Castillo
Colombia's rust-resistant workhorse. It kept the country's production standing and took some of its flavor variation with it.
- Lineage
- Caturra crossed with Timor Hybrid, released by Cenicafé in 2005
Castillo came out of Cenicafé, Colombia's coffee research center, and was released in 2005. It's a Caturra crossed with Timor Hybrid, which is where the leaf rust resistance comes from.
When rust hit Colombia between 2008 and 2012, the federation pushed Castillo hard as the replanting variety, and it worked. National production recovered. Castillo is now the majority of what's in the ground.
The criticism is that widespread Castillo made Colombian coffee taste more uniform, and there's something to it at commodity grade. At specialty grade and picked ripe, the gap is smaller than the reputation suggests, and a well-processed Castillo cups cleanly.
When rust hit Colombia between 2008 and 2012, the federation pushed Castillo hard as the replanting variety, and it worked. National production recovered. Castillo is now the majority of what's in the ground.
The criticism is that widespread Castillo made Colombian coffee taste more uniform, and there's something to it at commodity grade. At specialty grade and picked ripe, the gap is smaller than the reputation suggests, and a well-processed Castillo cups cleanly.
