Coffee Liberica | Liberian Coffee – Kafeng barako

Coffea liberica | liberica coffee

Coffea Liberica also known as Liberian coffee, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae.

Coffea Liberica has the largest leaves and beans of all the coffee varieties. Liberica cherries are the largest amongst the coffee varieties, have lower yields, harder skins, can vary in size, and have one to three beans.

C. liberica has a more bitter taste than that of the well-known arabica or robusta coffees.

Although this is appreciated by certain groups in southern Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, and in Africa, liberica coffee is generally drunk with lots of sugar and milk to mask the taste.

It is also blended with other coffees, or used in mixtures with other liquids. The taste of excelsa coffee, which originates from a botanical variety of C. liberica , is less bitter than that of true liberica coffee.

Liberian coffee is native to western and central Africa from Liberia to Uganda and Angola, and has become naturalised in the Philippines, Indonesia, Seychelles, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Malaysia.

In the Philippines alone, liberica accounts for more than 70% of all grown coffee.

Coffea liberica accounts for less than 1.5% of commercial coffee grown. It was first commercially cultivated in the Philippines, after it was brought to the city of Lipa in the 1740s by Spanish friars.

C. liberica was the main coffee species grown in the islands during the colonial period. They were exported to Western countries where they would command prices of up to five times the prices of coffee beans from other species.

During the worldwide pandemic of coffee rust in the late 19th century, C. liberica plantations in the Philippines survived longer than arabica and robusta plantations. But they too eventually succumbed to the disease, leading to the collapse of the coffee industry in the islands.

C. liberica is locally known as kapeng barako (Spanish: café verraco). It is still highly regarded and grown widely in the Philippines, though largely only for the local market.

Around 1890, an epidemic of coffee leaf rust swept across more than 90% of all arabica plants around the world. Subsequently, resilience to disease and pests became a high priority for many producers.

While many producers switched to robusta at this time, producers in the Philippines were instead encouraged to plant liberica.

This is because the liberica plant is much more resistant to coffee leaf rust, and it can also be grown more easily than arabica at higher temperatures and lower altitudes.

Furthermore, pests find it more difficult to penetrate the skin of liberica cherries, as they are noticeably firmer.

Close proximity and easy travel from the Philippines to other Southeast Asian countries meant the coffee species spread quickly.

Liberica coffee accounts for around 2% of the coffee consumed worldwide, and most of this consumption occurs in the country where Liberica coffee is highly popular and grown: the Philippines.

Liberica is grown predominantly in Batangas and Cavite provinces of the Philippines. it is also finding its way slowly to Malaysia and Indonesia

The Liberica coffee plant requires a very specific climate for optimum growth, making it ideal for cultivation in hotter and tropical regions, and hard to find outside of the regions that grow it.

Liberica is also difficult to cultivate and difficult to harvest. Liberian coffee likes to grow at low elevations (up to 600 meters).

It requires annual daytime temperature within the range of 24 – 30°C. It also prefers a 1,600 – 2,400mm of annual rainfall.

As the production of Liberica is so scarce, the varietals are limited and not well known amongst the wider coffee community. Though, It is favoured for its strong flavour and pungent aroma.

The most popular varietal of Liberica is Kapeng barako, also known as barako coffee in English. The first Barako tree was grown in Brazil, however it now resides in the Philippines.

Kapeng barako, also known as Barako coffee or Batangas coffee, is a coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs to the species Coffea liberica.

The term is also used to refer to all coffee coming from those provinces.

With a strong smell and distinctive flavor, it’s been a cultural staple in the Philippines for over two hundred years.

It has big cherries and unusual flavour (sweeter than Arabica). The Liberica tree is tall and can reach up to 17 meters in height.

For Filipinos, Kapeng barako coffee is a symbol of their country.

It takes its name from the Tagalog word for a strong man or manliness, a male stud bull or a wild boar, reflecting the fact that it’s a strong coffee.

Traditionally, Kapeng barako or Batangas Brew is served black or sweetened with muscovado sugar.

Liberica has a much stronger aroma and flavour profile though. It is often described as nutty and smoky with hints of jackfruit and dark chocolate when it’s in the process of brewing.

Some people don’t like the jungle-y, smoky taste of Liberica. However, blending 10% Liberica with 90% Arabica can yield epic results.

Its strong flavour is even emphasized as bolder, earthier tastes which gives a cup a much heavier kick to it. When brewed, the cup itself reveals very pleasant woody and herbal notes.

Some people even describe it as liquid tobacco due to the strong smoky taste and smell it produces being similar to the actual tobacco plant.

Mary coffee liberica

Mary Coffee is a serious player in the filter coffee space in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

These plantations are carefully chosen through a strict selection process to ensure that the beans are of the best quality and the topography of the region contributes to the best varieties of Coffee.

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