What is the Catimor coffee varietal?
Catimor is a group of coffee cultivars derived from a cross between Hibrido de Timor (HdT) and Caturra. It is a highly productive variety, but is known to have inferior cup flavor due to the Robusta content in HdT. Despite this, Catimor has some advantages, such as resistance to Coffee Berry Disease, Rust (CLR), and in some cases to Nematodes. It is also an over-bearing variety, meaning it requires a lot of fertilizer input, and may not last as long as other varieties (5-10 years).
The first research into Catimor was conducted in the late 1960s at CIFC in Portugal, and was tested in Angola and Brazil. It was then introduced in the 1980s in multiple places, one of the first being the Variedad Colombia released in 1985. IHCAFE 90 and IHCAFE 95 (Costa Rica 95) were widely planted in Brazil and Portugal. Honduras has Lempira, El Salvador has Catisic, Nicaragua has Catrenic, and Cauvery was developed in India from plant material direct from Portugal. Indonesia is also widely planted in Catimor types, such as Ateng, due to its resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust.
Catimor is a popular variety of coffee, but it is important to consider the pros and cons before planting it. It is a productive variety, but may not last as long as other varieties, and its cup flavor is not as good as other varieties. However, it does have some advantages, such as resistance to certain diseases and pests, and is widely planted in many countries.