{"id":221382,"date":"2025-10-02T16:00:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T23:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/?p=221382"},"modified":"2025-11-05T14:21:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T22:21:06","slug":"indonesian-coffee-cultivars-and-varieties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/indonesian-coffee-cultivars-and-varieties\/","title":{"rendered":"Indonesian Coffee Cultivars and Varieties"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Evan Gilman
\n<\/strong>With contributions from Surip Mawardi, Tovan Marhennatta, Chris Kornman\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Indonesian Coffee Cultivars and Varieties<\/span><\/h2>\n

Coffee\u2019s cultivated history on the world\u2019s largest archipelagic state, and fourth-most-populous country, dates as early as 1699, introduced by Dutch colonizer-merchants. The botanical origins of the Typica variety of Arabica were taken from the Indonesian island of Java to the botanical gardens in the Netherlands, and thereafter to the rest of the world. Coffee leaf rust decimated production in the late 19<\/span>th<\/span> century, and the islands soon became a proving ground for alternative species of coffee resistant to the fungus, <\/span>Coffea canephora<\/span><\/i>, colloquially known as Robusta. Liberica and Excelsa, too, were introduced to the islands in ongoing efforts to improve resilience and genetic diversity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Indonesia consistently ranks among the top five coffee producing countries (by volume), achieving close to 11 million 60kg bags in 2024. Over a third of the coffee grown on the islands is consumed locally rather than exported. <\/span>That the islands of Indonesia remain relevant in modern coffee production is an uncommon feat. \u00a0With a stock of hearty plants, an entrenched history of production, and proximity to an emergent boom in coffee consumer markets throughout Asia, places like Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali, and Flores\u2014while still prone to warming and unpredictable weather, typhoons, and earthquakes\u2014appear well positioned to sustain production into the foreseeable future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s unsurprising, given this context, that the vast network of islands and their connection to coffee production and consumption have birthed an entirely unique subset of plant types and language. What follows is as comprehensive a summary of Indonesian coffee cultivars and varieties as we could compile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Indonesian click to <\/em><\/span>download a pdf of the <\/em>Indonesian Cultivars<\/a>\u00a0infographic<\/em><\/p>\n

Indonesian Coffee Cultivars and Varieties<\/h2>\n

Abyssinia<\/span><\/b>: Simply called \u201cAbyssinian Arabica\u201d in P.J.S. Cramer\u2019s posthumous\u00a0<\/span>A Review of Literature of Coffee Research of Indonesia<\/span><\/a>, it would seem the author (and longtime director of coffee research in Java) introduced seeds from mother trees directly from \u201cestates in Abyssinia\u201d (what outsiders called Ethiopia, at the time) in 1928. 11 selections were brought to Indonesia, of which seven (AB1-AB7) were released. Still known locally in Indonesia as \u201cAbyssinia,\u201d\u00a0(or as cognates \u201cAdsenia\u201d or \u201cAbissinie\u201d), AB3 would next travel from Java to Cameroon, where the tree\u2019s genetics were preserved and eventually taken to Costa Rica, soon spreading throughout the Americas. Morphologically similar to Typica, it\u2019s often been mistaken for a relative, but World Coffee Research\u2019s genetic fingerprinting validates its provenance as directly Ethiopian. AB3 is known worldwide as \u201cJava.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andungsari<\/span><\/b>: A selected dwarf Catimor that prefers full sun and requires high inputs. Susceptible to leaf rust. Andungsari 1 was selected in 1982 by the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) in East Java through agronomic trials including yield, quality, and other factors. These trials were conducted over the course of about 17 years, and it was officially released as a commercial variety by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1999.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ateng<\/span><\/b>: Short for \u201cAceh Tengah\u201d, also the name of a remarkably short comedian, <\/span>Andreas Leo Ateng Suripto<\/span><\/b><\/a>. <\/span><\/b>This is a Catimor selected for low height, easy to pick shrubs. Generally grown at lower altitudes due to its disease resistance, it\u2019s not considered to be a high quality cultivar, but is planted widely. Sometimes called \u201cAteng Jeluk\u201d or \u201cAteng Super.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bergendal<\/span><\/b>: Apocryphally, old Typica-type trees that survived the first Coffee Leaf Rust outbreak in the late 19<\/span>th<\/span> century.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Blawan Pasumah<\/span><\/b>: A Typica selection from East Java, likely the namesake of the Blawan Estate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Borbor<\/span><\/b>: Hybrido de Timor crossed with Bourbon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gayo Dua<\/span><\/b>: A cross of Tim Tim (Hybrido de Timor) with Bourbon. Also subject to variance due to interbreeding and growing from seed. Rumors of being crossed with S. 795 rather than Bourbon. See also: Borbor.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gayo Satu<\/span><\/b>: Originally a selection of Hybrido de Timor, but now effectively a cross of Tim Tim and other locally grown varieties, generally only found in Gayo.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hybrido de Timor<\/span><\/b>: The original Canephora-Arabica hybrid, a spontaneous occurrance subsequently reproduced commercially\u2014and is no longer commonly found other than in the genetics of more popular cultivars. Sometimes abbreviated as HdT. Known locally as\u00a0Tim Tim.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Java<\/strong>: See Abyssinia<\/p>\n

