<p>Even with the impact of below average crop yields from Coffee Rust, Arabica beans still make up at least 75% of the world's coffee crop. Although they are affected by the rust, Arabica plantations will tend to recover within a few years and go back to business as usual. </p>

<p>CLR resistant varieties aren't <a href="http://baristamagazine.com/blog/coffee-leaf-rust-problems-with-rust-resistant-varieties/" rel="nofollow">without problems.</a> They are still vulnerable to other desease that can have an impact on crops. </p>

<p><a href="https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/coffee.pdf" rel="nofollow">USDA report on Coffee Rust impact to Arabica crops</a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/160016-coffee-rust-fungus-raises-prices/" rel="nofollow">2014 article on the Impact of Coffee Rust</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-10T13:37:03.397Z
But some of their trees may no longer be Arabica trees, but trees bred to resist rust. My question was about the percentage of these non-Arabica beans in Arabica coffee.
daniel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-11T01:58:58.363Z
Most cultivars and varieties are part of the Arabica family. 
Aside from Robusta and Liberica there aren't many non-Arabica coffees being grown commercially.
Now, if you were saying that a lot of coffee plantations are moving away from Typica... that's a different story.
PabTorre
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-11T12:04:20.927Z
Your statements may all be true but they are not responsive to the question. Because rust is a recurring threat there is an intense effort to replace some portion of arabica trees with rust-resistant species or hybrids. I think this is only smart. But there is a consumer mystique about arabica and many buyers would be surprised to learn that (say) 5% of their "arabica" beans are in fact something else. If you have quantitative information about the marginal replacement then that would answer the question.
daniel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-11T23:49:30.417Z
do you have any sources on that "intense effort to replace some portion of arabica trees with rust resistant species" ?
PabTorre
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-16T14:23:03.010Z
It took me only a few minutes to find the article above which makes it clear that Lempira, which is not arabica but an arabica-robusta hybrid of so-so quality, is being used to replace aging/dying arabica in Honduras. It's fine to question the premise of the question, but your own data provides the business motive to look for alternatives to arabica. You have answered the question: Will coffee plantations tend to recover from coffee rust? Fine, but I didn't ask that question.
daniel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-16T17:53:29.423Z
Lempira is a subvariety of Catimor, which is itself a variety of Arabica. 
So it isn't technically a replacement for Arabica, although it is a replacement for Typica. :) 
https://genuscoffea.wordpress.com/coffea-article/
PabTorre
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-16T18:34:51.677Z
According to your own source, Catimor is a hybrid of Hybrido de Timor and Caturra. Hybrido de Timor is a "natural hybrid of C. arabica and C. canephora." The lack of quality of Lempira (Catimor, if you prefer) cited in the article I found is noted in your article as well. If this were marketed as pure arabica, that would I think be false advertising.
daniel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-03T16:17:27.457Z
2015-10-12T02:24:35.567Z
2015-10-12T02:24:35.567Z
PabTorre
<p>There have been articles in the news about coffee rust affecting coffee crops in many places. After reading this <a href="http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/Basidiomycetes/Pages/CoffeeRust.aspx" rel="nofollow">article</a> it dawned on me that not only is <em>C.liberica</em> (resistant to rust) being exported in large quantities from some places (Phillipines, for example), Colombian researchers have developed resistant hybrids that may well be replacing <em>C. arabica</em>--to some extent-- in South America as well. </p>

<p>If I go to my local coffee place and get a (relatively) expensive espresso my assumption is that the beans are <em>arabica</em> unless otherwise indicated. If you look at a futures contract for coffee, there is a big premium for coffee from certain countries, in part because it is assumed to be <em>arabica.</em> Is this still true and, if not, what percentage of coffee labeled <em>arabica</em> is actually <em>arabica</em>? </p>

<p>My link is now broken and in response to the comments I am going to add links on efforts to (partly) replace Arabica with resistant species or hybrids. Here is one: <a href="http://baristamagazine.com/blog/coffee-leaf-rust-problems-with-rust-resistant-varieties/" rel="nofollow">Barista Magazine, resistant hybrids of Arabia-Robusta.</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-14T07:47:03.330Z
It may be that all coffee labeled "arabica" is in fact arabica. But if crops are being decimated by rust and resistant cultivars exist, it seems naive to assume that none have made their way into the production chain. But I have not seen any commercial acknowledgment of this, hence the question.
daniel
<arabica>
To what extent have C. arabica beans been replaced by rust-resistant cultivars?
daniel
# To what extent have C. arabica beans been replaced by rust-resistant cultivars?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-14)

