavia (today's Java in Indonesia). It is from these few seeds that what we now know as the Typica variety originated.
Typica Arrives in Europe
In 1706, one Typica plant was transported from Java to Amsterdam and placed in a botanical garden. In 1714, one of the plants was sent to France.
Spread in South America and the Caribbean
From the Netherlands, Typica reached the colonial trade routes in 1719 to Dutch Guiana (today's Suriname), then to Cayenne (French Guiana) in 1722, and from there to the northern part of Brazil in 1727. The variety reached southern Brazil between 1760 and 1770.
Meanwhile, from Paris, Typica plants were sent in 1723 to the island of Martinique in the Caribbean. The British transported plants from Martinique to Jamaica in 1730. In 1735, the variety arrived in Santo Domingo, and from there, seeds reached Cuba in 1748. Subsequently, Typica appeared in Costa Rica (1779) and El Salvador (1840), where it was sent from Cuba.
Development of Cultivation in Latin America
By the end of the 18th century, Typica cultivation had spread across the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo), as well as in Mexico, Colombia, and further throughout Central America — it is known that it was cultivated in El Salvador as early as 1740.
Contemporary Presence
Until the 1940s, most coffee plantations in South and Central America were planted with the Typica variety. Due to its low yield and high susceptibility to diseases, this variety was gradually replaced by more resistant and productive types. Nevertheless, Typica is still widely cultivated in Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, where it is known as Jamaica Blue Mountain.
0 comments