Jember<\/span><\/b>: See S. 795<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kartika<\/span><\/b>: Literally \u201cKopi Arabica Tipe Katuai\u201d or Catuai variety coffee. Brought to Indonesia in 1987 as part of a Portuguese multi location variety trial. Can achieve high quality but is very susceptible to leaf rust, and requires high inputs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Komasti:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>A portmanteau of <\/span>Komponen Andungsari Tiga<\/em> (literally: Andungsari Component Three), and a product of the ICCRI (Indonesia Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute) aka Puslitkoka<\/em>. This variety is actually comprised of six genotypes, so there is concern about stability of genetics when grown from seeds. Growers appreciate this cultivar for fast fruiting and large cherry size, as well as coffee leaf rust resistance not found in the original Andungsari variety.<\/p>\n

Kopyol<\/span><\/b>: A cross of Tim Tim (Hybrido de Timor) with other local species, generally found only in Bali.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lini S<\/span><\/b>: See S. 795<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Onan Ganjang<\/span><\/b>: A selected variety from Humbang Hasundatan Regency, southwest of Dolok Sanggul in North Sumatra. According to some it\u2019s a full Arabica, but purported by others to be a cross of Bourbon and S. 795 genetics. This variety was selected for its large bean size.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

P88<\/span><\/b>: A Colombian (presumably Catimor) selection first introduced in Kenya, then in Thailand. P88 was then taken to Gayo by way of Thailand in 1989.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rambung<\/span><\/b>: Sometimes used as a synonym for Abyssinia AB7. Alternatively used to indicate a cross of AB7 and Hybrido de Timor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rasuna\/Lasuna<\/span><\/b>: Reportedly a cross of Typica and Catimor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

S. 795<\/span><\/b>:Released in 1946 by India\u2019s Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) as \u201cSelection 3,\u201d it is still grown widely in both India and Indonesia (where it\u2019s locally known as Lini S or frequently Jember, after its namesake research station in East Java, through which it was introduced to the region beginning in 1955). It is bred from Kent and an interspecific hybrid of Liberica and Arabica known as\u00a0S. 228\u00a0(CCRI\u2019s \u201cSelection 1\u201d), whose development dates to the mid-1930s and supposedly was initiated by a spontaneous hybridization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sigarar Utang<\/span><\/b>: Sometimes written Sigararutang, this is a hybrid cross of Arabica and Hybrido de Timor selection 831, and it is shrouded in a veil of lore and misinformation. The name can be literally translated as \u201cthe payer of debts,\u201d a nod to the tree’s quick maturation and high productivity. It is sometimes confused with Ateng (a Catimor) but is generally regarded as distinct (although some sources indicate that Sigarar Utang is\u00a0a selection of Ateng). Rumors surrounding its selection date to the late eighties by Opung Sopan Boru Siregar in Desa Batu Gajah, Paranginan, Lintong, Humbang Hasundutan on Sumatra. It was purportedly introduced by ICCRI in the 1990s and definitively endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2005. Genetic testing <\/span>indicates<\/span><\/a> that it clusters closely with Ateng but is likely a Typica (Blawan Pasumah) crossed with Hybrido de Timor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Tim<\/span><\/b>: Short for \u201cTimor Timur\u201d or East Timor. This is the original Hybrido de Timor\u2014a Canephora-Arabica hybrid\u2014and is no longer commonly found other than in the genetics of more popular cultivars.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

USDA<\/span><\/b>:\u00a0Officially USDA 762 <\/span>selection<\/span><\/a>, taken from Ethiopian stock originating in Mizan Tafari in the western Kaffa region, <\/span>collected by Jean B. H. Lejeune<\/span>. Brought to Indonesian by FAO in 1955.\u00a0Pronounced \u201c<\/span>oos<\/span><\/b>-dah.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other known cultivars with unclear taxonomy\/provenance: <\/span>Gayu Tigre<\/span><\/b>, and <\/span>Kobra<\/span><\/b>. (We\u2019ll update this page with more information as it becomes available.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

A botanical illustration of Coffea Arabica<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Evan Gilman With contributions from Surip Mawardi, Tovan Marhennatta, Chris Kornman\u00a0 Indonesian Coffee Cultivars and Varieties Coffee\u2019s cultivated history on the world\u2019s largest archipelagic state, and fourth-most-populous country, dates as early as 1699, introduced by Dutch colonizer-merchants. The botanical origins of the Typica variety of Arabica were taken from the Indonesian island of Java […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":221492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1258],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-resources"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221382"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222800,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221382\/revisions\/222800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}