There have been articles in the news about coffee rust affecting coffee crops in many places. After reading this [article](http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/Basidiomycetes/Pages/CoffeeRust.aspx) it dawned on me that not only is *C.liberica* (resistant to rust) being exported in large quantities from some places (Phillipines, for example), Colombian researchers have developed resistant hybrids that may well be replacing *C. arabica*--to some extent-- in South America as well.

If I go to my local coffee place and get a (relatively) expensive espresso my assumption is that the beans are *arabica* unless otherwise indicated. If you look at a futures contract for coffee, there is a big premium for coffee from certain countries, in part because it is assumed to be *arabica.* Is this still true and, if not, what percentage of coffee labeled *arabica* is actually *arabica*?

My link is now broken and in response to the comments I am going to add links on efforts to (partly) replace Arabica with resistant species or hybrids. Here is one: [Barista Magazine, resistant hybrids of Arabia-Robusta.](http://baristamagazine.com/blog/coffee-leaf-rust-problems-with-rust-resistant-varieties/)

**Tags:** arabica

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: It may be that all coffee labeled "arabica" is in fact arabica. But if crops are being decimated by rust and resistant cultivars exist, it seems naive to assume that none have made their way into the production chain. But I have not seen any commercial acknowledgment of this, hence the question.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-10-03. Score: 2

Even with the impact of below average crop yields from Coffee Rust, Arabica beans still make up at least 75% of the world's coffee crop. Although they are affected by the rust, Arabica plantations will tend to recover within a few years and go back to business as usual.

CLR resistant varieties aren't [without problems.](http://baristamagazine.com/blog/coffee-leaf-rust-problems-with-rust-resistant-varieties/) They are still vulnerable to other desease that can have an impact on crops.

[USDA report on Coffee Rust impact to Arabica crops](https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/coffee.pdf)

[2014 article on the Impact of Coffee Rust](https://www.rt.com/usa/160016-coffee-rust-fungus-raises-prices/)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: But some of their trees may no longer be Arabica trees, but trees bred to resist rust. My question was about the percentage of these non-Arabica beans in Arabica coffee.  
> **username_1**: Most cultivars and varieties are part of the Arabica family.  Aside from Robusta and Liberica there aren't many non-Arabica coffees being grown commercially. Now, if you were saying that a lot of coffee plantations are moving away from Typica... that's a different story.  
> **username_0**: Your statements may all be true but they are not responsive to the question. Because rust is a recurring threat there is an intense effort to replace some portion of arabica trees with rust-resistant species or hybrids. I think this is only smart. But there is a consumer mystique about arabica and many buyers would be surprised to learn that (say) 5% of their "arabica" beans are in fact something else. If you have quantitative information about the marginal replacement then that would answer the question.  
> **username_1**: do you have any sources on that "intense effort to replace some portion of arabica trees with rust resistant species" ?  
> **username_0**: It took me only a few minutes to find the article above which makes it clear that Lempira, which is not arabica but an arabica-robusta hybrid of so-so quality, is being used to replace aging/dying arabica in Honduras. It's fine to question the premise of the question, but your own data provides the business motive to look for alternatives to arabica. You have answered the question: Will coffee plantations tend to recover from coffee rust? Fine, but I didn't ask that question.  
> **username_1**: Lempira is a subvariety of Catimor, which is itself a variety of Arabica.  So it isn't technically a replacement for Arabica, although it is a replacement for Typica. :)  https://genuscoffea.wordpress.com/coffea-article/  
> **username_0**: According to your own source, Catimor is a hybrid of Hybrido de Timor and Caturra. Hybrido de Timor is a "natural hybrid of C. arabica and C. canephora." The lack of quality of Lempira (Catimor, if you prefer) cited in the article I found is noted in your article as well. If this were marketed as pure arabica, that would I think be false advertising.  

---

